Bungaree Garigal (abt. 1775 - 1830)

Husband of Kaaroo Murro-ore-dial — married [date unknown] in Sydney,New South Wales Australia

Descendants

Died 24 Nov 1830 at about age 55 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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Bungaree Garigal was an Indigenous Australian. Join: Indigenous Australians Project Discuss: INDIGENOUS_AUSTRALIANS

Biography

Bungaree Garigal is Notable.

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

Bungaree is estimated to have been born sometime in the 1770s ^[1], quite possibly at the small settlement now known as Patonga, edged by Brisk Bay and Patonga Creek. He was a Garigal man and he has been described as the Broken Bay, Pittwater, or Saltwater people ^[2]. The Garigal clan have become known, even amongst descendants, as part of the Guring-gai language group, even though this term has been proven to be an invention of a colonist named John Fraser in 1892. ^{[3] [4] [5]} The preferred way of describing Bungaree's kinship is Garigal, which depicts his connection to the 'Caree' clan. ^{[6] [7]} A more accurate depiction of Bungaree's language group or Nation would be to refer to the Wannungine people. ^[8]

Little is known about Bungaree prior to 1798, when is recorded as being employed on a 60-day round trip to Norfolk Island on the HMS Reliance, where he met the young English naval lieutenant Matthew Flinders Matthew Flinders. He is believed to have relocated with his family to Sydney prior to this time, with the escalation of conflicts along the Hawkesbury River ^{[2] [9]} In 1799, Bungaree again joined Flinder's crew on the Norfolk ^[10] to Bribie Island and Hervey Bay. Bungaree's knowledge of Aboriginal protocol and his skill as a go‐between with local Aborigines during this six‐week voyage was highly valued ^{[1] [11]}

His eldest child Bowen may have been born around this time if the age cited on his death certificate is accurate ^[12]

Work in Progress

His indigenous shipmates were Nanbarry, a Cadigal, and Wingal from Port Stephens. It was during this 60‐day round voyage that Flinders first met and came to respect Bungaree. ^[2]Bungaree also took part in the establishment of the first penal settlement at the Hunter River (Newcastle) in 1801. After landing from Lady Nelson, Surgeon John Harris told Governor Philip Gidley King that 'Bonjary ran off ... and has since not returned'. ^[1]

During 1802–03 Bungaree became the first Australian-born circumnavigator when he sailed with Flinders in the sloop HMS Investigator, which also visited Timor. On this long voyage Bungaree used his knowledge of Aboriginal protocol to negotiate peaceful meetings with local Indigenous people. ^[1]

Bungaree is believed to have become an elder of the Garigal clan in October 1804. In May of the same year Bungaree, his father, and five other Garigal people travelled to Kingstown (Newcastle), where Lieutenant Charles Menzies, the commandant at the settlement noted Bungaree's assistance in capturing some runaway convicts. Bungaree, remained in Kingstown to continue working with the Lieutenant, while the others returned to Broken Bay. His father was later killed 'in the most brutal manner' by convicts in revenge. ^[1] This resulted in Bungaree returning to his clan and developing a close relationship Governor Macquarie, who wanted Aboriginal people to settle down, grow crops and become more sedentary. ^[13]

About 1805 one of Bungaree's wives became the mother of the fair-skinned Ga-ouen-ren, called Dinah or Miss Diana, whose father was a European.^[1]

Bungaree is known to have had several wives ^[11] and a least three have been identified, Matora, Taura and Queen Gooseberry. Many descendants honour these women, as well as Bungaree, as founding ancestors of their family and a link their First Nations ancestry. Quite a few descendants are known to live in the general vicinity of Bungaree (the land of which the lighthouse is built) at Nora Head. ^[14]

One of Bungaree's partners, Matora / Matura, ^[11]. is said to have delivered children Sarah Biddy (Lewis), Sophy, Diana and Toby Bungaree. The name of the father of these children is not specified. Matura's death went unrecorded.^[15] Matora is described as the first wife of Bungaree and the mother of his children, including Boin/Bowen. Reverend Lancelot Threlkeld recorded her name to mean ‘small snapper’, a totem of the Awabakal language, in the country is was likely born. Matora is said to have been buried with Bungaree at Rose Bay. ^[16] It may the case that Bungaree met Matora during his missions to Newcastle as a translator. One account suggests that Matora's daughter, Sophy, was a descendant of the Guringai People [see Research Note 1] and was born circa 1810 ^[17]

Another partner of Bungaree is said to Cora Gooseberry (c1777–1852), who took the title Queen Cora from colonists in Sydney, and in 1966, was described as the 'principal wife' of Bungaree ^[11] Cora (born as Carra or Kaaroo) became a well-known identity in the Sydney streets. he was the daughter of Moorooboora, leader of the Murro-Ore (Pathway Place) clan, (muru = pathway; Boora - Long Bay). ^[18] It is suggested that Cora was still in a close relationship with Bungaree at the time of his death.

As an adult Bungaree was tall (173 cm), with a happy disposition and much intelligence ^[19], He came with some Garigal people to settle in Sydney later in life. By this stage in his life, he had become flamboyant, intelligent and shrewd. He was an explorer, a great voyager, a go-between, an esteemed elder of his people, a beggar and, at times a drunkard. He was a clever communicator and used mimicry, when language failed. He reached out across the cultural gulf to become a valued friend of Matthew Flinders, Governor Lachlan Macquarie, as well as with many explorers, writers, botanists and artists. ^[1] Bungaree spent his life ceremonially welcoming visitors to Australia, educating people about Aboriginal culture (especially boomerang throwing), and soliciting tribute, especially from ships visiting Sydney. ^[1]

Bungaree had a daughter and Boio, nicknamed Long Dick, born between 1814 and 1818, 'a son of Bungaree and Queen Gooseberry'. ^[1] Towards the end of his eventful life, Bungaree and his Broken Bay Clan had crossed from the North Shore to camp in the Governor’s Domain, which they shared with Aboriginal people from Newcastle and Port Stephens. ^[1]

In 1830 Bungaree suffered a long illness that lingered for months. He spent several weeks in the General Hospital and was put on government rations. Bungaree’s friends took him to Elizabeth Bay and later to Garden Island where he died on 24 November 1830. ^[2]

Bungaree died on 24 Nov 1830 and is buried at Rose Bay in Sydney. ^[11] in a wooden coffin in a grave dug at Rose Bay ‘beside his dead Queen’ Matora. ^{[1] [20]}

Research Notes

• Unfortunately, in spite of her special status, surviving descriptions of Matora are tainted with cultural bias: 'His wife, an old woman smeared with fish oil, was truly the personification of ugliness - but meeting one in the bush she always asked to be kissed'. It is not clear if this was said about Matora or Cora Gooseberry but based on the setting of the story, it would seem to be the later. This book is misleading in terms of the information presented but has good references to original sources ^[21]

Naming and Kinship

Suggested use of naming fields (please click on hyperlinks for definitions):

• Proper first name: Bungaree
• Preferred name: Bungaree
• Other Nicknames: leave blank - there are multiple spelling variations of his name and these can be outlined in the biography
• Skin name: unknown
• Clan/family group: Garigal - in light of Bungaree's skin name not being publicly known, Garigal is considered to be the most appropriate name to be used in the Last Name at Birth (LNAB) field, representing a family group. An alternative would be to put unknown here, however, this would provide less of an indication of his kinship relationships

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10} Vincent Smith, Keith (2011) Bungaree Dictionary of Sydney. Accessed 25 Jan 2020.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Evers, Neil (2014, Jul 27) Bungaree Was Flamboyant Pittwater Online News July 27 Issue 173 Accessed 13 Mar 2021
3. ↑ Aboriginal Heritage Office (2015) Aboriginal Heritage and History within the Kuring-gai Local Government Area Gordon: Kurin-gai Council. The use of the term Kuring-gai as a term for Bungaree's language group is discouraged today. A colonist named John Fraser published the term in 1892 for a ‘tribe’, he claimed, stretched from the Macleay River to the south of Sydney, possibly influenced by the name of the Gringai people of the Hunter River district and the word ‘Kuri’ for men. Kuring-gai became a popular term to describe the northern areas of Sydney by colonists settling in the area. Meanwhile, some descendants adopted the term ‘Guringai’ as a way to define their Aboriginal connections and identity. The Aboriginal Heritage Office considers the term Kuring-gai/Guringai to be inauthentic, as it was invented by a colonial researcher in 1892 and even though it has entered the local vocabulary, ideally it should not be used in place of more appropriate Indigenous words.
4. ↑ Aboriginal Heritage Office (2015) Filling a void: A review of the historical context for the use of the word 'Guringai' North Sydney: Northern Region Aboriginal Heritage Officer It is recommended that where possible, clan names are used in preference.
5. ↑ Morcombe, John (2015) Misunderstanding:  The historical fiction of the word Guringai that has filled a void in our knowledge of the original inhabitants Manly Daily February 20, 2015
6. ↑ McDonald, Jo (2008) Social Context, in Dreamtime Superhighway: Sydney Basin Rock Art and Prehistoric Information Exchange. Australian National University Press: Canberra; citing Peterson (1986) In the Sydney region, clans had patrilineal descent. Women married out of the group into which they had been born and females of the same totem were dispersed by marriage. Males of the same totem co-resided within the clan they were born, i.e., there was patrilineal descent and virilocal residence as a culturally prescribed ideal
7. ↑ Green, Richard (n.d.) Clan Words in Dharug And Dharawal Dalang: Language is culture, Centre for Indigenous Technology Information and Education Solutions Darug elders (and by implication Garigal mob) use the suffix Gul for the men of the clan or Gal for the women of the clan. The same arrangement is used for the whole Sydney Basin.
8. ↑ Ford, Geoffrey (2010) Darkiñung Recognition: An Analysis of the Historiography for the Aborigines from the Hawkesbury-Hunter Ranges to the Northwest of Sydney [commonly written with English characters as ‘Darkinung’, Darkinyung or Darkinjung] PhD Thesis University of Sydney A alternative name recorded by Robert Mathews, now preferred, is Wannungine.
9. ↑ Australian Museum (2019) Bungaree Accessed 13 Mar 2021
10. ↑ Collins, David (1802) An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Vol. 2 An Account Of The English Colony In New South Wales, From Its First Settlement In 1788, To August 1801: With Remarks On The Dispositions, Customs, Manners, Etc. Of The Native Inhabitants Of That Country. To Which Are Added, Some Particulars Of New Zealand; Compiled, By Permission, From The Mss. Of Lieutenant-Governor King; And An Account Of The Voyage Performed By Captain Flinders And Mr Bass The vessel was manned with volunteers from the two king's ships, and Lieutenant Flinders was accompanied by Bong-ree, a native of the northside of Broken Bay, who had been noted for his good disposition, and open and manly conduct.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4} McCarthy, F. D. (1966), 'Bungaree (?–1830)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Accessed online 25 January 2020
12. ↑ New South Wales Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages Death Certificate 747/1853 V1853747 106 Name: BOWEN (ABORIGINAL) AGE 56 Father: not listed Mother: not listed District: not listed
13. ↑ Author unknown (1981) Historical Monograph, Brisbane Water Historical Society cited in Bungaree becomes an Elder, A History of Aboriginal Sydney, North Coastal 1804.
14. ↑ Nora Head, A History of Aboriginal Sydney, North Coastal 1804.
15. ↑ Green, Richard (n.d.) Colebee, in Dharug And Dharawal Dalang: Language is culture, Centre for Indigenous Technology Information and Education Solutions
16. ↑ State Library of New South Wales (2017) Aboriginal names for Library’s rooms
17. ↑ Whitfield, Warren (2006) A Guringai Family Story in Neil's Family Specials and Memory Hole: Bringing together family history and memory posts
18. ↑ Vincent Smith (2005) 'Gooseberry, Cora (1777–1852)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University accessed online 25 January 2020.
19. ↑ http://archival.sl.nsw.gov.au/Details/archive/110332459
20. ↑ The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW: 1803 - 1842) Sat 27 Nov 1830 Page 2 Death of King Boongarie We have to announce the death of his Aboriginal Majesty King BOONGARIE, Supreme Chief of the Sydney tribe. He expired on Wednesday last, at Garden Island, after a lingering sickness of several months. A coffin has been despatched thither from the Lumber Yard, and he will be interred at Rose Bay, beside the remains of his late Queen, this day. The facetiousness of the sable chief, and the superiority of his mental endowments, over those of the generality of his race, obtained for him a more than ordinary share of regard from the white inhabitants of the colony, which was testified by frequent donations suited to his condition, not only from private individuals, but from the Authorities. At the commencement of his last illness, the Hon. Mr. M'Leay procured him admission into the General Hospital, where he received every necessary attention, and remained some weeks; but, becoming impatient to return to his " people," he was, of course, permitted to depart, and the Government allowed him a full man's ration to the day of his death. Boongarie was remarkable for his partiality for the English costume; and it must be confessed that his appearance was sometimes grotesque enough, when he had arrayed his person in such "shreds and patches" of coats and nether garments as he could by any means obtain; the whole surmounted by an old cocked hat, with " the humour of forty fancies pricked in't for a feather." The late Commodore, Sir James Brisbane, was particularly partial to him, and on one occasion presented him with a full suit of his own uniform, together with a sword, of which he was not a little vain. For some time past, his increasing infirmities rendered it evident that he could not much longer survive his forefathers; and, on the day above named, in the midst of his own tribe, as well as that of Darling Harbour, by all of whom he was greatly beloved, he ended his mortal career. We have not yet heard the name of his successor; but the honour, of course, devolves on the most renowned of his tribe. A detailed account of all the ceremonies used at the death, and funeral obsequies, we shall furnish for the information of our readers on Tuesday.
21. ↑ Troy, Jakelin (1993) King Plates: A History of Aboriginal Gorgets for the National Museum of Australia. Canberra : Aboriginal Studies Press.

• Find a Grave memorial for Bungaree (1775–24 Nov 1830): accessed 13 February 2021.
• Bungaree . . . Wikipedia®
• Fletcher, Patrick (2009) The story of Bungaree Mosman, New South Wales: Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
• Vincent Smith, Keith (1992) King Bungaree: a Sydney Aborigine meets the great South Pacific explorers, 1799-1830, Kenthurst, New South Wales: Kangaroo Press
• Vincent Smith, Keith (2010) Mari Nawi: Aboriginal odysseys, Kenthurst, New South Wales: Rosenburg Publishing
• Pearl Beach Aboriginal History Group (2016) Bungaree's Mob: The Wannangine of the Woy Woy Peninsula & beyond Justine O'Brien (Ed.)
• Gapps, Stephen (2019, Feb 2) Finding Flinders (and Bungaree) Australian National Maritime Museum Accessed 13 Mar 2021
• Hoskins, Ian (2006) Aboriginal North Sydney Council Accessed 13 Mar 2021
• The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842 - 1954) Wed 9 Dec 1857 Page 8 Donations to the Australian Museum during November 1857 Four fossil shells of the genus spirifer, 2 minerals, nest of climacteris scandens, a number of shells from Wide Bay and Port Curtis, etc., skull of " King Bungaree," an aboriginal of New South Wales; skull of crocodilus biporcatus, from Port Essington ; and jaws of cestracion Phillipi, Port Jackson. By the Hon. R. J. Want, Esq.

Acknowledgements

• Beverley Dawn Melchior is acknowledged for her contribution in starting this profile. Bungaree is her second great aunt's great grandfather.
• Sharlene Leroy-Dyer, who is a direct descendant for her contribution is also acknowledged. Bungaree is her fifth great grandfather