The Kukenarup Memorial is a memorial west of

Ravensthorpe, Western Australia Ravensthorpe is a town 541 km south-east of Perth and 40 km inland from the south coast of Western Australia. It is the seat of government of the Shire of Ravensthorpe. At the , Ravensthorpe had a population of 438. In 1848, the area w ...

that commemorates the killing of many

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

people following the death of John Dunn, whose family had taken out a

pastoral lease A pastoral lease, sometimes called a pastoral run, is an arrangement used in both Australia and New Zealand where government-owned Crown land is leased out to graziers for the purpose of livestock grazing on rangelands. Australia Pastoral lease ...

in the 1870s. Reports of the incidents vary. The Memorial to the historical incident was opened in May 2015 in the region. Accounts agree that John Dunn was killed in 1880. Yandawalla (Yungala) was arrested and charged with the crime. Dartaban (Dartemera, "Jumbo") was also involved, and was a witness in the trial of Yandawalla in 1881. Yandawalla was

acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...

of the murder.

Reprisal A reprisal is a limited and deliberate violation of international law to punish another sovereign state that has already broken them. Since the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (AP 1), reprisals in the laws of war are extremel ...

killings of a number of Noongar people occurred, seemingly both before and after that acquittal. John Dunn's grave is at Cocanarup Homestead. There is a plaque, display board and boards along a walk trail with quotes from various Noongar community members and families at the Memorial.

References

Other sources

*Brockway, Marian "The Dunns of Cocanarup", ''Journal of the Royal Western Australian Historical Society'' (Inc.) vol 11, Part 4. *Brown, H and Scott K. ''Kayang and Me'', Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2005, pp. 64–73 *Eades, A and Roberts, P ''Report on Documentation of Research into Aboriginal Involvement in the South-west of Western Australia''. Community Consultation for the Seaman Land Enquiry (unpublished). 1984. *Forrest, Roni Gray ''Kukenarup – Two Stories: A Report on historical accounts of a Massacre site at Cocanarup near Ravensthorpe W.A.'' *Forrest R & Crowe, S ''Yarra-mo-up: Place of the tall Yate Trees: A Noongar Social History of the Jerramungup Region''. Report prepared for the Australian Heritage Commission and the Heritage Council of Western Australia *''Southern Australian Register'' (Adelaide, SA: 1839-1900, 1881, p. 6) *''Sunday Times'', Perth WA: 1902-1954, Sunday 20 May 1928 p. 7; Thursday 2 February 1939, p. 77 *''The Inquirer and Commercial News'' (Perth, WA 1855-1901, Wednesday, November 1881, p. 2 *''The West Australian'' (Perth, WA 1879-1954, Tuesday 13 April 1880, page 3; Tuesday 27 April 1880, pp. 2–3; Friday 28 October 1881, page 3; Tuesday 30 May 1882 p. 3; Saturday 26 September 1885, p. 5; Tuesday 13 April, p. 3; Tuesday 27 April, pp. 2–3; Friday 28 October 1881 p. 3; Saturday 26 September 1885 *''Western Mail'' (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 17 October 1935, page 8; Thursday 2 February 1939, p. 77. *Thomas, G (no date) ''Cocanarup Homestead – Ravensthorpe''. Leaflet at Ravensthorpe Museum. {{WikidataCoord, Q23073517, type:landmark:AU, display=title Monuments and memorials in Western Australia Noongar Massacres of Indigenous Australians