From the very beginning of British colonisation, in 1803,
settlers in Van Diemen’s Land generally viewed the Aboriginal
people as uncivilised. In spite of successive government
proclamations to treat the indigenous population kindly, and
with respect, the abduction of Aboriginal women and children and
the encroaching European style of culture and agriculture
brought continued conflict. Sporadic skirmishes became
increasingly violent and eventually developed into the Black War
(1824–1831), when Aboriginal people waged successful guerrilla
warfare against the British. The colony fell into a state of
panic, leading to Lieutenant Governor Arthur declaring martial
law in 1828. In 1829, George Frankland proposed to Arthur to
nail a number of illustrated story boards (later known as
proclamation boards) in an attempt to overcome the language
barrier and help the Aboriginal people to understand the
government laws. These boards were intended to show that British
law was equal to black and white alike, however it prov