Nemarluk (c. 1911 – August 1940) was anMurrinh-patha man, Aboriginal warrior and resistance leader who lived around present-dayDarwin in theNorthern Territory ofAustralia. He fought strongly against both British and Japanese intruders who had come into his people's tribal lands.
Reported to be 6 feet 2 inches tall,[1] he was head man of the Chul-a-mar, the "Red Band of Killers". The men close to him and most loyal were Minmara, Mankee, Mangue and Lin. People of the area who knew him, described him at this time as being "proper fighting man and funny man". When fighting, the men were always painted red. Nemarluk and his followers lived and camped mainly on theMoyle Plain, and at the mouth ofPort Keats (nowWadeye).
One of the most famous incidents concerning Nemarluk and his men was the killing of the Japanese crew of the luggerOuida at Injin Beach, nearPort Keats in 1933. In the 1930s, he was imprisoned in Darwin'sFannie Bay Gaol. He soon managed to break out, and made his escape by swimming eight kilometres acrossDarwin Harbour to the then-remoteCox Peninsula.[1][2]
Popular fiction writerIon Idriess wrote about the last three years of Nemarluk's life in the book:
Idriess, Ion L. (Ion Llewellyn) (1941).Nemarluk: King of the Wilds. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.[3]
This book focuses particularly on his battle against the tracker Bul-Bul, whom theNorthern Territory Police had brought in to capture him.[4]
TheNgan'gikurunggurr language version of this story is available atAIATSIS and the English translation of this is availableonline.[5]
He also reportedly inspired the character Marbuck in the filmJedda (1955).[6][7]
At some point in time, probably around 1940, Nemarluk became ill with pneumonia and was taken into town to hospital. There are many stories told about Nemarluk's death. It was reported that he died in hospital.[8] Others say that he recovered and was let free in the general prisoner amnesty after thebombing of Darwin.[9]
Nemarluk is commemorated in the Northern Territory as a street in the Darwin suburb ofLudmilla,[10] an Aboriginal community near Wadeye,[11] a locality shared between the local government areas ofVictoria Daly Region and theWest Daly Region,[12][13] and a Darwin special needs school.[14]
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