Aboriginal Australia's pre-colonial trade with Asia

November 2, 2024 10:01 AM

Documentary explores evidence of Aboriginal Australia's pre-colonial trade with Asia. The Wangany Mala documentary delves into how Yolŋu people from north-east Arnhem Land and Macassans from modern-day Indonesia traded before colonisation.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (4 comments total)

There’s a complex joy that I feel in reading this kind of history that’s hard to describe - something like, Of COURSE it makes sense that the kind of seafaring badassery that allowed humans to make their way across the vastness of the Pacific Rim tens of thousands of years ago would continue to facilitate trade and cultural exchange throughout those tens of thousands of years, this is SO COOL, and also grrrrrrrr fuck the colonial racist bullshit reasons that have interfered with those stories being told or celebrated or studied as part of History at an international level.

Obviously Gumatj and Yolŋu communities have been telling them! And there are certainly other possible reasons I might not have heard them, including that it’s not my right to know everybody’s history, and that some histories are considered precious and private.

In any event, I am so delighted to get to hear histories I was never taught, and look forward to hearing more and more and more.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 11:41 AM on November 2 [6 favorites]

The White Australia policy effectively resulted in the Australian Navy enforcing a naval trade blockade on the Yolŋu people that killed the economically valuable and culturally important pre-colonial international trade that had been long established with the Macassans.
The Yolŋu learned about the existence of white seafaring people prior to the arrival of the British in Australia from the Macassans and their contact with Dutch traders. The Yolŋu word for a white person is "Balanda" which is a transliteration of "Hollander".
posted by neonamber at 6:55 PM on November 2 [3 favorites]

Via my WA- residing friend, earlier this year there was a play exploring the Aboriginal and Malay/Maritime Southeast Asian world connection that was playing in Perth, Mutiara - though I think I was more familiar with the northern side through reading up about Australia's laksa capital.
posted by cendawanita at 11:34 PM on November 2

Here's the trailer; can't figure out a way to watch this documentrary.
posted by dhruva at 3:02 PM on November 3