Tarenorerer

Tarenorerer, also known as Walyer (1800-5 June 1831), was a rebel leader of the Indigenous Australians in Tasmania. 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.

Tarenorerer was born in Van Diemens land as a member of the Tommeginne people. As a teenager, she was taken captive by Indigenous kidnappers and sold as a slave to white colonists. During her captivity, she learned to speak English and how to use fire arms. In 1828, she was able to return to Tasmania, were 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 fire arms, they were successful. George Augustus Robinson referred to her as an amason. Eventually, she was taken captive. She was imprisoned at the Gun Carriage (Vansittart) Island, were she fell sick and died in prison.

References

• Australian Dictionary of Biography
• N. J. B. Plomley, Friendly Mission (Hob, 1966)
• D. Lowe, Forgotten Rebels (Melb, 1994)
• H. Felton, Adapting & Resisting, book 6 of Living With the Land (Hob, 1991)
• L. Ryan, The Aboriginal Tasmanians (Syd, 1996)
• Papers and Proceedings (Tasmanian Historical Research Association), vol 5, no 4, 1957, p 73, and vol 23, no 2, June 1976, p 26.