Ros Langford

TARE-NORE’s JOURNEY This print tells the story of Tare-nore’s Journey. Tare-nore who was also known as Wayler was a courageous Aboriginal Resistance fighter. Tare-nore was from the Plair-heke-hiller-plue, a band that lived near Emu Bay. The painting is the artist’s impression of Tare-nore’s resistance to the invasion of her homeland. The nine hills in the bottom of the painting represents the nine tribal Homelands in Tasmania. The various circles on the 9 hills represent the various clan groups of the tribes. The painting describes scenes with which the young Aboriginal girl was presented. At first she saw her land and people free. Then she saw, from across the sea, new people arrive. Some were in chains, some had guns. These scenes to Tare-nore were at first symbols of curiosity and wonder, then symbols of destruction and despair. Tare-nore saw her people killed, their lands and hunting grounds invaded. Tare-nor also saw and heard about many soldiers forming a line to hunt and round up her people – the infamous Black Line. Tare-nore could not stand by and let this destruction of her people go without resistance. The upper portion of the painting depicts Tare-nore’s travels and her resistance to her final captivity with her sister Noendapper on Gun Carriage Island where they both died within weeks of each other. Original Art Work:- Acrylic on Canvas. Artist:- Ros Langford A limited edition run of 400 prints was made from this painting.

From Wikipedia:
Tarenorerer, also known as Walyer, Montserrat, Tuculillo, or Walloa (c. 1800 – 5 June 1831), was a rebel leader of the Aboriginal Tasmanians. Between 1828 and 1830, she led a guerrilla band of indigenous people of both sexes against the British colonists in Tasmania during the Black War.

Early life
Tarenorerer was born circa 1800 near Emu Bay, Van Diemen’s Land as a member of the Tommeginne people. As a teenager, she was taken captive by Indigenous kidnappers and sold as a slave to British colonists in the Bass Strait Islands. During her captivity, she learned to speak English and how to use firearms. Two of her brothers and two of her sisters joined her with the sealers.

Resistance
In 1828, Tarenorerer returned to northern Tasmania, where she gathered a guerrilla band of Indigenous warriors of both sexes and lead them against the colonists. As she was able to train them in using firearms, they were successful. George Augustus Robinson referred to her as an Amazon and was very concerned about her ability to incite a revolution. Tarenorerer escaped to Port Sorell with her brothers Linnetower and Line-ne-like-kayver and two sisters but was captured by sealers and taken to the Hunter Islands. They were then taken to Bird Island to catch seals and mutton birds.

In December 1830 Tarenorerer was taken to Swan Island, where her identity was revealed. Her capture, Robinson said, was “a matter of considerable importance to the peace and tranquillity of those districts where she and her formidable coadjutors had made themselves so conspicuous in their wanton and barbarous aggression”. She was imprisoned at the Gun Carriage (Vansittart) Island, where she fell sick and died of influenza in prison.