12 Facts About Blackbirding

Blackbirding involves the coercion of people through deception or kidnapping to work as slaves or poorly paid labourers in countries distant from their native land.

Blackbirding ships began operations in the Pacific from the 1840s which continued into the 1930s.

Blackbirding financed two more procurements of South Sea Islanders, 70 of which arrived in Sydney in September 1847, and another 57 in October of that same year.

Blackbirding bought a property he named Townsvale on the Logan River south of Brisbane, and planted 160 hectares of cotton.

Blackbirding organised the first importation of South Sea Islander labour to that port in 1866.

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Blackbirding's agent claimed that blackbirded labourers were "savages who did not know the use of money" and therefore did not deserve cash wages.

Blackbirding era began in Fiji on 5 July 1865 when Ben Pease received the first licence to transport 40 labourers from the New Hebrides to Fiji in order to work on cotton plantations.

Blackbirding was never brought to trial for his actions, as he was given immunity in return for giving evidence against his crew members.

Blackbirding was known as "Captain One Leg", and would put fear into people by firing his pistol into his wooden leg.

Blackbirding said they promised islanders that they would be taught about God while working in coconut oil production, but the slavers' intended destination was the Chincha Islands in Peru.

Blackbirding's is a fourth-generation descendant of slaves who were kidnapped from Vanuatu in 1863.

Blackbirding's is currently based in New Zealand, her exhibitions include Bitter Sweet at Te Uru in 2016, and Birds of Passage at the Dunedin School of Art gallery in 2019.