Tanganutara

Tanganutara or Tarenootairrer also known as Tibb or Sarah (c. 1805 – 3 October 1858) was a palawa woman from Tasmania (lutrawita) in Australia and her name in the palawa language is said mean 'to weep bitterly'.

She was kidnapped from her family at a young age and traded by sealers until, in 1830, she was removed from where she was living by George Augustus Robinson, the Chief Protector of Aborigines, to then take part in his 'Friendly Mission'. This mission ultimately led to the removal of the majority of the Aboriginal people, including Tanganutara, living on mainland Tasmania to be taken to Flinders Island. She ultimately settled at the Wybalenna Aboriginal Establishment where her daughter Fanny Cochrane Smith was born.

Parish later sold Tanganutara, who had become known as Tibb, in around 1818 to another sealer, John Smith, for the price of four seal skins and was again sold in 1819 to George Robinson in an unknown trade. Robinson was in his 50s and he treated her harshly and frequently beat her with sticks. They lived together at King Island (Erobin) until 1825 and then at Woody Island until 1830 and at some point in this time together they had a son. While living together at Woody Island Robinson also had another Palawa woman living with him named Toogernuppertootenner (also recorded as Pueprittehe or Maria).

On 10 November 1830 George Augustus Robinson, the then Chief Protector of Aborigines, visited Robinson, Tanganutara and the other woman living with them and removed only the other woman; he left Tanganutara there so that she could assist Robinson who was, by this time, blind in one eye. During this period GA Robinson also recorded her usage of Tasmanian languages. Tanganutara remained in Hobart until 17 January 1832 before being sent to Flinders Island where GA Robinson and the government had decided that all 'remnants' of the Tasmanian Aboriginal population would be sent. She first lived at "The Lagoons", south of Whitemark, until in 1833 when the Wybalenna Aboriginal Establishment, a so-called 'Aboriginal settlement', was created and it was here that she was likely given the European name of 'Sarah'. When it opened it housed 134 Aboriginal people and its purposed was to 'civilise' and 'Christianise' the people sent there.

While at Wybalenna Tanganutara formed a relationship with Nikaminik (also recorded as Nicermenic) and she had at least four more children; one of these children was Fanny Cochrane Smith who was born in 1834 (Nikaminik's parentage of Cochrane Smith's is questioned). Tanganutara and Nikaminik protested both of these moves and made numerous complaints to Matthew Curling Friend who was conducting an inquiry into the treatment of the Aboriginal children living at the settlement.