Jandamarra, << `jan` duh MAH ruh >> (1873-1897), was an Aboriginal resistance fighter in the Kimberley area of Western Australia . During the 1890’s, he led an armed rebellion of Kimberley Aboriginal people against European settlers. He is remembered as a defender of Aboriginal rights.
Jandamarra belonged to the Bunuba Aboriginal group, which owned land in the Kimberley area. European livestock owners entered the area in the early 1880’s and took control of much of the land. Jandamarra began working at a local sheep station (ranch), where he became known as “Pigeon” because he was small and quick. In 1888, he left the station and returned to his people to undergo initiation rituals, symbolizing that he was ready to take his place as an adult member of the society. Jandamarra then became more aware of the problems caused by the arrival of the settlers and their sheep. He saw that his people were suffering because much of their food and water supplies had been destroyed as a result of European settlement.
In 1889, Jandamarra was arrested for spearing sheep. Instead of serving a prison sentence, he was allowed to work for the police as a horse handler. Later, he began to work for the police as a tracker. White police forces used Aboriginal trackers, with their knowledge of the local landscape, to help find suspected criminals. In 1894, Jandamarra helped capture 16 Bunuba people, including some of his relatives, but they soon persuaded him to help them escape. During the escape, Jandamarra shot a police officer. Shortly afterward, he and his followers killed two settlers who were moving onto Bunuba lands. These actions marked the beginning of armed resistance against European settlement in the Kimberley area. Police responded by attacking Jandamarra and 30 other Aboriginal warriors at Windjana Gorge in late 1894. Jandamarra was severely wounded, and the police believed he had died. However, he escaped and hid amid the limestone caves in the region. For several months, police attacked and killed Aboriginal people throughout the area in an effort to end the resistance.
In 1895, Jandamarra reappeared and began to raid police stations. He avoided capture on many occasions, retreating into the caves each time. The police continued to pursue him. On March 27, 1897, an Aboriginal police tracker shot and wounded Jandamarra near Tunnel Creek. On April 1, Jandamarra died in a shootout.
