Kenneth Desmond Colbung AM

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(2 September 1931 – 12 January 2010), also known by his indigenous name Nundjan Djiridjarkan, was an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

leader from the

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 who became prominent in the 1960s. He was appointed an

and an AM for his service to the Aboriginal community.

Life

Colbung was born on the Moore River Aboriginal Settlement. His mother died when he was six, and he was then taken to live at Sister Kate's Home for Children. He worked for a time as a stockman. He joined the Australian Army in 1950, and served in Japan and in the Korean War. He was made a Justice of the Peace in 1980. Amongst his positions, Colbung was also deputy chairperson (1978-1984) and then chair (1984-1990) of the

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...

. He also had close links with the

Western Australian Museum The Western Australian Museum is a statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the ''Museum Act 1969''. The museum has six main sites. The state museum, now known as WA Museum Boola Bardip, officially re-ope ...

, and worked with them on their representations of Aboriginal issues for over thirty years. He died after a short illness on 12 January 2010. He was 78.

Activism

Colbung campaigned for the recognition of cultural and human rights for Aboriginal Australians, and was involved in the Australian Black Power Movement of the 1960s. He was instrumental in the development of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 for the protection and preservation of material of cultural significance. Colbung became particularly known for his leading role in ensuring that the severed head of his ancestor, the Noongar warrior

Yagan Yagan (; – 11 July 1833) was an Aboriginal Australian warrior from the Noongar people. Yagan was pursued by the local authorities after he killed Erin Entwhistle, a servant of farmer Archibald Butler. It was an act of retaliation after ...

, was repatriated from Britain to Australia in 1997.

Notes

References

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External links

Colbung, Ken (1988) "Not Land Rights but Land Rites"
AIATSIS Wentworth Lecture 1988 1931 births 2010 deaths Members of the Order of Australia Members of the Order of the British Empire Art and cultural repatriation Australian indigenous rights activists Noongar elders Members of the Stolen Generations Australian stockmen {{Noongar-stub