Fanny Cochrane Smith

Fanny Cochrane Smith
Born	December 1834 Settlement Point (or Wybalenna, meaning Black Man's House) on Flinders Island, Tasmania, Australia
Died	24 February 1905(1905-02-24) (aged 70) Port Cygnet, Tasmania, Australia
Spouse(s)	William Smith
Children	11 children
Parent(s)	Tanganutura and Nicermenic

Fanny Cochrane Smith (December 1834 – 24 February 1905) was an Aboriginal Tasmanian, born in December 1834. She is considered to be the last fluent speaker of a Tasmanian language, and her wax cylinder recordings of songs are the only audio recordings of any of Tasmania's indigenous languages.

Early life

Fanny Cochrane's mother and father, Tanganutura and Nicermenic, were two of the Tasmanian Aboriginals settled on Flinders Island in the 1830s by the Rev. George Augustus Robinson, and she was born at Settlement Point (or Wybalenna, meaning Black Man's House) on Flinders Island. No indigenous name is known; Robinson gave European names to all the Indigenous Tasmanians who arrived at the Island as part of his attempt to suppress their culture.^[1][2]

From the age of five to eight she lived in the home of Robert Clark, the Wybalenna preacher, and was then sent to the orphan school in Hobart to learn domestic service skills after which she returned to Wybalenna. She served as Clark's servant until the station closed in 1847. In 1847 her parents, along with the survivors of Wybalenna were removed to Oyster Cove.

Family

In 1854, Fanny married William Smith, an English sawyer and ex-convict, and between 1855 and 1880 they had 11 children.^[1]

Following her marriage, Fanny and her husband ran a boarding-house in Hobart. After receiving a government annuity of £24 and a land grant of 100 acres (40 ha), she selected land near Oyster Cove to be near her mother, sister and brother and the couple moved there shortly before their first child was born. The Smiths grew their own food but derived their income from timber.

Following the death of Truganini in 1876, Fanny laid claim to be "the last Tasmanian". The government of the Colony of Tasmania recognised this claim in 1889 and granted her 300 acres (120 ha) of land and increased her annuity to £50. She became a Methodist and gave the land needed to build a Methodist church at Nicholls Rivulet, which opened in 1901.^[2]

Death

Cochrane Smith died of pneumonia and pleurisy at Port Cygnet, 10 mi (16 km) from Oyster Cove, on 24 February 1905. There was some dispute at the time of her death as to whether she or Truganini was the last Tasmanian Aboriginal Person.^[1]

Legacy

1903 recording

Smith is known for her wax cylinder recordings of Aboriginal songs, made in 1903, which comprise the only audio recordings of an indigenous Tasmanian language.^[2] Five cylinders were cut, however by 1949 only four remained as "A fifth cylinder, on which was recorded the translation of the songs, was broken some time ago".^[3] Upon hearing her own performance, Smith had cried "My poor race. What have I done",^[3] she believed the voice to be that of her mother.^[3]

The recording of Smith's songs was the subject of a 1998 song by Australian folk singer Bruce Watson, The Man and the Woman and the Edison Phonograph. Watson is the great grandson of Horace Watson, who recorded Fanny in 1903.^[4][3]

A photograph of Fanny Cochrane Smith and Horace Watson is displayed in the collection of the National Museum of Australia.

References

External links

• Listen to Fanny Cochrane Smith's recording and read more about the first and last recordings of Tasmanian Aboriginal songs and language on australianscreen online
• 'Fanny Cochrane Smith’s Tasmanian Aboriginal Songs' has been added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia.
• State Library of Tasmania Images Photos of Smith, Fanny Cochrane