How did relocation to Flinders Island affect Tasmanian Aboriginal communities?

Between 1831 and 1835, approximately 200 surviving Tasmanian Aboriginal people were relocated to Flinders Island in an effort ostensibly intended to shield them from the violence of the Black War and prevent their total extermination.123

The impact of this relocation on the community was devastating:

• Destruction of Culture: The removal effectively destroyed the traditional social organization and way of life of the Aboriginal people.3
• High Mortality: Subjected to alien diseases and forced attempts to "civilize" them, the population on the island dwindled rapidly as many died shortly after their arrival.134
• Myth of Extinction: The high death rate among the relocated group, combined with the later death of Truganini in 1876, contributed to the widely propagated but inaccurate myth that the Aboriginal people of Tasmania had become extinct.234

The survivors of this period eventually moved back to the Tasmanian mainland in 1847. Despite these efforts to displace and marginalize them, Aboriginal identity persisted, particularly among communities in the Furneaux Group of islands.23