About this Event
John Bull was one of the pallbearers of a much more famous whaler, who was erroneously called the "Last Tasmanian," - William Lanne.
But Bull had a fascinating life of his own, one that helps reveal some of the most interesting aspects of 19th century Pacific whaling.
Born in the Kingdom of Hawaii, Bull survived beatings by American whaling captains, helped inaugurate the Blackbirding industry in Australia, married a Hobart rabble-rouser, and rose to become one of the only Polynesian first mates in the whaling industry.
In the process, Bull's life shows how non-Europeans navigated - often quite successfully - the world that whaling was creating. His story also provides a peek in to the surprising ways the whales he was killing did the same.
Ryan Tucker Jones is Ann Swindells Professor of Environmental History at the University of Oregon. He is the author of Empire of Extinction: Russians and the North Pacific's Strange Beasts of the Sea and Red Leviathan: The Secret History of Soviet Whaling. He is currently working on a global history of humans and whales, to be published by Scribe Publications in Melbourne.
The State Library and Archives of Tasmania has a wealth of primary sources on whaling, some of which will be available to view at the event.
If you are not available to attend in person, this event will be livestreamed here.
Image: Photograph, John Bull. Found in the State Library and Archives Tasmania collection here.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
State Library and Archives of Tasmania, 91 Murray Street, Hobart, Australia
AUD 0.00
