Our Afghan pioneers:

misunderstood and maligned in life and death

Most Australians are unaware of the vital role played by Muslims in exploring and settling outback South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. During the 1800s, as the land along the coastal areas had been taken up by pastoralists, it became necessary to push further inland for usable land. The standard methods of exploration using bullocks and horses were not suited to the harsh conditions of the outback. It seemed that the animal most suited to such terrain was the camel.In 1840, the first shipment of camels set out from Tenerife with 6 camels on board; only one survived the journey. In 1844 a second attempt was made to import 9 camels from the Canary Islands; again only one of the 9 animals survived.

It became apparent that camels would only be of use to the developing colony if they were accompanied by men who knew how to care for them and work with them. In 1860 24 camels were shipped from Karachi to Melbourne, accompanied by three “Afghan” handlers. These men were to take part in the ill fated Burke and Wills exploration and none of them were to survive to return to their homes.

The next significant arrival was in 1865 when 121 camels and 31 “Afghan” men arrived in South Australia. These men were from Kandahar, Kabul, the tribal zones of Afghanistan and the Sinde Desert. The following years saw many more camels imported; the number of men who accompanied them however is not always known as records at the time focused on the strange, ungainly camels and tended to ignore the handlers who had traveled so far from their native lands. In some cases the names of these men are not even recorded, in others the number of camels is known but the number of handlers is not recorded. They were referred to as “Afghans” or “Mahommedeans” regardless of their actual ethnicity or religion. The majority of them were Muslim however and they continued to maintain the tenets of their religion including prayer and halal slaughtering; a minority were Hindu or Sikh. There are no reliable figures relating to the number of men who arrived in Australia in this way; even census details of the time reveal confusion between Indians, Afghans, Turks, Asians and “Syrian” peoples.

Historic Afghan cemetry in Wyndham, North West WA. Photo: Crescent Press 2006.

These men traveled thousands of miles from home, had no immigration status in Australia, were forbidden to remain more than three years, did not have their names recorded or their importance acknowledged. They were merely seen as a necessary extension of the camels that were so well suited to Australian conditions. A minority became successful business men in their own right and their lives are well recorded. Most of them remained unknown, they never returned home and were buried in Australian soil under a foreign sky. Graves for these men can be found in remote desert locations around Australia, it takes a certain amount of perseverance to find them, even with a map, if there is one available.

Shire of Wyndham believes that the Afghan cameleers were buried with their camels.  This is not the case. Photo: Crescent Press 2006.

Arriving at the Muslim cemetery in Wyndham is an eerie experience. It is hot, dry and dusty. The map indicates you should be able to see the cemetery from where you are. Doubt starts to creep in as your vehicle slowly travels over the bush track but finally you see the white fence. The local council put up the fence to keep stray vehicles off the burial site and provide protection for the graves. There are about 15 graves here, all orientated so that the deceased are facing Mecca. It is not hard to imagine the sadness felt by the “Afghan” community as the graves increased in number. There would not have been any Imam to assist with the burial rites. No record was made of the men who rest there. Saddest of all is the sign erected by the council to explain the large size of the rock cairns over the graves. This sign indicates that the men are believed to have been buried with their camels. Misunderstood and maligned in life and in death. Who will speak for them now?