James Munro (sealer)

James Munro (c. 1779 – c. 1845[1]) was a British convict who was transported to Australia, and later established himself as a farmer on Preservation Island, Tasmania, and community leader of the region's community of European seal hunters, known as "King of the Eastern Straits.[2]

A view in Tasmania - Preservation Island, off SW corner of Cape Barren Island; view of the establishment of James Munro in centre, on broad plain, surrounded by cluster of trees. 1831 Pen and grey ink and watercolour (Henry Laing, 1831)

Munro established himself on the island, with he and various indigenous female partners being the only inhabitants. He built structures, farmed, raised livestock, and harvested the meat and eggs of mutton birds.[3]

Munro was appointed a local constable in 1825, and opposed George Augustus Robinson's attempts to prevent relationships between sealers and Aboriginal women.[4] It is still disputed as to how consensual those relationships were. Some argue that they were often voluntary and mutually beneficial, but Munro was accused in 1830 of leading sealers in raiding parties to capture Aboriginal women.[5]

See also

References
  1. Valentine, Barbara (2005). "Munro, James (1779–1845)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. Supplementary Volume. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  2. Religious Tract Society (Great Britain) (1799). Australia: Its Scenery, Natural History, and Resources, with a Glance at Its Gold Fields. pp. 9ff.
  3. Backhouse, James (1843). A Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies. Hamilton, Adams and Co. pp. 75ff.
  4. Rae-Ellis, Vivienne (1996). Black Robinson: Protector of Aborigines. Melbourne University Publish. pp. 72ff. ISBN 978-0-522-84744-4.
  5. Haebich, Anna (1 November 2000). Broken Circles: Fragmenting Indigenous Families 1800-2000. Fremantle Press. pp. 80ff. ISBN 978-1-921888-14-4.
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