Anyone who has seen Thomas Bock's painting of this little aboriginal girl (1842) has been drawn into the story of her short life (1835-1852). In summary, Mathinna was born after the Black Line, that abortive effort by the Government in 1830 to remove all aboriginals from the island of Tasmania by force to Wybalenna on Flinders Island, under the auspices of Reverend Robinson.When the new Lieutenant-Governor John Franklin and his wife, Lady Jane Franklin, visited Wybalenna in 1838, they (or rather Jane) was entranced by a little girl of 2 or 3 named Mary. They adopted her a year later, renamed her Mathinna, and took her to the formality of life in Government House. From unfettered time and surrounded by her own culture, this little girl now must wear shoes, learn to read and write, and generally adhere to Victorian rules of comportment.
Mathinna, in her own way, rebelled. She ran up and down the halls of Government House, often accompanied by her monkey (which, I imagine, terrorized the household). She refused to wear shoes. She danced with abandon at soirees and rode around town in the Franklin's open carriage, always wearing her favorite red dress.
When the Franklins were recalled in 1843, Lady Franklin very nearly had a nervous breakdown. Mathinna, then about 8 years old, was not taken to England, for the Franklin's family doctor advised that Mathinna would most likely die of the very cold climate there. So, Mathinna was taken to the Queen's Orphan School, where lessons, strict rules, and schedules reigned.
Not much is known of her life after the Franklin's left. But in 1852, she was found drunk and drowned in a ditch at the age of 17. Only her portrait remains.
Source of Thomas Bock's painting of Mathinna.
Stopping by from the Challenge.
ReplyDeleteWhat a tragic story.
Such a sad story - I suspect there were many more who suffered a similar way, being removed from their culture and forced (however well-intentioned)to fit into what would be an alien situation.
ReplyDeleteArrived here via the 'surprise me' button on the blog-hop - happy A-Z'ing!
SueH I refuse to go quietly!
Twitter - @Librarymaid
Thank you for visiting! Ironically, Mathinna was sent to the same orphanage where her sister had died previously. I found this out with additional research -- and can thank A-Z Blogging Challenge for pushing me to dig deeper!
ReplyDeleteOuch, that's so sad. The poor girl.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad story. How cruel humanity was back then. But they were products of their time, and free thinking was not encouraged. Could any of us say we would have behaved any different.
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That's a sad story. Has it been made into a movie? I'm trying to visit all the A-Z Challenge Blogs this month. My alphabet is at myqualityday.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteA sad yet interesting story.
ReplyDeleteNutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
Happy A-Zing!
That is so incredibly sad...
ReplyDeleteThat's so sad, but thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHow very sad! New follower here. I’m enjoying reading my fellow “A to Z”ers. I look forward to visiting again.
ReplyDeleteSylvia
http://www.writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/
I always find pictures so moving, like that one, it makes you want to know all about her, what she was thinking, what she was like. Thank you for sharing.
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