Lesson sequence 6

The first contact

On the afternoon of 29 April 1770 the Endeavour anchored and a landing party rowed towards the shore. They were met by two Aboriginal men who appeared to be very angry at what they saw. The Gweagal men did not want the landing party to come ashore.

What happened?

The two Gweagal men withdrew and the Endeavour crew ended up staying for eight days, after which they continued their journey north along the east coast of the continent.

To do

• View the video Meeting of two cultures.

• What do you believe the two Aboriginal men were thinking ?

• What do you believe James Cook was thinking ? He had had encounters like this before in Tahiti and New Zealand.

• Both groups were carrying weapons. What does this tell us ?

• Think of some adjectives to describe how you would be feeling as the British men began to walk ashore and look around your home and land.

• If you had been there in 1770, how might you have reacted as you watched this unfold? What would you do?

Extension

• Read more detail about the landing at Endeavour: Eight days in Kamay – The eight days.

Activity 1 – the landing

Paintings are artist's impressions. This painting by E Philips Fox was created in 1902 and is his view of the landing. It is just one person's perspective and other artists have portrayed the landing differently.

• Create a sketch or painting of the landing of Cook and his crew on the shore of Kamay Botany Bay, based on what you now know and think.

• Remember to consider the perspectives of the Aboriginal people.

Cook's journal 6 May 1770

‘...we could know but very little of their Customs, as we never were able to form any Connections with them; they had not so much as touch'd the things we had left in their Hutts on purpose for them to take away...’

Reactions

When the British people landed in Kamay and approached the shore in their small boats, they were met with some resistance and tension. The Aboriginal people threw rocks. The British people responded by firing warning shots.

The Aboriginal people treat their land with respect, and take great care of the country in which they live. In 1770, with the arrival of the Endeavour, the Aboriginal men who faced the arrival of the people from the Endeavour were trying to protect their country.

To do

• Why couldn’t the Gweagal people just tell the crew of the Endeavour about the rules for their country?

• What might the two Gweagal men have been thinking when they first saw the landing party heading their way?

• What might James Cook have been thinking when he first saw the two men come down onto the rocks?

• James Cook fired a musket at one of the men, hitting him on the leg. Why do you think he did that?

• Were the Aboriginal men attacking or defending? Give reasons for your answer.