Cooking the books: how re-enactments of the Endeavour's voyage perpetuate myths of Australia's discovery'
Prime Minister Scott Morrison stumbled on the word re-enactment when outlining his governments (now suspended) plans for commemorating the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cooks mythologised discovery of Australia. Certainly, the planned route of the replica HMB Endeavour with 39 stops (and funded...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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The Conversation Media Group Ltd
2020
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| Online Access: | https://theconversation.com/cooking-the-books-how-re-enactments-of-the-endeavours-voyage-perpetuate-myths-of-australias-discovery-126751 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/141499 |
| Summary: | Prime Minister Scott Morrison stumbled on the word re-enactment when outlining his governments (now suspended) plans for commemorating the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cooks mythologised discovery of Australia. Certainly, the planned route of the replica HMB Endeavour with 39 stops (and funded at A$6.7 million) could not be described as such: Cook never circumnavigated mainland Australia nor visited Tasmania on the Endeavour. Morrison quickly clarified that the only gesture of historical accuracy would be a retracing of Cooks voyage up the eastern seaboard. Historical re-enactments of Cooks landing are not new to settler Australia. They have focused on Cooks landfall at Botany Bay, south of Sydney, where the Endeavours crew first stepped onto the continent on April 29 1770. His journal recorded they were greeted by two Dharawal men who seemd resolved to oppose our landing. Cook fired his musket at the men three times, including aiming directly, forcing their retreat. Cooks active role in British hostility to Aboriginal peoples was erased from subsequent performances of the Botany Bay landing. These have also been embellished with Cook claiming the east coast of Australia this actually occurred some months later at Possession Island in the Torres Strait. Such popular re-enactments of national foundation moments have elements of fantasy, compressing time and history into palatable narratives for mainstream Australia. |
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