Tasmania was not always an island state. Originally, it was connected to the mainland by a land bridge around 40,000 years ago. This bridge allowed for constant contact and communication between the groups of Aboriginal people that lived in modern day Victoria and Tasmania. About 30,000 years ago, there was an ice age that caused sea levels to drop significantly at about 120 meters. Once the ice age ended and the ice began to melt, which meant sea levels slowly rose because it took approximately 6,000 for the ice to melt. It was then, around 12,000 years ago, that Tasmania was separated from the mainland. This caused the Aboriginal people who lived in Tasmania to be completely isolated from Australia (Australia’s Defining Moments 2018). Isolation had interesting effects on the people of Tasmania as they had begun to develop their language, knowledge, and technology independently from other people. They were isolated from the outside world for about five-hundred generations, until the arrival of sealers, whalers, and settlers. European interaction led to the death, enslavement, and decline in the numbers of the Tasmanian population (Iain Davidson and David Roberts 2008; 18-20).

Because of its disconnect from the mainland, Tasmania and its people sometimes struggle with being properly recognized. For example, the state of Tasmania feared that they would not be rightfully recognized at the time of the creation of the Federation (National Museum of Australia 2022). The idea of Federation was being considered because it would make Australia stronger and they would be represented in parliament. For Tasmania, though, colonies would be able to buy Tasmanian products since international tariffs would be removed. But this meant Tasmania would then lose income and gain more competitors (Getting it Together: From Colonies to Federation 2022). The people of Tasmania were able to advocate for a deal that gave them the ability to keep income generated from tariffs since it was a good portion of their income. Despite being able to generate a large amount of money, in 1982 and 2014, Tasmania was left off the map and the swim team uniforms at the Commonwealth games (National Museum of Australia 2022). Many Tasmanians, especially Aboriginal people, were displeased with this. Thankfully, the government has been able to work with Aboriginal Tasmanians to build official networks and sources that educate people about the importance of Aboriginal heritage and Tasmania itself (Tasmania Aboriginal Heritage Council 2022).

As Tasmania began to become a colonized state, many Aboriginal people directly interacted with colonists, but the interactions varied as some were good and other interactions were not. One Aboriginal Tasmanian woman who’s life was greatly affected by colonization was known as Truganini. She was born in Van Diemen's Land, otherwise known as Tasmania (Ryan and Smith 1976). As a young woman she had already seen the effects of colonization as she experienced many tragedies. Her mother was killed by sailors, her sister kidnapped by sealers, her first fiance and uncle were killed by settlers. When she was around 18, Truganini was approached by George Augustus Robinson to help him on his “friendly missions” in order to convince Tasmanians to move to Flinders Island. Her and other indigenous peoples believed there was no other option but to comply with Robinson. To her this was the most viable option as she wanted to save all remaining Aboriginal Tasmanians (Perkins and Langton 2010; 58-59).

“Truganini in particular first realised that you could not beat the white man. That people living out in the bush might only have seen small groups of white men. Truganini lived on Bruny Island, she had visited Hobart, she knew that there were far too many white people, that they were constantly arriving, and that to fight them was futile.”

Professor Henry Reynolds, historian (Perkins and Langton 2010; 59)

Truganini and others worked together and traveled with Robinson all throughout Tasmania in order to get indigenous peoples to move to Flinders Island. By 1832, a majority of the people had complied and relocated. (Perkins and Langton 2010; 62). This was a successful mission for Robinson, but for Truganini there was just more experience in seeing the death of her people. Once Robinson was done with her and the other indigenous Tasmanians, they were sent to Flinders Island at the Oyster Cove settlement. There she lived out the rest of her life, but worried about what may soon come. As she neared old age and death, Truganini feared her body being taken (Ryan and Smith 1976). Many European scientists began to take interest in collecting the bodies of Aboriginal Tasmanians to study, and this made them the main subject of many scientific pseudoscientific pieces. Truganini, also referred to as Trugernanna, was specifically targeted like many of her friends as they were falsely thought to be the last “full blood” and indigenous Tasmanian. Her body was dug up, but on the condition that her body would not be disrespectfully displayed anywhere. This agreement was broken and her body remains were displayed in the Hobart Museum (Broome 104). It was not until 1976, that her body was finally taken down and properly taken care of by the Tasmanian Aboriginal community. With the death of Truganini, the myth that she was the ‘last’ Tasmanian spread. This is a very harmful notion, and saddens the indigenous Tasmanian community. Colonists and Europeans had denied many peoples indigenous ancestry because these people, often not full-blooded, did not fit the white definition of Aboriginality (Perkins and Langton 2010; 70-75).