Talk:Truganini

Biography assessment rating comment

WikiProject Biography Summer 2007 Assessment Drive

Nearly a B.

The article may be improved by following the WikiProject Biography 11 easy steps to producing at least a B article. -- Yamara 18:14, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

Discussion

Hello, For Australians, historically and otherwise.Truganini is the correct pronunciation of her name.For a viewpoint from a novelists perspective who researched this story meticuously.Try "The Savage Crows" by Robert Drewe. "Friendly mission:The Tasmanian Journals and papers of George Augustus Robinson 1829-1834, edited by N.J.B. Plomley. Truganini is the way to go, I lived over there for quite a while and that is what has gone into the lexicon.

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I agree - I have never heard of "Trugernanna" before - Truganini is the pronounciation and spelling that I have always seen - again, a life-long Tasmanian resident. I will correct all the 'Trugernanna' sitings that I see. A google search seems to agree with me - 3000+ hits for Truganini, 100 for Truganinni, 14 for Trugernanna. --Chuq 23:43, 23 Feb 2004 (UTC)

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Why not consult with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community and find out what the correct spelling and pronunciation, as accepted by them, is? The only spelling I have seen used by Aborigines in Tasmania is Trugernanna. - not true. I used to work for SETAC (south East Tasmanian Aboriginal corp. - TRUGANINI is right

What

does "the last first-generation tribal Tasmanian Aborigine" mean?—Nat Krause^(Talk!) 23:30, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

• It's a very contorted way of saying that she was the last Tasmanian Aborigine on Tasmania. A few others survived outside Tasmania, thats why there are still some Tasmanian Aborigines.--Peta 00:11, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

  WRONG... the last full-blooded tasmanian aboriginal was Fanny Cochrane-Smith. Outlived Truganini by about 30 years and died near cygnet tasmania. 101.178.198.124 (talk) 05:20, 22 May 2024 (UTC)

last Tasmanian language speaker

I went searching for a reference for the claim someone made on this page about Fanny Cochrane Smith being the last speaker - and instead i found books published that consider Trugernanner to be the last speaker - whoever added Smith can you please add your source for the claim 121.73.1.165 (talk) 06:24, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

There's a condition on the claim: that Truganini was the last full-blooded native speaker; Smith may indeed have been the last speaker of the language. On the other hand, I've noticed both articles claim that both individuals' recordings of songs are the only existing recordings of native Tasmanian languages, which therefore cannot be true. 1.79.39.67 (talk) 17:31, 13 June 2014 (UTC)

I can clarify this. I also worked for SETAC (the south east tasmanian aboriginal corp/council.)

Fanny was the last fluent speaker, and the last full-blooded tasmanian aboriginal alive. this was recognised through her land grants and in paperwork (birth / death records etc). She lived about 30 years after Truganini's death. The confusion possibly stems from the fact that Tasmanian folk were not one tribe - and unfortunately this power play between mobs still continues today. 101.178.198.124 (talk) 05:24, 22 May 2024 (UTC)

Truganini

100% of the references in this article are to Truganini, or similar.
There is no reference whatsoever to this "Trugernanner".
The article should not renamed Truganini to reflect its sources.
99.238.134.143 (talk) 22:32, 10 August 2012 (UTC)

Many of the references in the article are from 19th century British newspapers, and most 19th century Britons knew little of Aboriginal languages. If the "Trugernanner" spelling reflects the correct pronunciation of her name we should stick with it, especially as it seems to be the one most modern Australians use (e.g. Australian Dictionary of Biography).RLamb (talk) 13:30, 11 August 2012 (UTC)

That's a big "if". "Truganini" is closer to the actual pronunciation, as evidenced by the many similar transcriptions. — kwami (talk) 03:18, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

That is reasonable. Is that clear in the article?

My personal original reference point could be the song by the Oils.

Former resident of Sydney, User:Varlaam (blocked) 99.238.134.143 (talk) 16:36, 11 August 2012 (UTC)

Never heard of "Trugernanner", which is a rather ugly English respelling. Everyone knows Truganini, which is the normal spelling in the lit. At GBooks, there are thousands that use "Truganini", but only about a dozen which used "Trugernanner". — kwami (talk) 02:31, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

So, 1 source for "Trugernanner", 1,000 for "Truganini". Also, "Trugernanner" is unknown outside Australia. Any reason not to change back? — kwami (talk) 03:18, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

How about using WP:RM to establish consensus and avoid moving to malformed titles like Truganini (). older ≠ wiser 03:27, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

I'm not having a say on the article title but perhaps the linguistics of the name may help editors decide. Colonial transcriptions were usually Trugernanner or Trugernena with both sometimes used in articles. In one 1836 newspaper (Hobart Town Courier) her husband was Worreddy in one mention and Wooreddy in the same sentence ie: "...Worreddy, a native of Brune Island and Trugernena, wife of Wooreddy" which indicates some spelling confusion but also a consistent vocalisation which can be considered accurate. Truganini is likely a transcription by people who had never heard the name spoken by an Indigenous speaker. The earliest mention of the name Truganini is as the name of a schooner in 1840. In 1869 there was a town called Truganini near Bendigo in Victoria. The earliest mention of Truganini as a persons name was in 1870 when J.W.Graves, the president of the Hobart Acclimatisation society, named one of his daughters Truganini. According to Graves, he had given all his daughters Aboriginal names, named for the youngest of the Aboriginals that had seen transported to Flinders Island in 1836 (it was actually 1833) when he was a young boy. Graves wrote a short biography of one of the Indigenous girls on Flinders Island of around his own age, six year old Matthina (with poetry praising her and one particularly sad poem upon her death) and also wrote about the poor conditions suffered by the Indigenous Tasmanians. In 1871 there was a suburb named Truganini in Melbourne, Victoria (present day Laverton, adjacent the corner of Geelong road and Kororoit Creek Road. The earliest use of the name Truganini for an Indigenous person was in 1871 in a newspaper article about Flinders Island, specifically a physical description of Trugernanner. Today the name Trugernanner is still somewhat common among Indigenous Tasmanians. Wayne (talk) 08:35, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

So the forms (in modern orthography) are early Truganana and Truganina, later Truganini. (Or more accurately Trukanana, Trukanina, Trukanini.) We do go with WP:COMMONNAME, however, and I don't think there's any contest there. — kwami (talk) 08:46, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

Requested move

The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: page moved. Wbm1058 (talk) 15:44, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

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Trugernanner → Truganini – very clear WP:COMMONNAME. — kwami (talk) 06:17, 5 January 2013 (UTC)

• Support It would be useful to have some evidence, rather than the unsubstantiated claim that It's the common name and the equally unsubstantiated Oh no, it's not earlier on this page (I know it's the pantomime season, but really...), but the evidence seems to back the proposer's claim. An Advanced Google search for Trugernanner, excluding Wikipedia, in English for websites in Australia over the last year gives 17 hits. A similar search for Truganini, excluding Wikipedia, gives 1,460 hits. That seems to firmly indicate that current useage in Australian English is Truganini. Skinsmoke (talk) 10:22, 5 January 2013 (UTC)

Didn't think I needed to, since it's so lopsided and people would take their own looks. Of your hits, only 5 use it as the primary name, and one more has double-barreled "Trugernanner - Truganini". — kwami (talk) 22:04, 6 January 2013 (UTC)

• Support requesting admin G6 assistance. Tiggerjay (talk) 08:28, 13 January 2013 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Woorrady?

"...moved Truganini and Woorrady to Flinders Island..." As far as I'm aware, Woorrady is a fictional character. I hope the rest of this article is sourced a bit better... --118.209.200.29 (talk) 13:21, 5 May 2014 (UTC)

When Robertson visited Bruny island in 1829 there were 19 Aborigines living there. One was Truganini and the groups elder was Woorrady. Robertson introduced a European diet and regular church services in order to westernize them but they started to become ill as the European diet had far less protein than their regular diet. It was Indigenous custom to abandon a location when there was an outbreak of illness so they abandoned the island which was when Robertson decided to collect all the remaining Aborigines and relocate them in a single settlement away from Europeans. He travelled with the Bruny Aboriginals as guides and used Truganini as a go between when he met other groups. Truganini and Woorrady stayed with Robertson until he settled the Aborigines on Vansittart Island in March 1831, not 1830 or Flinders island as the article states and it was 51, not 100. In late 1831, the Aborigines were moved to Flinders Island (The Lagoons) as Vansittart was too small but this settlement was unsuitable and in October 1832 the settlement was moved to Pea Jacket Point which was renamed Civilisation Point (Wybalenna in the Indigenous language). Robertson visited Flinders Island for the first time in October 1835 and he stayed there until 1839. In 1835, Robertson renamed the aborigines, Truganini was renamed Lallah Rookh (an Indigenous name meaning 'last of her clan') and Woorady was renamed Count Alpha ("Count" because he was the 'chief' and "Alpha" because he was the first aboriginal Robertson had met). Wayne (talk) 05:02, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

External links modified

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• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20091028082340/http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/cdd/women/leadership/significant_tasmanian_women/significant_tasmanian_women_-_research_listing/truganini to http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/cdd/women/leadership/significant_tasmanian_women/significant_tasmanian_women_-_research_listing/truganini
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20100719153158/http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/cdd/women/leadership/significant_tasmanian_women/significant_tasmanian_women_-_research_listing/fanny_cochrane_smith to http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/cdd/women/leadership/significant_tasmanian_women/significant_tasmanian_women_-_research_listing/fanny_cochrane_smith
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061052/http://www.australianbookreview.com.au/files/Features/Calibre/ABR_May_10_Hansen_Calibre_essay.pdf to http://www.australianbookreview.com.au/files/Features/Calibre/ABR_May_10_Hansen_Calibre_essay.pdf
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090921083956/http://images.statelibrary.tas.gov.au/Search/Search.asp?Letter=T&Subject=Truganini+%2D+1803%2D1876 to http://images.statelibrary.tas.gov.au/Search/Search.asp?Letter=T&Subject=Truganini+-+1803-1876
• Added {{dead link}} tag to http://www.fotoworkz.com/Trucanini.htm
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Pybus biography, March 2020

See, recently, a biography by a well-reputed historian: Pybus, Cassandra (2020). Truganini: Journey through the apocalypse. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781760529222. Edited extract: Pybus, Cassandra (6 March 2020). "Truganini and the bloody backstory to Victoria's first public execution". The Conversation. Retrieved 7 March 2020. Errantius (talk) 00:29, 7 March 2020 (UTC)

GA review

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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This review is transcluded from Talk:Truganini/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: MCE89 (talk · contribs) 14:32, 25 October 2025 (UTC)

Reviewer: Jens Lallensack (talk · contribs) 12:13, 30 November 2025 (UTC)

Will review this. --Jens Lallensack (talk) 12:13, 30 November 2025 (UTC)

• raped by timber-cutters – here (more than one case), should be without the hyphen

  Done

• George Augustus Robertson – Is that supposed to mean "Robinson"?

  Whoops, good catch. Fixed.

• Tarkiner people – can you very briefly introduce this group? Is it a group of Aboriginal inhabitants?

  Yes — I changed this to a group of Aboriginal warriors from the Tarkiner people, hopefully that's clearer?

• Truganini's skeleton was removed from the Tasmanian Museum in 1947 – this really is without context. You only discuss this topic in the next section. At this point in the text, the reader does not know that the skeleton went to that museum, and it is not stated where it went afterwards. To fix this, maybe consider moving the section "Remains and repatriation" up to come right after "Death". Maybe it could even be part of that section (maybe with the heading "Death and repatriation of remains"), as I do not see how it fits under "Legacy". In any case, after the "Death" section, it makes sense to discuss the whereabouts of the remains first.

  Done, I've moved the "remains and repatriation" section up as you suggest. Agree that this reads much more clearly now.

• in which he presented Truganini as more active figure – "a" missing? More active than what?

  Changed this to an active figure

• Check whether the link to Cultural Studies in the references list is correct.

  Fixed this link

• In the "Extinction myth" section, you mostly cite Tasmanian magazines. I would try to also get a scholarly source in an international journal with a bit more distance to the topic, such as (which seems to agree with the article).

  This is great, thank you! I've incorporated the source into this section

• In the "Extinction myth" section, I think that your explanation of why it can be called a "myth" is lacking or misleading. You write These framings led to a enduring popular myth that Tasmania's Aboriginal population had become extinct in the 19th century, and then try to demonstrate the opposite by citing a few people who outlived Truganini. My impression is that this is not really the point (and entirely irrelevant for the status of the tribe today). As I understand the paper I linked above, the issue is simply that the idea of "full-bloodedness" is racist thinking that has no place in modern scholarship. It is simply irrelevant for the definition of an ethnic group, and this is not becoming clear in the article at the moment.

  I've had a go at reworking it, how does that look now? I agree that the first part is tangential, so I've moved it to a footnote and stated more clearly in the body that the core of the extinction myth is that the idea of "full-bloodedness" is discredited.

• In addition to the sourcing queries above, I also did a few spot checks against Taylor 2012, which show no issues. Most of the article is sourced to Pybus 2020, which does not seem to be scholarly literature, but is written by an academic. I don't have access to the book but I do not see any reason to believe it could have been miscited.
• @MCE89: All in all, an excellent, though extremely depressing, read; thanks for that --Jens Lallensack (talk) 22:19, 1 December 2025 (UTC)

  Thanks so much for the review and sorry for the slowness in replying, I had been meaning to get to this the other day and then managed to get completely distracted! Confirming that I've started making some of the quick fixes and am planning to go through the rest of your comments tomorrow. Will let you know once I'm done actioning these. MCE89 (talk) 18:54, 5 December 2025 (UTC)

  Thanks again @Jens Lallensack, I've responded to all of your comments above. Let me know what you think. MCE89 (talk) 17:32, 6 December 2025 (UTC)

  @MCE89: Looks great – promoting now. Thank you for this wonderful article. --Jens Lallensack (talk) 17:46, 6 December 2025 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. You can locate your hook here. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by TarnishedPath (talk) 12:23, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

(

• Comment or view
• Article history

)

Truganini

• ... that upon the death of Truganini (pictured), the Aboriginal population of Tasmania was declared to be extinct?

• Source: Lawson, Tom (2 October 2014). "Memorializing Colonial Genocide in Britain: The Case of Tasmania". Journal of Genocide Research. 16 (4): 441–461. doi:10.1080/14623528.2014.975946. When William Lanne, the 'last' Indigenous Tasmanian man, and Truganini, the 'last' Indigenous Tasmanian woman, died in 1869 and 1876 respectively the entire Indigenous population of Tasmania was declared extinct and Onsman, Andrys (2004). "Truganini's Funeral". Island Magazine. No. 96. pp. 39–52. Retrieved 23 October 2025. When Truganini died, the Tasmanian Government declared the island's Aborigines to be extinct.

• • ALT1: ... that the narrative that Truganini (pictured) was the "last Tasmanian" has been criticised by Tasmania's present-day Aboriginal community? Source: Perera, Suvendrini (1996). "Claiming Truganini: Australian National Narratives in the Year of Indigenous Peoples". Cultural Studies. 10 (3): 393–412. doi:10.1080/09502389600490241. Sleeve notes identified Truganini as 'the last Tasmanian', a description not given anywhere in the lyrics themselves. A spokesperson for Tasmanian Aboriginal groups objected to the notes, protesting Midnight Oil's participation in the myth of Tasmanian extinction. and Lawson, Tom (2 October 2014). "Memorializing Colonial Genocide in Britain: The Case of Tasmania". Journal of Genocide Research. 16 (4): 441–461. doi:10.1080/14623528.2014.975946. In the late 1970s, for example, Tom Haydon and Rhys Jones' controversial film about Truganini, The Last Tasmanian, was broadcast on British Television. The film was contemporarily controversial in Tasmania because it implied that Truganini had literally been the 'last' Tasmanian, and as such denied the aboriginality of the contemporary Tasmanian Aboriginal community.
  • Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Saint John the Evangelist Church (Columbus, Ohio)

Improved to Good Article status by MCE89 (talk). Number of QPQs required: 1. Nominator has 7 past nominations.

MCE89 (talk) 13:00, 7 December 2025 (UTC).

General: Article is new enough and long enough
New enough: Long enough:

Policy: Article is sourced, neutral, and free of copyright problems
Adequate sourcing: Neutral: Free of copyright violations, plagiarism, and close paraphrasing:

Hook: Hook has been verified by provided inline citation
Cited: Interesting:

Image: Image is freely licensed, used in the article, and clear at 100px.
Freely licensed: Used in article: Clear at 100px:

QPQ: Done.

Overall: New enough (GA on December 6, 2025); Long enough (34890 characters). The article is well-sourced and neutral in tone. I haven't detected any plagiarism or close paraphrasing. Both hooks are cited and interesting. The image is in the public domain. It is clear at 120px, and it is used within the article. QPQ has been done. AmateurHi$torian (talk) 18:39, 7 December 2025 (UTC)

the widespread view that race was a fixed and biological characteristic

Regarding this statement:

Their claims of Aboriginal identity were widely dismissed until the latter half of the 20th century on account of their mixed-race status and the widespread view that race was a fixed and biological characteristic.

I asked 'how would race being "fixed and biological" be incompatible with their being Aboriginal?' The response was 'If they consider races as "fixed", "hybrids" simply cannot belong to a "fixed race" due to their mixed heritage'. I don't see how it follows; American racists had no problem inventing a one-drop rule --- did they not believe race was was fixed and biological?

The source for the statement seems to be the opening sentence of this excerpt from Taylor 2017:

The idea of total extermination relied on and articulated an understanding of race as a fixed, immutable and biological characteristic that allowed it to ignore the presence of an enduring ‘Aboriginal’ community in Tasmania. The presence of such communities was not unknown in Britain; they were regularly reported in the British press or in travel accounts of Tasmania. But because they were mixed race and as such not regarded as (to use the contemporary parlance) ‘full blooded’, they were not allowed to disrupt the idea that all Tasmanian Aborigines had been destroyed. After all, as well as articulating a biological understanding of race, the myth of complete extermination also spoke to the sheer extent of British power. It was in that sense part of the discourse that continued to deny the right of Indigenous communities to exist.

Much of the Extinction myth section would fit better in Aboriginal Tasmanians#20th century to present rather than this biographical article. I'm surprised there's no mention of the modern distinction between race and ethnicity. jnestorius^(talk) 12:46, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

I personally think that the extinction myth section is very relevant to this article and should be kept here. Regarding the statement, I also do not really see the problem? Do you think that anything here is factually incorrect or contradicting the sources? And what precisely would your solution be? That racism is inherently illogical is not really something we can or should try to "fix" here. But I agree that the modern concept of ethnicity could be mentioned. --Jens Lallensack (talk) 13:12, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

I'm likewise not sure I quite understand your objection. As Lawson points out in that excerpt from the source, the colonial narrative was that being a member of the fixed and biological category that was the "Aboriginal Tasmanian race" was understood as requiring one to be "full-blooded", which meant that "mixed-race" Aboriginal Tasmanians were excluded. It's true that American racists came up with a differently illogical understanding of race, but I don't think that contradicts Lawson's claim. If it would address your concern, I'd be happy to change the sentence to ...the widespread view that Aboriginality was a fixed and biological characteristic that relied on "full-bloodedness"?

I don't agree that the extinction myth section belongs in Aboriginal Tasmanians#20th century to present — the section is directly focused on historiography surrounding Truganini's legacy and afterlife, and reflects the focus that is placed on the extinction myth in secondary sources about Truganini. MCE89 (talk) 13:15, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

I don't see what the word "fixed" adds to the explanation. I suggest ...the widespread view that Aboriginality was a biological characteristic that relied on "full-bloodedness". And earlier in the section, link mixed-race. jnestorius^(talk) 15:59, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

Would anyone disagree with such a change? jnestorius^(talk) 09:44, 18 December 2025 (UTC)

Given that Lawson specifically uses the words "fixed" and "immutable" to describe this conception of race, I think including that descriptor in the article is a more accurate summary of the source. But I've otherwise made the change. MCE89 (talk) 09:51, 18 December 2025 (UTC)

Is the idea of "fixed" that an individual's racial category is fixed at birth and cannot change in their lifetime? Or is it that a given race has an objective definition that cannot change over the decades and centuries? Is the idea that the category "Aboriginal Tasmanian" was fixed in the early 19th century to refer to a certain way of life, and that anyone who does not conform to that way of life is ipso facto not within the category?

Does "fixed" mean the same as "immutable"? If not, what is the difference? Otherwise, why does Lawson use both? Rhetorical force?

Do you think that anything here is factually incorrect --- since I don't know what "fixed" and "immutable" mean I can't say whether the statements are correct or not. I'm sure Lawson knows what "fixed" and "immutable" mean in the context, but I don't know what they mean and no editors have been able to explain it. I am concerned that other readers will be similarly confused. If editors feel they understand what Lawson means I think they should try to explain in clearer language. The only attempts to offered so far to explain Lawson to me emphasise full-blooded vs mixed-race, which can be stated without using the words "fixed" or "immutable".

If editors still feel it's important to include the exact words then I suggest directly quoting, e.g., according to Lawson, "The idea of total extermination relied on and articulated an understanding of race as a fixed, immutable and biological characteristic". At least this avoids the implicit expectation that the meaning ought to be obvious to readers. jnestorius^(talk) 11:30, 18 December 2025 (UTC)