What fate awaits? The indigenous peoples of the Darling Downs in 1851-52

Abstract

At the time of Conrad Martens' painting tour of the Darling Downs in 1851-52, the Aborigines of the area were in a state of numb transition - still conscious of the dreaming before the white man, yet fearful of the time to come. In a decade of European intrusion, they had been psychologically traumatized, culturally belittled,sexually exploited, and drastically reduced in number. In the decades to come, they would become fringe dwellers, figures of fun and charity and yet, withal,demonstrating a remarkable resilience and adaptability. The few Aborigines in Martens' sketches and 'house portraits' from the early 1850s reflect the trauma and the uncertainty of that era.