The Gweagle Shield

The first of these two letters was written by Rodney Kelly, a descendent of Cooman, the original owner of the Gweagle Shield. Rodney’s letter was sent to the British Museum, requesting that the shield, which was the centerpiece of the recent Encounters exhibition at the National Museum of Australia, be returned to Gweagle Country. The second letter is the British Museum’s reply: an offer for another loan of the shield. The Gweagle Shield is a bark shield, with a round hole near its centre. James Cook obtained the shield when he landed at Botany Bay for the first time in 1770 and shot at two men of the Gweagle Clan who were on the shore of the bay, one of who dropped the shield. Neil MacGregor, who curated the A History of the World in 100 Objects exhibition at the British Museum, claims that the hole in the centre of the shield ‘was probably made by a wooden spear.’[1] However, many believe it to be the legacy of a musket ball fired by either Cook or his men. The shield is of immense significance because of this hole and its implications for the issue of sovereignty, and because it marks the first of so many violent events.

Gweagle Artefacts – Claim of Right

28^th March 2015Statement of Claim for the repatriation and return of all Gweagle artefacts to the living descendants of the Gweagle Clan of the Dharawal Tribe.We, the living bloodline descendants of the Gweagle Clan of the Dharawal Tribe, are at law the rightful owners of all artefacts produced or originating on Gweagle territory or in possession of our ancestors. We do mandate that it is our Will that all artefacts and human remains belonging to, and found on the territories of the Gweagle Clan are returned into the possession of the Gweagle People forthwith.The lands of the Dharawal Tribe encompass the areas now known as ‘Botany Bay (Kurnell Peninsula) and the southern geographic areas of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Our Dhurawal tribal territory spans the areas between the Cooks and Georges River, south to the Port Hacking estuary and westwards towards Liverpool.According to our law it is culturally and spiritually imperative that artefacts that come from our country, stay on our country, this is according to the ancient Dharawal law which has existed in our land from time immemorial and in fulfilment of our Gweagal ancestors customs and law.It is a matter of fact the Shield held in the collection of the British Museum and currently on display at the National Museum of Australia as part of the ‘Encounters’ Exhibition was in fact stolen from our ancestor, the warrior Cooman of the Tribe Gweagal upon first encounter with James Cook and the crew of the Endeavour in 1770 at Kamay Bay which is the Original name for land now known as ‘Botany Bay.