Massacre at Mistake Creek

Date: 1 Jan 1890 – 31 Dec 1890
Place: Mistake Creek
Event type: massacre
Direct violence: Yes
Austin (1992, p 17) and Shaw and McDonald (1978, p 130) relate oral histories of how 60 Aboriginal men were in chains under police escort from the Victoria River region to Wyndham for alleged cattle stealing. At Mistake Creek, police received a telegraph instructing them to release the prisoners because the culprit (who allegedly killed one bullock) had been found elsewhere. Police shot the prisoners and burnt the bodies.
Notes:
CorroborationRating: ***
LanguageGroup: Malngin and Nyinin
Victims: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead: 60

People involved

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Sources

  • Austin, 1992, p 17; Shaw & McDonald, 1978, p 130. See also Lewis, 2018, p 291.

Event mentions

  • Massacre at Mistake Creek
    1 Jan 1890 – 31 Dec 1890 — Mistake Creek — massacre
    Austin (1992, p 17) and Shaw and McDonald (1978, p 130) relate oral histories of how 60 Aboriginal men were in chains under police escort from the Victoria River region to Wyndham for alleged cattle stealing. At Mistake Creek, police received a telegraph instructing them to release the prisoners because the culprit (who allegedly killed one bullock) had been found elsewhere. Police shot the prisoners and burnt the bodies.
    Source: Austin, 1992, p 17; Shaw & McDonald, 1978, p 130. See also Lewis, 2018, p 291.