Manalakina (Mannalargenna) Pairrebeenne (abt. 1775 - 1835)

Born about 1775 in Plangermaireener First Nation (Ben Lomond) [uncertain]

Husband of Tanalipunya (Tanlebonyer) Loontiteermairreloinner — married 1830 in Swan island, Tasmania, Australia

Descendants

Died 4 Dec 1835 at about age 60 in Wybalena Island, Tasmania, Australia

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Manalakina (Mannalargenna) Pairrebeenne was an Indigenous Australian. Join: Indigenous Australians Project Discuss: INDIGENOUS_AUSTRALIANS

First Nations people should be aware that this biography contains images and names referring to people who have passed into the dreaming.

Biography

Much of the information sourced about Mannalargenna that was written while he was living was recorded by colonists. Over the years, it has been interpreted in many ways.

In contrast, where at all possible, this profile will describe the life of Manalakina using the palawa kani, meaning "Tasmanian Aborigines speak". ^[1] The dozen or so separate languages spoken in lutruwita were transcribed as word lists by over twenty different colonists, with different linguistic backgrounds. Different spellings and interpretations of the life of Manalakina and his kin have led to some uncertainty about aspects of his story. palawa kani is a reclamation of these languages, including how they sound and their spelling. ^[1]. On this collaborative profile, preference will be given to sources written or interpreted by Tasmanian Aboriginal Peoples with a continuing connection to land and culture.

Manalakina was a Pairrebeenne man with a connection to country in Tebrikunna, now known as Cape Portland in the North East or Coastal Plains nation of Trouwunna (Tasmania) ^[2]. His birth date is not known and has been determined based on interactions with colonists. For example, he was apparently estimated to have been 55 years old when he met George Augustus Robinson in November 1830 on the Anson's Plain, inland from the southern end of the Bay of Fires. ^[2]

He died at Wybalenna Island on 4 Dec 1835 ^[3], which is an event stilled commemorated annually over 180 years later ^[4].

Work in progress

His country was Tebrikunna, now known as Cape Portland, in the far northeast of Trouwunna – the name known by eastern tribes for the island of Tasmania - and he was the leader of the Pairrebeenne clan, in the North East nation (or Coastal Plains nation), and a revered warrior. He lived almost half of his life before the arrival of the ‘whitefellas’ and the establishment of their first settlement in 1803, “in a world of uncontaminated cultural traditions”. He had two wives, with two sons and four daughters. ^[2]

There are some records of Mannalargenna's activities during the fateful period of the 'Black War', a period of violent conflict between British colonists and Aboriginal Australians in Tasmania from the mid-1820s to 1832. ^[5] This occurred due to the settlers greed for pastoral land, and resulted in the deaths of more than 200 European colonists and between 600 and 900 Aboriginal people, nearly annihilating the island's indigenous population. ^[6] It would seem that he and his family had been exiled at some stage to the islands offshore from his Country.

His 2nd wife was Taneleboneyer (Sall) (1807-1835), who was with her husband in August 1831 after he had been taken off Gun Carriage Island – between Flinders and Cape Barren Islands in the Furneaux Group – to go with George Augustus Robinson to find any remaining small groups of Aborigines in the northeast bush^[7]. They also accompanied Robinson around Tasmania from 1831 to 1835.

It seems that Mannalargenna and Tanleboneyer became man and wife in 1830 when they had been exiled to Swan Island, which is a small island in the Bass Strait close to Cape Portland, and south of the Furneaux Group. At least one of the sons and the four daughters are indicated to be Tanleboneyer’s children^[8]. They were Neerhepeererminer, the son, and the four daughters Woretemoeteyenner, Wottecowidyer, Wobbelty (Wobberertee, or Wapperty) and Teekoolterme. However, if the first daughter’s age was anything like the estimated 40 years in 1837 ^[9], she must surely have been a daughter of his first wife, whose name seems to be unknown‽

"His first wife's name is unknown, but together they had at least five children: a son, Neerhepeererminer and daughters Woretermoeteyenner, Wottecowidyer, Wobbelty and Teekoolterme. His second wife was Tanleboneyer with whom he had no children". ^[10]

Emerenna, who is also known as Woreterneemmerunnertatteyanne aka Bet Smith, has also been describes as Mannalargenna's daughter ^[11]

Again, Dolly Dalrymple or Dalrymple Mountgarret, is indicated to have been a daughter of Woretemoeteyenner and George Briggs, a sealer, and born about 1808^[12].

Wapperty is also indicated to have been born about 1797 ^[13] and was abducted in the 1820’s by sealer John Thomas and taken to the Hunter Islands, which lie between King Island and northwest Tasmania in the Bass Strait. She lived on Flinders Island for many years and had a child with a Maori sealer named Myetye. Many Palawa today are descendants of Wapperty, who died in 1867 at Oyster Cove Mission station.

Mannalargenna appears to have been on Big Green Island, a tiny island on the west side of Flinders Island, in October 1835, but died at Wybalenna on 4 December 1835 of empyema pneumonia, one of the many to die there of diseases introduced by colonists ^[2].

As a final act of insensitivity Robinson buried Mannalargenna's body on the burial ground in a coffin and allowed his enemies to participate in the service. In 1986, 100 unmarked graves of Tasmanian Aboriginals were located at Wybalenna ^[14].

Research Notes

• There is an indication that kinship groups were a little different in Trowunna in some ways different to groups with respect to kinship. For instance, it has been claimed that Palawa people organised themselves as smaller exogamous mobs, rather than a collection of Clans, within a Nation. ^[15].
• The name recorded for Mannalargenna's second wife 'TANLEBONEYER', was a word which generally referred to wife, rather than having special significance as an individual totem ^[15]
• Among Palawa Peoples, there is currently a lot of effort being put in to reclaim language and it is possible that more knowledge may be revealed publicly as part of this process of better understanding the palawa kani ^[16]
• Despite colonial violence and the significance of the cultural knowledge that has been lost, there are many descendants of Mannalargenna who identify through this connection as being associated with the Plangermaireener Nation ^[17] and more specifically the Pairrebeenne Clan as a kinship relation. The importance of these connections cannot be understated. .
• There is a significant amount of knowledge of Mannalargenna's involvement in the 'Black War' cited in a PhD thesis written by Nicholas Clements. This information is relevant to many First Nations people in Tasmania today who are able to trace their genealogy based on some of these events ^[5]

Naming and Kinship

Suggested use of naming fields based on the research notes above (please click on hyperlinks for definitions):

• Proper first name: Manalakina - name spelled using the palawa kani
• Preferred name: Manalakina
• Other Nicknames: Mannalargenna
• Skin name: unknown - this name is not public knowledge and may or may not be known, thus it cannot be used in a public profile.
• Clan/family group: Pairrebeenne - This name is widely acknowledged as the Clan Mannalargenna was an elder of, from birth, however, this knowledge is not certain due to the way boundaries were recorded by Plomely, a colonist. A map produced by the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) ^[18]demonstrates, where this uncertainty rises with the Pairrebeenne Clan boundaries spreading from Cape Portland (Tebrikunna) into the eastern part of Ben Lomond Country (Plangermaireener). Despite this, Pairrebeenne is considered to be most appropriate Last Name at Birth (LNAB), as recorded in many sources. Mannalargenna also has an association with the Trawlwoolway Clan (Little Swanport) in Pyemairrener-Pairrner Country, possibly both through both his mother and/or first 'wife'. Some Tasmanian First Nations People, who are recognised as descending from Mannalargenna describe themselves as being part of the Pairrebeenne-Trawlwoolway Clan in relation to being able to trace their connection to land and culture to various islands to the north of the mainland including Flinders and Wybalena Islands.
• Current Last Name: Pairrebeenne-Trawlwoolway - In recognition of Mannalargenna's association as an Elder of the Trawlwoolway later in life and his descendants who trace themselves back to Flinders Island and more specifically Wybalena, the Current Last Name field is recorded as Pairrebeenne-Trawlwoolway ^[18].

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (n.d.) palawa kani: the only Aboriginal language in lutruwita today. lutruwita
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Miller, Lynn & Cameron, Patsy (2009) Aboriginal Life Stories - Clanspeople Encountered: Mannarlagenna University of Tasmania
3. ↑ Genealogical Society of Tasmania Inc, cited in Ancestry.com Australia Cemetery Index, 1808-2007 [database on-line]. Name: Manna Largenna Death Date: 4 Dec 1835 Cemetery: Wybalenna Aboriginal Settlement Cemetery Location: Flinders Island, Tasmania.
4. ↑ Shine, Rhiannon (2016) Aboriginal warrior: Tasmanians commemorate the anniversary of Mannalargenna's death ABC News 4 Dec 2016
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Clements, Nicholas (2013) Frontier Conflict in Van Diemen’s Land PhD Thesis, University of Tasmania
6. ↑ Black War (2020) In Wikipedia {NB: This reference is a place holder until the source documents within the Wikipedia article can be cited}
7. ↑ Miller, Lynn & Cameron, Patsy (2009) Aboriginal Life Stories - Clanspeople Encountered: [ http://www.utas.edu.au/telling-places-in-country/historical-context/historical-biographies/tanleboneyer-sall Tanleboneyer (Sall)] University of Tasmania
8. ↑ Grasswill, Helen (2014, Sep 11) Jacqui Lambie's Indigenous heritage claims surprise members of Tasmania's Aboriginal community ABC News: Australian Story
9. ↑ Miller, Lynn & Cameron, Patsy (2009) Aboriginal Life Stories - Clanspeople Encountered: Woretermoteteyer- Woretemoeteyenner University of Tasmania
10. ↑ Mannalargenna (2020) In Wikipedia {NB: This reference is a place holder until the source documents within the Wikipedia article can be cited}
11. ↑ Ryan, Lyndall (2012) Tasmanian Aborigines: A history since 1803 Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin
12. ↑ Ian McFarlane (2005), Dalrymple, Dolly (1808–1864), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed online 10 May 2020.
13. ↑ Gantevoort, M., Hamacher, D. W. & Lischick, S. (2016) Reconstructing Star Knowledge of Aboriginal Tasmanians Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 19(3), 327–347.
14. ↑ Furneaux Historical Research Association (n.d.) Tasmanian Aboriginal History in the Furneaux Region Whitemark, Tasmania: Flinders Council
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Plomely N. J. B. (1992) The Tasmanian tribes & cicatrices as tribal indicators among the Tasmanian Aborigines Launceston: Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
16. ↑ Harman, Krystyn (2018, Jul 19) Explainer: how Tasmania’s Aboriginal people reclaimed a language, palawa kani The Conversation
17. ↑ Foley, Meraiah (2018) Women in the Tasmanian State Service: Delia Summers Department of Premier and Cabinet State Service Management Office: Hobart
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} The Orb (2018, May) Cultural Landscapes: Shelters State of Tasmania (Department of Education): Hobart

• Sanders, Ivan (n.d.) Mannalargenna Resource Page Ivan's Page - featuring a partial tree of descendants
• Sanders, Ivan (n.d.) The Briggs Genealogy Ivan's Page; citing Mollison, B. & Everitt, C. (1978) "The Tasmanian Aborigines and their descendants: Parts 2 Chronology, Genealogy and Social Data. Edited by Phil Hackett. Tasmania: Bill Mollison
• Monument Australia (n.d.) Mannalargenna Monument Australia
• Parrdarrama Pungenna Aboriginal Community (2015, Mar 30) Trouwunna and Lutruwitta are two words that our ancestors have known this island as for thousands of years Pangana News - Aboriginal Tasmania: Facebook
• Moore, Terrence Christopher (2009) The exhaustion of progressive Aboriginal governance. PhD Thesis: University of Tasmania
• IKON Gallery (2017) Thomas Bock: Exhibition Catalogue. IKON: Birmingham, United Kingdom
• Aboriginal land-owners of Ben Lomond (2020) In Wikipedia {NB: This reference is a place holder until the source documents within the Wikipedia article can be cited}
• Marks, Kathy (2013, Jan) Channelling Mannalargenna Griffith Review
• https://www.oric.gov.au/publications/spotlight/breathing-mannalargenna