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Arabanoo

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Arabanoo was a man from the Eora people in Australia. He lived during a time of big changes. In January 1788, the First Fleet arrived at Sydney Harbour. These were British ships carrying convicts. They started a settlement at Sydney Cove. This land belonged to the Eora people.

Governor Arthur Phillip led the new colony. He wanted to have good relations with the Eora. He wanted his people to live in kindness with them. However, there were small fights between the groups. The British were also using the natural resources of the land. Phillip decided to kidnap an Eora man to help communication. He thought learning each other's language was very important.

On New Year's Eve in 1788, two officers went to Manly Cove. They wanted to capture Aboriginal people. They caught Arabanoo by throwing a rope around his neck. His kinsmen threw spears to try to stop them. The officers used muskets to keep them away. They rowed Arabanoo back to Sydney Cove.

Arabanoo lived at the Governor's house. At first, he was kept with chains or handcuffs. He even thought the handcuffs were special ornaments at first. Later, the chains were removed. He chose to stay with the British settlers. He wore European clothes and drank tea with a cup and saucer.

In April 1789, a sickness called smallpox arrived. It was very hard on the Eora people. Arabanoo helped find people who were still alive. He helped care for a boy named Nanbaree and a girl named Boorong. Sadly, Arabanoo also got the sickness. He died on May 18, 1789. He was buried in the garden of the government building.

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