• Source: List of Indigenous Australian historical figures

Some Indigenous Australians are remembered in history for their leadership during the British invasion and colonisation, some for their resistance to that colonisation, and others for assisting the Europeans in exploring the country. Some became infamous for their deeds, and others noted as the last of their communities. During the 20th century, some Indigenous Australians came to prominence to make significant contributions to Aboriginal human rights, land rights, to the armed services and to parliamentary representation.




Prior to 1788


Cumbo Gunnerah – 18th century leader of the Kamilaroi people near Gunnedah, New South Wales




1788–1888


Arabanoo (c.1758 - 1789) Cammeraygal man forcibly abducted by the British to facilitate communication between the two groups
Walter George Arthur (c.1820–1861) Indigenous Tasmanian survivor of the Black War and pioneering Aboriginal rights activist
Ballandella (1832 - 1863) – Wiradjuri girl taken by Sir Thomas Mitchell, who later became a notable member of the Hawkesbury River Aboriginal community
William Barak (1824 -1903) ngurungaeta of Wurundjeri, police tracker, then artist
Barangaroo (c.1750 - 1791) prominent Cammeraygal woman during the first period of British colonisation
Baulie (c.1835 - 1860) resistance leader and co-organiser of the Hornet Bank massacre
Beilba (c.1825 - 1866) resistance leader and co-organiser of the Hornet Bank massacre
Bennelong (c.1764 - 1813) representative of the Dharug people and pioneering interlocutor with the British
Billiamook (c. 1853) a Larrakia man and one of the first people to interact with white settlers in Garramilla (Darwin)
Billibellary (1799–1846) ngurungaeta of the Wurundjeri-willam clan
Biraban (c. 1800–1846) Awabakal man, who was employed by the British as an interpreter and interlocutor
Bob Barrett (c.1795 - 1833) convict hunter
Boorong (c.1777 - c.1813) Burramattagal woman who was the first Indigenous female to establish communication with British colonists. Third wife of Bennelong
Botany Bay Colebee (c. 1763 - after 1790) a Gweagal man who interacted with early colonists in Syndey
Bungaree (c.1775 - 1830) pioneering Dharug sailor and explorer who travelled with Matthew Flinders and Phillip Parker King.
Burigon (died 1820) prominent Awabakal man whose murder resulted in the first legal case of a European being executed for the killing of an Aboriginal person.
Calyute (c. 1833 - 1840) leader of the Pindjarup people at the time of the Battle of Pinjarra
Johnny Campbell (1846–1880) a Kabi man and bushranger
Cannabaygal (c.1770 - 1816) Gandangara resistance leader who was killed during the Appin Massacre
Thomas Chaseland (c.1800 - 1869) famous sailor and whaler who married a Maori woman and resided mostly in New Zealand
Colebe (c.1754 - 1806) abducted with Bennelong by the British, later becoming an intermediator between the Gadigal and the colonists
Colebee (Boorooberongal) (c.1800 - 1830s) Dharug man who worked with the British and obtained a land grant at Black's Town
Cora Gooseberry (c.1777 - 1852) wife of Bungaree and designated Aboriginal 'Queen of Sydney'
Cowits (c.1832 - 1868) Western Australia's first Indigenous policeman, and a member of a number of early exploratory expeditions.
Derrimut (c.1810 - 1864) Bunurong elder during the British colonisation of Melbourne
Dick-a-Dick (c.1834 - 1870) Wotjobaluk tracker and cricketer
Dick Barkinji (?) Explorer and guide who assisted in the Burke and Wills expedition
Dundalli (1820 - 1855) resistance leader in South East Queensland during European Settlement
Eumarrah (c.1798 - 1832) Indigenous Tasmanian resistance leader and guide
Joe Flick (c.1865 - 1889) Indigenous Australian outlaw who shot dead a Native Police officer
Gnunga Gnunga Murremurgan (c.1773 - 1809) Eora man who was the first Indigenous Australian to travel across the Pacific Ocean
Jackey Jackey (1833 - 1854) assisted Edmund Kennedy expedition into Cape York and awarded solid silver breastplate for heroic deeds.
Jandamarra (c.1873 - 1897) – Bunuba man who resisted European occupation
Kikatapula (c.1800 -1832) – Tasmanian Aboriginal resistance leader and guide
William Lanne (c.1835 - 1869) - also known as King Billy, last surviving male of the Oyster Cove clan of Tasmanian Aborigines
Maria Lock (c.1808 - 1878) - Boorooberongal Dharug student of the Native Institution who won first prize in the NSW examination for the year 1819
Luggenemenener (c.1800 - 1837) Tasmanian Aboriginal woman who survived the Black War and was taken captive by John Batman who shot many of her people
Tommy McRae (c.1835 - 1901) a Wahgunyah man and artist
Mannalargenna (c.1770 - 1835) Tasmanian Aboriginal leader of the Plangermaireener people
Mathinna (c.1835 - 1852) Tasmanian Aboriginal girl who lived with Governor Franklin
Maulboyheenner (c.1816 - 1842) a Tasmanian Aboriginal resistance figure
Robert Hobart May (c.1801 - ?1832) massacre survivor and first Aboriginal Tasmanian to be baptised and live in British colonial society
Mokare (c.1800 - 1831) Noongar guide and peacemaker
Montpelliatta (c.1790 - 1836) an Aboriginal Tasmanian resistance leader
Moorooboora (c.1758 - 1798) an Eora leader after whom the suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales is named
Moowattin (c.1791 - 1816) guide and assistant to the botanist George Caley. he was the first Aboriginal person to be legally hanged in New South Wales.
Jupiter Mosman (1861 - 1945) discoverer of gold at Charters Towers, with Jupiters Casino being named in his honour
Johnny Mullagh (1841 - 1891) an Aboriginal cricketer who was known for his remarkable performance in the 1868 Aborigine cricket team's tour of England.
Mullawirraburka – a Kaurna leader preserving his language and culture during colonisation
Multuggerah – a resistance fighter of the Ugarapul nation from South East Queensland
Musquito (c.1780 - 1825) a resistance leader originally from Sydney, became a bushranger following transportation to Tasmania
Nanbaree (c.1782 - 1821) a Gadigal man who survived the smallpox epidemic as a child to become an important interpreter and sailor
Nanya (c.1835 - 1895) one of the last Indigenous Australians to live a tribal traditional lifestyle in New South Wales
Patyegarang (c.1780 - ?) a Cammeraygal girl who was the first to teach an Aboriginal Australian language in detail to the British
Pemulwuy (c.1750 - 1802) member of the Dharug people (Botany Bay) area who had a leading role in resisting British colonisation
Piper (c.1810 - ?) a Wiradjuri explorer who guided Thomas Mitchell in his 1836 expedition
Pul Kanta (c.1815 - ?) a Maraura man who survived the Rufus River massacre, gave evidence at a magisterial inquiry and later became a guide for Charles Sturt
Fanny Cochrane Smith (1834 - 1905) the first Tasmanian Aboriginal Person born on Flinders Island
Tarenorerer (c.1800 - 1831) a female rebel leader of the Indigenous Australians in Tasmania. She led a guerrilla band against the British colonists during the Black War.
Tedbury (c.1780 - 1810) an Aboriginal resistance fighter
Moses Tjalkabota (c. 1869 - 1954) a Western Arrernte man and evangelistst from the Hermannsburg region. He worked closely with Carl Strehlow and Ted Strehlow
Tongerlongeter (c.1790 - 1837) a Tasmanian Aboriginal resistance leader
Topar (1826 - ?) a Barkandji man who led Charles Sturt into the Barrier Ranges, pioneering the establishment of Broken Hill
Towterer (c.1800 - 1837) the leading man of the Ninine people of south-western Tasmania whose daughter was Mathinna
Truganini (c.1812 - 1876) the last "full-blooded" Tasmanian Aboriginal person to have survived British colonisation
Tullamareena a member of Wirundgeri, Melbourne
Tunnerminnerwait (c.1812 - 1842) a Tasmanian Aboriginal Australian who acted as a guide for George Augustus Robinson and was executed for resisting British colonisation.
Turandurey (c.1806 - ?) a Wiradjuri woman who became a guide for the explorer Thomas Mitchell
Wild Toby (c.1840–1883) – Aboriginal bushranger from central Queensland
Willemering (c.1755 - c.1800) a Dharug man who speared Governor Arthur Phillip
Winberri (c.1820 - 1840) Taungurung man who led an insurgency against the British in central Victoria and was killed during the Lettsom raid
Tommy Windich (c.1840 - 1876) Western Australian Indigenous explorer
Windradyne (c.1800 - 1829) Wiradjuri man, also known as "Saturday", a notable figure of the Aboriginal resistance during the Bathurst War
Simon Wonga (1824 - 1874) a ngurungaeta of the Wurundjeri people around Melbourne who secured land at Coranderrk, and the suburb Wonga Park was named after him
Woretemoeteryenner (c.1795 - 1847) a Tasmanian Aboriginal woman and sealer
Woureddy (c.1790 - 1842) an Aboriginal Tasmanian warrior and cleverman
Wylie (c.1825 - ?) an Aboriginal guide who stayed with Edward John Eyre in their crossing of the Nullarbor
Yagan (c.1795 - 1833) a Western Australian Indigenous leader of the 1830s
Yarramundi (c.1760 - c.1819) a prominent Dharug man, also a karadji
Yarri (c.1810 - 1880) a famous flood rescuer from Gundagai
Yemmerrawanne (c. 1775 - 1794) a Dharug man who, along with Bennelong, was the first Aboriginal person to travel to England.
Yilbung (c.1815 - 1846) a Turrbal man who actively resisted British colonisation in the Brisbane region
Yuranigh (c.1820 - 1850) provided vital assistance to Thomas Mitchell's 1845 expedition. Highly honoured by the Wiradjuri




1888 onwards


Alyandabu (c1874 - 1961) a Kungarakany woman and senior elder (Almiyuk).
Undelya (Minnie) Apma (c. 1909 - 1990) was an Arrernte woman from Horseshoe Bend Station who worked as a domestic servant for Herbert Basedow
Ayaiga (c. 1882 - 1952) also known as 'Neighbor', was an Alawa man who was the first Indigenous person to receive the Albert Medal for Lifesaving
Dolly Gurinyi Batcho (c. 1905 - 1973) was a Larrakia woman who served on Aboriginal Women's Hygiene Squad, 69th, as a part of the Australian Women's Army Service. She was also a signatory of the 1972 Larrakia Petition
Beetaloo Jangari Bill (c1910 - 1983) a Gurindji and Warumungu Elder from Elliott, Northern Territory.
William Cooper (c.1861 - 1941) political activist and community leader, first to lead a recognised national Aboriginal movement
Joseph (Joe) Croft (c. 1925 - 1996) was a Gurindji and Mudburra man who was a member of the Stolen Generations and went on to become the first Aboriginal person to attend and Australian university
Barbara Cummings (1948 - 2019) was a Nanggiomeri woman and member of the Stolen Generations and she was instrumental to the development of the Bringing Them Home report
Billy Drumley (1853 - 1951) a community leader
Bill Dunn (c. 1911 - ) was involved in the Pilbara Strike, and the first Aboriginal man to be granted a pastoral lease in Western Australia.
Charlie Flannigan (c. 1870 - 1893) stockman, artist and first person legally executed in the Northern Territory
Nellie Flynn (1881 - 1982) an Aboriginal and Māori woman who was the matriarch of her family and a community elder around Batchelor, Northern Territory
Kapiu Masi Gagai (c. 1894 - 1946) pearler, boatman, mission worker and soldier who served in World War II.
Rona Glynn (1936 - 1965) was the first Indigenous Australian school teacher and nurse in Mparntwe (Alice Springs)
Jimmy Governor (c. 1875 - 1901) a famous outlaw with his brother Joe Governor
Douglas Grant (1885 - 1951) a massacre survivor and soldier for the AIF during WWI
Nipper Kabirriki (c. 1910 - 1987) was a Kundjey'mi man and stockman and research collaborator; he was instrumental to the establishment of Kakadu National Park
Doreen Kartinyeri (1935 - 2007) was a Ngarrindjeri historian and activist who had a key role in the Hindmarsh Island Bridge controversy
Alec Kruger (1924 - 2015) was a Mudburra man and member of the Stolen Generations for which he unsuccessfully sued the government for compensation. He is the author of 'Alone on the Soaks' (2007)
Amelia Kunoth (c. 1880s - 1984) was an Arrernte woman who grew up at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station and went on the develop numerous Central Australian cattle stations
Gloria Ouida Lee (1908 - 1995) was a Chinese and Western Arrernte woman who worked as a miner
Vincent Lingiari (1908 or 1919–1988) a prominent Australian Aboriginal rights activist
Maurice Jupurrurla Luther (c. 1945 - 1985) was a Warlpiri man and leader of the community of Lajamanu, Northern Territory
Eddie Mabo (1936 - 1992) an iconic Indigenous Australian man from the Torres Strait Islands known for successfully championing Indigenous land rights into Australian law.
Joe McGinness (1914 - 2003) a Larrakia and Kungarakany man and Aboriginal rights activist
Val McGinness (1910 - 1988) a Larrakia and Kungarakany man and Aboriginal rights activist
Cissy McLeod (1896–1928) was the first Indigenous woman to receive a bronze medal from the Royal Humane Society an act of bravery in Darwin
Nayombolmi (c. 1895 - 1967) was a Badmardi (Bininj) and Jawoyn man who was a rock artist and bark painter
Nemarluk (c. 1911 - 1940) a leader of the Chul-a-mar, who fought European and Japanese around Darwin in the early 20th century
Douglas Nicholls (1906 - 1988) the first Aboriginal Australian to be knighted and hold a vice-regal office
Charles Perkins (1936 - 2000) a pioneering Indigenous activist, sportsman and academic
Hetty Perkins (c. 1895 - 1979) was an Eastern Arrernte elder who worked for The Bungalow; she is the mother of Charles Perkins
Reg Saunders (1920 - 1990) the first Aboriginal Australian to be commissioned as an officer in the Australian Army
Bob Randall (c. 1934 - 2015) was a Yankunytjatjara man and member of the Stolen Generations who became an advocate for his community and a well-respected elder
Darby Jampijinpa Ross (c. 1905 - 2005) a Warlpiri man who became a well-known artist for Warlukurlangu Artists and often referred to as one of the last 'old people' at Yuendumu
Marion Leane Smith (c. 1891 - 1957) was a First World War nurse
Tiger Tjalkalyirri (c. 1906 - 1985) a Pitjantjatjara man who was a guide, Elder and land-rights campaigner for Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
Umbarra (died 1904) a late 19th century elder of the Yuin around Bermagui, New South Wales
David Unaipon or David Ngunaitponi (1872 - 1967) a Ngarrindjeri preacher, inventor, and author, who is featured on the Australian $50 note
Len Waters (1924 - 1993) the first Aboriginal Australian military aviator, and the only one to serve as a pilot for the RAAF during WWII
Ronnie Wavehill (c. 1936 - 2020) a Gurindji stockman from Wave Hill Station who took part in the Wave Hill walk-of
Nipper Winmarti (c. 1920 - 1993) a Pitjantjatjara man and Traditional Owner of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. He worked as a tracker and provided evidence at the inquest into the Death of Azaria Chamberlain




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Rumpun suku bangsa Austronesia
• Sarawak
• List of Indigenous Australian historical figures
• Lists of Indigenous Australians
• Notable Indigenous people
• Indigenous Australian art
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas
• Derrimut (Indigenous Australian)
• 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum
• Piper (Indigenous Australian explorer)
• Winberri
• Wylie (Australian explorer)