Of the South Australian Aborigines - Forgotten Books

O F T H E

SOUTH AU STRALIAN ABORIGINES

GA THERED F RO M

INQUIRIES BY AUTHORITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT

EDI T ED by the L A T E REV . Gr . T A PL I N , of'

PO I N T M A CL EA Y .

ADELA IDE

B Y A UT H O RI T Y , E . S PI L L ER , A CT ING GO V ERNM ENT PRINT ER , NO RT H-T ERRACE .

A B L E O F O N T E N T S .

PA GE

L IST OF T H E I L L U S TRA TIO N SPREFA CEIN TRODUCTIONQUES TION S O N F OLKL ORE

,ET C .

,OF T H E A B O RIG IN Es—L IS T or

ETHN OL OGY OF T H E A US TRA L IA N A BORIGIN ESS tatus of the A boriginesEffects of ClanshipO r igin of the Race

A N SWERS TO T H E“L IS T OF QUES TION S

M ar oura T ribe (L ower Darling) , T heO verland Corner T ribe (River M urray) , TheM oorundee T ribe (Mannum— O verland Corner) , T heN arrinyer i T ribe (River Mur ray) , The

Estimated N umber of the T ribeDiseases

,Midwifery

,etc .

,in the Tribe

G oolwa Clan ofthe T ribe,T he

Measurements of A dults in the T ribeT atiara and S outh-eastern T ribesPadthaway T ribe (S alt Creek—Padthaway)N ar r acoorte and S outh-east Coast T ribes

,T he

Wallaroo T ribe (Yorke’ s Peninsula) , T heL anguage of the T ribe, A L ist ofWords in the

Flinders Range T ribes , TheMount Remarkable T ribe, TheDieyerie T ribe (F ar N orth) , The

N otes by the Editor on the T ribeL ake Eyr e N atives (met byExploring Party) , N otesDeclension of Pronouns in L anguage of the T ribe

N imbalda T ribe (F ar N orth) , The

Iv . T A B L E O F CO N TEN T S .

A N SWERS TO T H E“L IS T OF QUES TION S (Continued) PA GE

A ntakerr inya T ribe (CentralA ustralia) , T heL ar r akeeyah T ribe (Northern T erritory) , T heW

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estern District T ribes (Port L incoln to F owler’ s Bay) , T heA dditionalParticulars respecting the Port L incoln T ribe

V enus B ay T ribeCrawler Ranges T ribesF owler’ s B ay T ribe

N otes by the Editor on Answers respecting Dieyerie, Parnkalla, VenusB ay, etc .

,T ribes

PH O TOGRA PH S A ND IL L US TRA TION S,T H E—EX PL AN A TORY N OTES

A BO RIGIN A L CO RRO EEERY ,I L L US TRA TION OF

A PPEN DIXT eeth of the A borigines, TheT able of N ar rmyen Words resemblingVVords in other L anguagesEarly Records of the Aborigines ’ DepartmentL etters written by Aborigines , N otes on theVocabulary of the N ar r inyer i L anguageComparative T able of IVordS selected from 4 3 AboriginalL anguages

T able showing A uthorities for the Meanings of the IVords in the

Comparative T ableN otes bv the Editor on the Comparative T able

Kinship among the Aborigines , Comparative T able of

G enealogicalT ablesN o . 1 . N ar r inyer i T ribe, T ar arorn Clan of the

N o . 2 . Rangulinyer i Clan of the

Kinship Degrees among the Dieyerie T ribeM ar our a T ribeMeru T ribePort L incoln T ribes .

N otes by the Editor on the Kinship S ystemsA DDEN DUM—T H E G RA M M AR OF T H E N ARRIN Y ERI T RIBE

IN DEXF A CS IM IL ES OF L ETTERS WRITTEN BY A BORIGIN ES

O F T H E L L U S T R A T I O N S .

PA GE

F r o n t i s p iec e—A C am p o f th e N a r r in yeri T r ib e

“W a ld a n i n y e r i , a W o m a n o f th e N a r r i n ye r i T r ib e

A N a t iv e H u n t in g P a r tyW e a p o n s o f th e N a r r i n ye r i T r ib e

A N a t iv e H u n t i n g S c e n e

W ew a t- th e la r i,

a M a n o f th e N a r r i n ye r i T r ib e

A N a t iv e E n c a m p m e n tM a n u fa c tu r e s o f th e N a r r i n y e r i T r i b e —M a ts

,B a s k e ts ,

N a t iv e W a r r i o r s

N g u n a i tp o n i , a M a n o f th e N a r r in ye r i T r ib e

A N a tiv e W a r D a n c e

M im u k u la r i,

a W o m a n o f th e N a r r in y e r i T r ib eM u s i c o f a N a r r i n ye r i C o r r o b b e r y

A N a t iv e W a r D a n c e

N a t iv e s H u n t i n g Ka n g a r o o s 1 2 4

A G r o u p o f

A G r o u p o f N a t iv e W a r r io r s

FR E F A C E .

T H E following pages ar e only a contribution towards the subject to

which they relate . N o doubt a vast dealmore may be gathered con

cerning the folklore and customs of those tribes who inhabit the countryfrom L ake Eyre northwards to Port Darwin . It is intended that further

efi'

or ts shallbe made to obtain the large amount of curious and instruc

tive information which awaits inquiry .

It is of great importance that we should gain a knowledge of the customs and folklore of the aborigines . N ot only is it usefulas the subj ectof scientific inquiry , but as a means of benefiting the natives themselves .We shall deal with them much more easily if we know their ideasand superstitions and customs . N o doubt people have O ften given themserious offence byunwittingly offending their prej udices . It is necessary ,also , that the mis sionary should be well acquainted with this subj ect .If he does not know the religion of the people to whom he goes—and

the superstitions of the aborigines ar e their religion—he will never

successfully grapple with the difficulties which lie in his way. O r if hedespises these matters as mere heathen non sense, and holds them in too

much contempt to inform himself of them , he willnever get the attention

of the natives . A nd he willnot find that aboriginalcustoms ar e always

to be cast away : some may be usefully retained , even after they become

educated and christianised .

In the following pages there willbe seen to exist a deficiency of information concerning the A delaide tribe . Every effort was made to obtaina knowledge of the manners and customs of this people, but without

succes s . A lmost nothing is left in the records of the A borigines’

Department about their folklore , superstitions , or language . Probablypapers have unwittingly been destroyed which contained such informa

tion .

Our inquiries respecting the folklore of the aborigines have, in some

cases , met with disappointment : some persons whom we thought“

mighthave assisted us failed to do so .

viii. PREFA CE .

T he police of this colony rendered very efficient help . It willbe seenthat some interesting replies have come from intelligent and observant

troopers stationed in various parts of the colony . This fac t speak shighly for the character of the men of the force

It willbe noticed that the present is only the First Series on this sub

j ect. T he inquiries which have been commenced will be continued ,in an extended and improved form . A dvantage will be taken of past

experien ce to endeavor to make future volumes more and more valuable .

T he field of research in this colony is new and inviting ; and we hope for

greater succes s in bringing to light obscure particulars respecting the

aboriginalrace .

T he writer commends the following pages to those who seek for t ruthrespecting the human race, and who would gather up every contribution

which may cast light upon the naturalhistory ofmankind .

GEO .

Point Macleay , 1 5 th N ovember 1 878 .

O F T H E

jgO U T H

yOI U S T R A L IA N fiB O IQ G I N Es .

m

I N T RO DU CT I O N .

IN the year 1 874 a circular and letter was received byH is ExcellencyS ir A . Musgrave, the Governor of this colony , from Dr . Bleek , of CapeT own ,

‘

pr oposing that , as inquiries had been made and interesting information elicited r especting themanners and customs and especially folklore—of the aborigines of South A frica S imilari nquir ies Should be instituted about the aborigines of South A ustralia .

T he suggestion met with the Governor ’ s approval, and inquiries were:

made of some of the officers in the A borigines D epartment as to the best’

means of attaining this obj ect. T he editor of these papers advised thata series of questions Should be prepared , and distributed to all the

keepers of aborigines’depOts throughout the colony , and to all persons

who ar e known to be acquainted with the manners , customs , and

languages of the aborigines . This advice was followed ; and he was

requested to draw up such a list of inquiries as he thought to be

advisable . H e did so , and the circular of questions was printed and

distributed throughout the colony . N eces sarily a considerable time was

consumed in getting the circulars to their destinations and obtaining thereplies . S ome had to be sent to the extreme far north , and some to the

N orthern Territory . Twenty-four of the circulars of questions werefilled up and replied to . Some of them have notes and information inaddition to the answers to the questions propounded . T he reader willfind the list of questions on a succeeding page . It is proposed toarrange these papers in such a form as that they may be useful forreference to person s interested in ethnology and anthropology . T he

following plan willbe pursuedl. T he an swers to all the question s , except those r elating to language

and kinship , will be given with the names of the writers attached .

Each particular willbear the same number as the question to which it is areply . A fter each series of answers the notes which have been added bythewriter willbe appended, and , following them , any notes which maybe

considered r equisite by the editor . T he ser ies of answer s willbe given

2 TH E A B O RI G I rVES O F S O U T H A U S TRA L IA :

in the order of the tribes to which they relate, beginning at the extremeeast of this colony , and going round bythe south -east ; then to the north ,and down round Spencer’ s Gulf to the western districts . T he briefanswers from the N orthern Territory willbe put by themselves .2 . A comparative table of a certain number ofwords of the languages

of the aborigines willbe given .

3 . Grammatical notes , and a Grammar and Vocabulary of the N arr inyer i language .

4 . A comparative table of the system of kinship prevailing amongstthe aborigines .

In giving native words , the spelling of each writer willbe Iollowed ;and there willbe given any notes having reference to the value wh ich heattaches to the letters .

It will be noticed that in some instances the replies given ar e

manifestly in suffi cient , because the writer was not acquainted with the

importance and bearings of the subj ect of inquiry . This remarkespecially applies to the answers relative to the system of kinship .

Perhap s some of the writers did not see the neces sity of these questions ,or were unaware of the probability of a different system of kinship fromour own .

T he editor feels that he commits no impropriety when he says that heconsiders that much information has been elicited , and that most of thepapers Show that the writer s have used their powers of observation in an

intelligent manner .

It is desirable to give some idea of the number of the aborigines inSouth A ustralia . I t is difficult to gain any exact information on thispoint ; only an approximation can be arrived at.

A mongst the records in the aborigines’

offices,we find the following

statemen t , made byMr . M . Moorhouse,the Protector of A borigines

Estimate of A bor iginalPopulationfor 1 85 1 .

The M ur i ay, from Welhngton to the Rufus,taking 30 miles of

country on each sideF I om Wellington to the Maria Creek

,on the south coast

F rom Maria Creek to G uichen and Rivoli B ays , including the MountG ambier district .

T atIar a countryPort L incolnYorke’ s Peninsula .

Bungaree, H utt and H illRivers , Moun ts Remarkable, B r own ,and

A rden ,including the peninsular portion j utting into L ake T orrens

A delaideEncounter Bay, Yankalilla, and Currency Ci eek

Dated March 30th,1 85 2 . (S igned) M . M O O RI I O U SE .

N ow there seems to the wr iteI a great probability that this was an

under estimate . A camp of aborigines containing a hundred soulsmakes very little Show, and would not be considei ed to have so many .

TH EIR M A N N ERS,CU S T O M S

,A N D L A N G UA G E S . 3

From his acquaintance with the aborigines in the Encounter B ay andlake districts about that very time, he feels per suaded

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that in thoselocalities there was a greater number than is stated byMr . Moorhouseand

,j udging from the knowledge which we have gained since then of

the country about L ake Torrens , the number given for the district isbelow the probable aboriginalpopulation : and the erroneous nature ofthe

above statement is also proved bythe census of 1 876 . We find there thenumber of aborigines in the settled distr icts only of South A ustralia statedas N ow we have good reason to believe that they have diminished rather than increased in the fifteen years since Mr . M oorhouse

’

s

statement was made . If so , his numbers must have been incorrect .But

,upon turning to the particulars of the cen sus , we find that

whereas the census of 1 8 7 1 gave their numbers as that of 1 876

gives the aborigines within the same districts as thus showing an

increase of 5 84 in five‘

years . I s it true then that the aborigines ar e

increasing in numbers ? IV e doubt this ; but at the same time we

believe, and have always believed , that the aborigines maintain their

ground and preserve their numbers much better than is generallysupposed . T he balance of deaths by births is much nearer than peoplehave thought . Even in places where they appear to have been sweptout of existence, itwillbe found that many have retired to other districtsand become amalgamated with other tribes .Even the numbers given in the census of 1 876 probably ar e less than

they ought to have been . A s far as the districts which ar e known tothe writer ar e concer ned , he is sure they ar e . T o S how this we noticethe following statements . I n the counties ofHindmarsh , Sturt , Russell,and Cardwellthe following number s ar e given

H indmarsh Males ,S turt 1 5

Russell 72

Cardwell 5 8

T oEal O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O Q 0 0 0 0 0

N ow,in December 3 1 , 1 874 ,

the editor of these papers made a carefulenumeration of all the abor igines in those counties , and in this he wasassisted by the natives . H e took down the names of every man , woman ,and child am

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ongst them ,. and has the list yet. Particulars of this enume

ration willbe found on a succeeding page . H e found there were 5 1 1 of

all ages ; thus showing that there were 1 74 more in these coun ties thanthe census gave . A nd this is not to be wondered at. T he machinery bywhich the census of the colonists is taken wt uld not give correct resultswhen applied to the aborigines . Many a camp situated miles away fromany house would escape enumeration .

Probably , then ,we have in the settled districts atleast aborigines .

A nd probably also'

within the limits of South A ustralia proper,in the

F ar N orth , arfd outer districts , there ar e as many more . This wouldlead one to think it not very unlikely that there may be also at least

more in the N orthern Territory .

4 T IJE -A B O RI G IN ES O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

It is right to mention here that ever since the colony was founded thesettlers and the Government have shown a disposition to treat the

aborigines with kindnes s and j ustice. A protector of aborigines wasappointed—M . Moorhouse, Esq—and an A borigines Department of theG overnment constituted . Sums ofmoney have been voted by the L egislatur e every year to be expended for their welfare, and considerableportions of land set apart for their benefit . Several mis sionaries havelabored for their education and civilisation , and have been supported ,to a certain extent , in their labors by the Government . Three institu

tions exist at the present time, having for their object the education ,

civilisation ,and evangelisation of the aborigines . O ne situated near

Por t L incoln, and called Poonindie, was founded by A rchdeacon , nowB ishop Hale . T he others ar e Situated at Point Macleay , on L akeA lexandrina , and at Point Pierce, on Y orke’ s Peninsula . There ar e alsotwo L utheran mis sion stations in the F ar N orth . T he Government inassisting these institutions provide allthat is neces sary for the physicalwants of the aborigines connected with them ; requiring that themis sionaries , being ministers of religion , Shall be supported by the voluntarysubscriptions of the people of the colony .

Mr . Moorhouse held the office of Protector of A borigines until 185 7 .

A fter an interval, J . Vv’

alker , Esq . , was appointed,and held

the office untilhis death ou September 2 6th, 1 8 68 . These gentlemenlabored earnestly for the welfare of the aborigines . T hey had to contendwith the inevitable difficulties which willalways be found when colonisation takes place in a country previously held by tribes of savage hunters .

But their efforts very much mitigated many of the evils which arose . N o

doubt to their labor s—especially those ofMr . Moorhouse—we owe it thatthe instances of ill treatment of the aborigines by white settlers , or of

outrages by natives , have been so few and unimportant in the history ofSouth A ust ralia A determined sp irit of humanity has always beenevinced by the leading men of the colony , and they have thus supportedthe efforts of those whose duty itwas officially to care for the aborigines .There are now in connection with the A borigines

’ Department fifty-sixdepots for the distribution of blankets , rations , and medicalcomforts tothe aborigines . They ar e situated as follows

S outh . Eastern DistrictYorke’ s Peni nsula

N orthern DistrictF ar N orthern Distr ictWestern Distri ct

T otal

These depots ar e attended to by respectable and trustworthy settlers ,or by the police .

T he sum voted on the last Estimates of this colony for the itemA borigines

”was

QUE S T IO N S O N ABORlGINAL FO LKLORE , EI O .

[ A nswer s to which appea r in the subsequent pages ]

1 . N ame of the person who answers the questions,and locality where he resides .

2 . What is the name of the tribe of aborigines to which his answers will relate ?By tribe

,

”is meant allthose aber igines who speak one language. T he subdivisions

of the tribe should be called clans .

3 . What tract of country is inhabited by the tribe4 . I s the tribe divided into clans If so

,how many ar e there, and what ar e their

names5 . H as each clan a totem ? [T hat is some beast , bird , or other livmg or inanimatething which is the symbolof the tribe6 . A r e there class-names

,or a kind of castes in the tribe

7 . Do the different clans only interma rry w ith each other,and do marriages never

take place between members of the same clan O r ar e the marriages regulated bytheclass names DO natives of d ifferent class-names only intermarry ? If so, givenames , and state what class-names the childr en of such intermarr iages bear ?8 . What are the mar riage customs and ceremonies

1Who gives away the female toher husband ? A r e marriages arranged by the clans9 . A r e the child ren of the father’ s tribe or the mother’ s 9

1 0 . I s polygamy practised1 1 . What is the system of kinship in the tr ibe ? G ive names for followin '

: relationshipsMy father M y younger s isterMy father’ s brother My father’ s brother’ s childMy mother’s sister’ s husband My mother’ s ei~ter‘s childMy mother My father ’ s fatherMy mother’ s S ister My father’ s father’ s brother s and sistersMy father’ s second wife My father’ s motherMy stepmother H er br oth»r s and sistersMy father’ s sister M ymother ’ s motherM y mother’ s brother’ s wife H er brothers and s ister sMy mother ’ s brother M y mother ’ s fatherMy father’ s sister’ s husband H is brothers and sistersM y son or daughter My father’ s s ister ’s childMy brother’ s child I

”being male) My mother ’ s brother’ s child

M y brother ’ s child (" I ” being female) A father and childMy sister’ s child (“I ” being male) A mother and childMy sister’ s child I ” being female) A widowMy brother A widowerMy sister A fatherless -childMy elder brother A motherless childMy elder sister A person bereaved

,of a br other.

My younger brother[N OTE—G ive the name of the relationship in each case

,no matter whether it be

the same wor d as one before mentioned or not ]1 2 . A r e blood relations allowed to intermarry P1 3 . What is the form of government1 4 . H ow is justice administered ? I s thereanyformof trialfor suspected offenders P

If so, who are the judges ?

6 T H E A B O RI G H VES O F S OUTH A USTRALIA

1 5 . What puni shments are put in for ce against offender s ?1 6 . \Vhat kinds of sorcery a re r r actised

? Describe them .

1 7 . What funeralcustoms are there1 8 . H ow does proper ty desc 'nd1 9 . H ave the abor igines any ideas ofa future state If so

,what are they ?

2 0 . H ave they any belief in gods , demons, or supernaturalbeings I f so, what arethe

25l. A re there any legends or traditions amongst them ? I f so, please relate some

of them If possible, give one in the native language with a liter altranslation .

2 2 . \Vhence do traditions lead you to suppose they came Where were the or iginalseats of the race2 3 . A r e there any proofs of their having been more civilised in past ages than they

are now , and if so, what are they2 4 A r e they cannibals ? What is their custom in cannibali sm ?

5 . What ar e their weapons2 6 . Do they make nets , twine

, fishing lines , mats,or baskets ?

2 7 . What tools or implements do they possess—or did they possess, before Europeanscame here2 8 . Can you describe any ceremonies or peculiar customs practised bythis people2 9 . What do they calltheir language30 . H as their language any articles If so

,what ar e they A re forms of the

pronoun used as articles3 1 . What is the form of the declension of nouns In the case of the word for

“man how do they say of a man ,

” “to a man

,

” “by a man [as an agent] , “bya man [situated near a man] , “from a man

,

”or

“a man ” objectively

32 . I s there a dualform of the noun—22m,is tilt r e not only a word for man and men

,

but a word for two men3 3 . V

’hat is the form of declension of pronouns ? G ive the full declension of the

personalpronou ns .

34 . I s there an abbreviated f rm of the pronoun , for the sake of euphony, used incomposition35 . I s there any gender to pronouns36 . H as the verb any ind icative mood or has the verb only a particip ial construc

tion ? I s the form in which the verb is used in the indi cative the form in which thesame word is used adjectively G ive a specimen .

37 . What tenses has the verb I s there not only a past tense,but a remote past

tense ? I s there a reciprocaltense—as,for ins tance

,I out myself,” We two out

each other ?” I s there a repetitive tense—as,for instance

,not only I strike

,

”but

I strike again

38 . H ow is the passive form of the verb constr ucted ?39 . I s there any verb “ to he or

“ to have in the language

4 0 . I s the letter 3 used in the language, or f, e , 9

4 1 . What ar e the numerals H ow high can natives count in their own language ?4 2 . G ive a few specimen sentences of the language with a literaltr anslation .

43 . W’hat ar e the native words for the following English words ?S un S ea Day H usband BloodMoon T ree N ight L iveS tar Canoe G reat DieCloud F ish Small H earH eavens Dog G ood S ee

Rain Kangaroo B ad S it

H eat F ire M an MakeCold H ouse Woman G ive T hreeH ill S pear B oy I F ourL and Club G irl T hou DualS tone Wommera F ather H e, S he, It Plural.W ater Boomerang Mother

T H E IR M A N N ERS,C U S T O M S

,A N D L A N G UA GES . 7

44 . What diseases aremost prevalent amongst the aborigines of the tribewhere youreside4 5 . H ave they anymethods of treating or curing di sease or injury among them

selves , and what ar e they ?46 . What r ites and ceremonies are used in the initiation of youths to the state of

manhood47 . Do the natives knock out any of the front teeth48 . I s circumcision practised amongst themN O T E 1 .

-N ative words should be spelt according to the following rulesI . T he consonants to be sounded as in English, only the g is always to be hard .

1 1 . The vowels ar e to be sounded thusA as a in father ; ahA i has the sound of long iO as in old

A u i s sounded hke ow m cow.

N OTE 2 .—Pr ecise answers to question N o . 1 1 ar e important . A correct reply will

determine the system of kinshi p prevailing . T he word for each relationship should becarefully ascertained . It is also desirable to di scover whether there is not a slightvariation of the word according as it is borne or attributed to the speaker for instance,a variation for my father, your father, his father , &c .

E as in theyI as i in fatigueU as m rude

,or as 0 0 in mood

8 TH E A B O RZG JN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

E THN O LO GY OF THE AUS TRA LIA N A BORIGIN E S .

N O T E S , by th e E D I T O R .

1 . S TA TUS on T H E A USTRA L IA N A B O R I G INE S .—Ih is of importance

that we should have a clear idea of the relative social condition of the

aboriginal races with which we, as B ritish colonists , ar e brought intocontact . There is a danger of our regarding , like the old Greeks , allnations not having European culture as barbarians . We ar e liable to

forget that there is a great difference between tribes who ar e all,com

pared with ourselves , to be regarded as uncivilised . T he term savagehas been too freely used by us . Races , as far apart as the semi-civilisedSamoan and Tongan of Polynesia is from the low aborigines of the A ustralian mallee scrub, have all been called savages . T he fact has beenoverlooked that the difference between these people is as great as thatwhich exis ts between the polished European and the super lor clas s of

barbarians . It is a question of deep interes t then , as to how we ar e to

determine the place of tribes on the scale . What is the zero of humanity?If we can determine that , we shallbe able to form a clearer idea of the

series above it. N ow we think that the facts elicited concerning the A nstr alian aborigines enable us to determine - this question . M an sink s tohis lowest when he most nearly appr oaches the brute creation . L et usfor a moment consider what is implied by this as sertion . What ar e

usually called irrational animals have all their powers of obtaining a

subsistence in themselves . They need not to contrive implements fortaking their prey , or to cultivate the soilwhich is to produce their food .

T he aquatic birds ar e furnished naturally with such a conformation of

their organs as willenable them to obtain what they need for sustenance .

T he swan has its long neck to enable it to graze on the water plants atthe bottom of the lake ; the pelican its bag net to capture the small fishwhich it delights to swallow . S o also is it with quadrupeds ; whereverwe turn we see them furnished with naturalorgans suitable for captur

ing or obtaining their food . T he carnivora have the tooth and claw andlight muscular limb ; the gr aminivor a , the lengthened and sinewy neck ;the burrowing animals the claws and natural development neces sary to

get a livelihood from that which instinct leads them to choose . Butman , in order to get his living , must have an implement . Herein heseems to be at a disadvantage as compared with the brute ; but in thisvery necessity

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lies all the capacity of man for unlimited advances in

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10 T I IE A B O RI G I IVE S O F S O U T I I A U S TRA L IA :

deavor ed to pursue such enquiries in the following questions ; and the

answers willcontribute towards determining the social position of the

aborigines of South A ustralia . It willbe seen that there is a great difference between the various tribes considered with regard to their human

status .

“7 0 have made the following observations in pursuing this inquiryl. T he human savage can never descend to the perfec t brute state,

because before he becomes thus completely degraded he dies . There isno country in the known world where man can live without implementor weapon . A nd when man is reduced to a desperate battle for

existence , having only the rudest appliances for his purpose, he dropsallthose wholesome customs , and moral O bservances , and obedience tolaw ,

which ar e absolutely indispensable for his health , and continuancea s a race, and social well being : his bodily vigor decreases , and he

becomes the prey of s crofula,dies of dirt and savagery . Man

’ s higheststate of health and vigor is only compatible with high civilisation and

pure morality . T he writer has had proof ofthis amongst the N arrinyeri .There was a little family residing on L ake A lexandrina , the members ofwhich were as nearly brutes as they could be . There was only a fathernamed L illywur , a

‘

mother named Wuntinyer i, and a child (a boy) ,Y er ar apinyer i

- they subsisted on roots and native fruits,and such fish

and game as came into their hands bymean s of the simplest contrivances ,the thrown waddy or the simple noose—and they were regarded by theirown people as very low . They would not even make a break-wind

,or

shelter , but cowered under bushes and in holes and yet it could not butbe evident how far they were above the brute the man could maketwine, the woman a rush basket . T he writer knew them for twentyyears , and he noticed their low condition of bodily vigor . T he boy no

sooner reached puberty than his system gave way, and he died of

s crofula ; and no doubt the others would have died too but for the foodsupplied to them by the Government .2 . W e observe, too , that the introduction of improved implement s ar e

a mean s of elevation to savages as far as their intellectual life is c on

cerned . T he A ustralian hunter becomes the better man for getting a

gun and learning how to use it. T he needle and thread . the twine, thefi sh hook s , the boats with sails and c ar s

, given to him by the Europeancolonist, a re all a means of improvemen t . What a pity it is that hismoral elevation does not correspond with his intellectual. This is thecau se of the ext inction of the race . They ar e ruined by drunkennes sand sexualimpurity .

3 . It is observed as a remarkable development of human nature,that

the lower savages ar e the more completely self-conceited and proud theybecome. T he nearer man approaches the brute the easier will he besatisfied with his way of life

,and the more diffi cult willit be to raise him

out of it. When you converse with him you willfind that he regardshis manner of living as perfect , or nearly so indeed , according to him,

it would be quite so were it not for the malefic sorceries of some of his

fellows . N ow this is strictly according to the analogy of animal life .

T H EIR M A N N ERS,C U S T O M S

,A N D L A N G UA GE S . 11

T he brute exhibit s no desire for improvement in his circums tances—anything of the kind must come from without , from a superior intelligence ;and therefore the nearer man approaches the brute, the more incapableand disinclined willhe be to improvement . O ne of the results of thiscondition is the extinction of the faculty of invention : savages do not

invent . There is a certain degree of degradation in the human racewhen the ability to contrive anything new dies out ; and the nearer man

approaches to the brute the closer will he be to this condition . Therewillbe no fresh or igination

'

of weapon ,implement , custom, o r law the

whole tendency willbe to forget and lose what they already have—to

lose, never to regain . T he beginning of improvement in condition ,whether socially , intellectually , or morally , must come from without if itis to come at all.

4 . O ne of the results of such a life of savagery is indolence . Incivilised man there is always hope, and a prospect of making better hiscondition . But in the savage it is no t so ; he is so low down that allhuman life is to him a dead level, and he cannot see any conditionsuperior to that of his fellows around him ; consequently he gives himselfup to take his ease as much as his circumstances and customs willallow;

"

while he will labor hard to carry out a tribalobservance, and exhibit aspirit of tremendous energy in the chase on occasion , yet he dearly lovesto be lazy if he can . It is to him the highest good to have plenty to eat

and nothing to d o ; he endeavors to enj oy the greatest pleasures ofwhichhis appetites ar e capable, and to live as easily as he can . If he adoptsany contrivance which is offered to him, it willstrongly recommend itselfto him if it be a means of increasing his opportunities to indulge his ihdolence .

2 . EF FEC T or CLA N SH I P . It willbe seen from the following papersthat a kind of clanship is universally prevalent amongst the aborigines of

this colony . There is the tribe speaking one language, using the same

customs , but embracing within itself many clans . Each clan has its ownsymboland name, and every member of it regards all the other men

,

women , and children belonging to it as blood relations . Marriage doe snot take place within this circle ; the aborigines , as a rule, ar e strictlyexogamous . It is this clan life which is the cause of the p eculiarnationalcharacter of these A ustralian tribes . In the clan there can be

“

no personal property—allimplements , weapon s , &c . , &c ., belong to the

members collectively ; every individual regards them as pos sessions ofhis clan , and to be employed for its welfare and defence as occasion mayrequire . If he has a weapon ,

or net, or canoe, which is in some sensehis own , he knows that his property in it is subj ect to the superiorrights of his clan . Every man is interested in his neighbor

’s property ,

and cares for it because it is part of the wealth of the family collectively .

T he writer has often remarked with what solemnity a fisherman will callhis friends to a consultation over the repairs of a canoe or a fishing

-net ;with similar gravity will he also get them to deliberate over his family

12 TH E A B O RI G JN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA

affairs—the marriage of his son , or the betrothalofhis daughter . H e is

surprised that you should expect him to act on his own unaided j udgment ; to him this would be dishonestly ignoring the rights of others .Every one of the clan feels interest in that which is used by his neighborbecause he has a share in it. Only let sufficient occasion arise and he

has a right to use it himself.O ne effect of this state of things is a lack of the grace of gratitude .

If a man be in danger or inj ured , any one of the same clan who succourshim is supposed to do it more for the sake of the clan than frompersonalregard . Indeed it is often the case that a man will give allthe

help he can to one whom he dislikes . H is personal feelings mus t besunk for the common good and if any kindnes s be shown to one of the

clan it is felt to be shown to the whole . T o allow an inj ury to a singleindividual is to permit damage to befal the whole . Consequently the

feeling of personalgratitude is lost , as it were, in the sen se of clan ship .

A service done by one of a clan to another person of the same clan earnsno thank s ; but, at the same time, every man and woman will stand upfor every other individual of their name as against every one else, nomatter whether they be right or wrong . T he writer was once warnedby an old officer of Government in the A borigines

’ Department never toexpect a blackfellow to take his side against another aboriginal.

“ Theywill stick up for their own people,

”he said

,

“although they may know

that they ar e in the wrong .

” This has been found to be true . I t is theeffect of clanship .

A llthe members of the clan ar e held to be equal, excep t in so far as

they may by custom have an official superiority . This can only be

gained byholding a place in the councilof the clan . A man may obtainauthority by. virtue of physicalstrength , or by force of his reputation as

a sorcerer ; but, by birth , allar e equal. Every one must yield to the lawor custom of his people .

This aversion to acknowledge superiority is a great evil when the

aborigines come in contact with colonists . They will never permit oneof their own people to be placed over them as a ganger or overseer ;they always resent the payment of superior wages to one man becausehe is a better workman than another , and never will allow that he ismore worthy of it than themselves .

3 . T H E OR I G INA L C O UN TRY W H EN CE T H E A B O R I G I NE S CA ME —Agreat deal has been said about the autochthony of aboriginal races .T he writer , while he does not venture to treat with disrespect thetheories of some anthropologists , yet mus t express his dissent from the

doctrine of evolution as it has been propounded with reference to man

kind . A utochthony remains a wor d only . W’

e have no example inhistory or experien ce of anything of the kind . T o say, as some havedone , that the aborigines had their origin in the soilof this continent isunphilosophicaland contrary to sound reasoning . It is to be feared thatit is a departure fr om that system of induction which has led to such

TH E IR M A N IVERS,CU S T O M S

,A N D L A N G UA G ES . 13

excellent results in other fields of inquiry . Before we propound such atheory , let us see what we can gather from various sources indicative of

the origin of these A ustralian tribes .Facialcontour or bodily peculiarities ar e not to be relied upon as indi

cations of race . W e have great reason to believe that climatic influencesand the condition of life in which a people exists will produce the

peculiar physiognomy—hair , color , &C .—Wt ll they pos ses s . It seems

to be a law of animal life that change of climate and circumstancesshould be followed by an alter ation of physical condition . It is so withbeasts and birds , and man follows the same law . T he fact then that apeople have negro features , or woolly hair , does not prove any connectionwith -A frica

,but only that they have lived in a country which had the

same climate and peculiarities as that which produces the negro raceit may be thousands ofmiles away from A frica .

N either is language to be regarded as an infallible guide in thisinquiry . W’

e see that it is very easy for a tribe to drop the language of

their ancestors , and adopt that of the colonis ts who take posses sion of

their country . We have a demonstration of this in the ease with whichthe aborigines

—learn English . W e can see how po ssible it is that this

proces s may have been gone through before . A ll we can say of

language is , that where either lexicalo r grammatical similar ity exists it.

points to a connection between the races at some past time .

O rganization of society—system of kinship—may be regarded as a

pr oof,but not a perfec t proof, of the country from whence a race came .

It is just pos sible to conceive of two peoples pos ses sing the same state of

society and cus toms which would lead to the adoption of similar systems—say, of kinship but it is not very probable . We ar e certainlyj ustified , where we find a barbarous people posses sing a complicated butpeculiar and well-established sys tem of kinship , which is the same as thatwhich is found in a large civilised nation

,in regarding it as extremely

probable that they ar e an offshoot from that nation .

Myth,religion , and sorcery ar e also guides when we seek the origin of

a people .

T he more we study the A ustralian aborigines , the deeper becomes ourconviction that they consist of two races . In some cases tribes ar e

of one race only , and in other cases they ar e a mixture of the two . Some

of their traditions suppor t this view. T he N ar r inyer i represent that whentheir hero god

“N urunder e”led his tribe to L ake A lexandrina he found

the country partly occupied by other tribes , and in time his tribe becameintermixed with them .

There is a system of kinship prevalent in southern India , amongst theTamil and Telugu races , which is peculiar . T he chief peculiarities ofthe Tamilian system may be briefly stated as follows :1 . I , being male

,the children of my brothers ar e my sons and

daughters , while the children of my sisters ar e my nephews and niecesbut the grandchildren ofmy sister s , as wellas those of my br other s , ar emy grandchildren .

14 T H E A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA

2 . I being female, the children of my sisters ar e my sons and

daughters , while the children of my brothers ar e my nephews and

nieces ; but the grandchildren of my brothers , as well as those of mysisters , ar e my grandchildren .

3 . A llmy father’ s brothers ar e my fathers , but allmy father

’ s sistersar e my aunts .4 . A ll my mother’ s sisters ar e my mothers but all my mother ’ s

brothers ar e my uncles .5 . T he children of my father

’ s brothers ar e my brothers and sisters ,so also ar e the children of mymother’ s sisters ; but the children of myfather ’ s sisters and tho se ofmymother ’ s brothers ar e my cousins .6 . I being male , the children ofmymale cousins ar e my nephews and

nieces : but the children ofmyfemale cousins ar e my sons and daughters .

N ow,in some A ustralian tribes , th is system is found in its complete

nes s . In other tribes it is not so complete . Where it exists it is an

indication that the original country of the A ustralian aborigines wassouthern and south-eastern A sia .

A s we look at the map of south-eastern A sia,A ustralasia , Mela

nesia, and Polynesia we shallmark the peculia r distribution of two greatraces . T o the east we find the peoples of which the Tahitians , Hawaiian s

,

and Tongans ar e types , scattered most numerously . They have, as a.

remarkable characteristic , unity of language, and an indisposition to

change their language . A s we go west we find them more and morethinly scattered , untilwe have but few traces of them amongst the multitudes of the dark races inhabiting the western groups of islands .These dark races—Papuan s , as they have b een called—ar e remarkablefor the multitude of their languages . Every few thousand people have a

different tongue . They posses s , too , a great aptitude for lea r ning new

languages . N ow, amongst the A ustralian aborigines , we have tribes ofboth types . There ar e two kinds of sorcery found in Melanesia and

Polynesia , each characteristic of the race to which it respectively belongs .O ne is the kind described by Dr . G . Turner thus :

T he real gods at T anna may be said to be the disease-makers . It is surprisinghow these men ar e dr eaded

,and how firm the belief is that they have in their hands

the power of life and death . T here ar e rain-makers , and thunder-makers,and fly and

mosquito .maker s,and a host of other ‘sacred men

,

’but the disease-makers ar e the

most dreaded . I t is believed that these men can create disease and death by burningwhat is called “nahak .

”N ahak means rubbish , but principally refuse offood . Every

thi ng of the kind they burn or thr ow into the sea lest the disease-makers should gethold of it. T hese fellows are always about,and consider it their specialbusiness to

pick up and burn, with certain formalities , anything in the nahak line which comes in

their way. If a disease-maker sees the skin of a. banana, for instance, he picks it up,wraps it in a leaf, and wears it all day hanging round his neck . The people stare as

they see him go along, and say to each other— ‘H e has got something ; he will do forsomebody by-and-bye at night . ’ In the evening he scrapes the bark off a tree, mixes itup with the banana skin ,

rolls allup tightly in a leaf in the form of a cigar, and thenputs the one end close enough to the fir e to cause it to singe and smoulder and bur naway gradually . Presently he hear s a shellblowing.

‘T here,

’

he says to hi s friends ,here is the man whose rubbish I am now burning ; he is ill. L et us st0pburning and

see what they bring in themorning.

’

T H E IR JU A N N ERS,CU S T O M S


When a person is taken illhe believes that it is occasioned by some one burning hisrubbish . Instead of thinking about medicine, he calls some one to blow a shell, which ,when perforated and blown ,

can be heard two or three miles off. T he meaning of thisis to implore the person who is s upposed to be burning the sick man ’

s rubbish,and

causing allthe pain ,to stop bu rning and it is a promise as wellthat a present willbe

sent in the morning . T he greater the pain ,the more they blow the shell

, and‘ when

the pain abates they cease, supposing that the disease-maker has been kind enough tostop burning . T hen the friends of the s ick man arrange about a present to take in themorning. Pigs , mats , knives , hatchets , beads , whales’ teeth , &c .

,ar e the sort of

things taken . S ome of the di sease-making craft ar e always ready to receive thepresents , and to assure the party that they will do their best to p revent the rubbishbeing again burned . If the poor man has another attack at night, he thinks the nahakis again burning . The shellis again blown , other presents taken , and so they go on .

‘A llthat a man hath willhe give for his life ’

; and if. he dies,his friends lay it all

down to the disease-makers, as not being pleased with the p resents taken, and as

having burned the rubbish to the end . T he idea is that whenever it is allburned theperson dies . N ight after night might be heard the dismal “

too-too-tooing .

” We

observed also that the belief in the system of nahak-burning was as firm in the craft asout of it. If a disease maker was ill himself, he felt sure that some one was burninghi s nahak . H e too must have a shellblown, and presents sent to the party supposedto be causing the mischief.

S ome of our kind neighbors were surprised at our indifference on the matter,and

felt so concerned for our safety that whenever they saw a banana skin lying at our

back door or about the servants’ houses they would pick it up, take it away , and throwit into the sea

,lest the di sease-makers should get hold of it . We were told that the

craft repeatedly picked up things about our house and t ried their hands at burningthem

,but never could succeed . T hey declare, however, to this day that they killed

one of our S amoan teachers by burning his nahak .

”—N ineteen Yea r s in Polynesia .

N ow,in the succeeding pages , sorcery of this kind will be found to be

practised amongs the A ustralian aborigines . A gain ,Dr . Turner says

T hirty years ago the S amoans were living under the influence of a host ofimaginary deities , and steeped in superstition . A t his birth

,as we have already

remarked,every S amoan was supposed to be taken under the care of some tutelary or

protecting god , or ‘aitu

,

’

as it was called . The help of perhaps half a dozen differentgods was invoked in succession ,

but the one who happened to be addr essed just as thechild was born was marked and declared to be that child’ s god for life.

T hese gods were supposed to appear in some visible incarnation,and the peculiar

thing in which his god was in the habit of appearing was to the S amoan an object ofveneration . It was

,in fact, his idol, and he was carefulnever to injure it or treat it

with contempt . O ne; for instance, saw his god in the eel,another in the shark ,

another in the turtle, another in the dog, another in the owl, another in the lizard,and

so on throughout all the fish of the sea,and birds

,and four-footed beasts

,and creeping

things . In some of the shell fish even , gods were supposed to be present . A manwould eat freely of what was regarded as the incarn ation of the god of another man

,

but the incarnation of his own particular god he would consider it death to injure or to

eat. T he god was supposed to avenge the insult by taking up hi s abode in thatperson

’

s body, and causing to generate there the very thing which he had eaten, until

it produced death . Thi s class of genii, or tutelary deities , they called ‘aitu fale

,

’

or

gods of the house.

N ow ,as will be seen in the following pages , the N arrinyeri have a

s imilar cu s tom,and the same ideas connec ted ther ewith . Every clan has

its “ totem”or

“ngaitye.

” Every individualregards this ngaitye - wh ichis some animal- as his tutelary genius . H e is not afraid to eat it.

Indeed ,

I have known a man swallow it for safety ; for he believes that if an

16 T H E A B O RI G IN ES O F S O U T H A U S TRA L IA

enemy gets hold of its remains he can make such powerful sorcery withit that he will cause it to grow in his inside . I have known men andwomen declare that their disease was caused by the ngaitye growing intheir stomachs .T he similarity of this ngaitye to the aitu of the Samoans is at once

apparent .Such facts , which it will be perceived we gather up from outside the

A ustralian continent and apply to its aborigines , certainly go to provethat they did not have their origin here . T he weight of evidence is infavor of their identity with the races inhabiting the continents and

archipelag o es to the north and east,where we find the same system of

kinship , the same customs , the same mental characteristics,and the

same kinds of sorcery .

A brother of the edi tor, in June, 1 862 , was residing amongst the Dieyerie. H e

wr ites thus,in a letter of that date The Pando blacks have a peculiar superstition

up here. T hey take the bone of some defunct friend,and it is chewed by two or

three of the old men . T hey then make little graves in the hot ashes,calling the

chewed bone by the name of some enemy . T hey -believe that when the bone is

consumed the enemy will die. T hey also believe that there ar e wild blacks, who can

take off their skin and fly where they like—being at the same time invisible.

”


T H E IR M A N N ERS,60 5 T O M S

,A N D L A N G UA GES .

_17

A N SWERS T O THE QUE S T IO N S O N A BORIGIN A LFO LKLORE , ETC.

T H E M A R O U R A T R IB E,L O W E R

DA R L IN G .

l. REV . R. W . H O LDEN , formerly Superintendent of Poonindie N ativeInstitution

,and Church of England Mis sionary to the A borigines for

fifteen years in Victoria, N ew SouthW ales, Q ueensland , and South A us

tr alia ; now Incumbent of Mount Pleasant. H e was at one time stationedat the Darling Junction , and spent many months in exploring the tribes ofaborigines up the Paroo and towards Cooper ’ s Creek .

2 . T he name of the tribe referred to in the following answers isM ar our a, or M ar owr a .

3 . They inhabit the country in the neighborhood of the junction of

the Rivers Murray and Darling4 . T he tribe is divided into five clas ses , called respectively ( 1 ) Con

delkoo , ( 2 ) B oolkarlie, ( 3 ) M oattillkoo , (4 ) Bullalr e, ( 5 ) T oopparlie .

5 . These clan s have no totems whatever .

6 . There ar e class-names fi the Keelpar r ah and the M ockgur r ah.

7 . Only a Keelpar r ah can marry a M ockgur r ah. A Keelpar r ah mustnot marry a Keelpar r ah, no r a M ockgur r ah a M ockgur r ah. A ll can

intermarry as long as the parties ar e the one a Keelpar r ah and the othera M ockgur rah. T he children in most cases take the father ’ s clas s name,

but at times the mother ’ s . What rules this matter it is very hard to sayfor certain .

8 . Sometimes there is a generaltalk immediately after a birth amongst .

the old men and with the father of the child . These at time'

s betroth achild , which betrothment must in due time be carried out. Sometimesthe father and brother of the girl decide to whom they will give her .

A t other times the brother alone gives his sister away , and generallyin this case he gets a wife in return . T he girl is never consulted forthe sake of her status with her tribe . She must not choose for herself,nor r efuse to become the wife of the appointed individual.1 0 . Polygamy is practised very much .

1 1 . [ S ee table ofKinship ]

18 TH E A B O RI G IN E S O E SO UTH A U S TRA L IA :

1 2 . Blood r elations ar e not allowed to intermarry . These aboriginesare very strict on this point .1 3 . T he form of government is a kind of rule by the chief and old

men only .

1 4 , 1 5 . Justice is administered as follows z—Generally the two wrongdoers , standing apart , throw spears at each other . A t other times themost guilty one must receive so many blows from a club,

administeredby the man he has done harm to . Blood must be drawn . T he oldmen generally ar e the j udges . If two women (wives of one husband )continue to quarrel, the husband willgive each a club

,and make them

fight it out. If they will not fight , he beats each in a most unmercifulmanner .1 6 . Charms and sorcery ar e strongly believed in . Every death

, or

hereditary disease, or lingering ailment , is attributed to some evillydisposed person or persons . Human fat, emu bone, human hair , composea charm,

mixed together . T he bone enters into the intended victim,and

there remain s , causing all the harm to the sick . These charms lead tomany wars , and often deaths .1 7 . T he only funeral custom is to get the body as quickly as possible

under ground .

1 8 . T he aborigines have no property .

1 9 . F or their ideas on a future state see note D at the end of theseanswers .2 0 . They believe a great dealin evil spirits .

2 1 . They think N or allie once walked about on this earth amongstthem, but after a time he became dissatisfied , and departed to the worldabove. O ne dayhe saw how the aborigines were destroying the gameon a ccount of the great tamenes s of all animals . S o he came down and

called all animals around him and addressed them ,telling them to

beware of the natives . Ever after birds and beasts became wild and

more difficult to catch . T he serpent was doing much mis chief, when“N or allie

” came down and killed him. They say“ N or allie

’

s”wife

is very cruel, and willpunish allblack men if she can . N or allie will

never die ; he had no beginning . Some think he has one son,a good

boy. (F or further myths and legends see note I . )2 2 . T he original seats of their race were probably in Malaysia or

Polynesia .

2 3 . There ar e decided proofs in their weapons , &c . ,that they have

been more civilised in past ages . [ S ee note E . ]2 4 .They ar e mostly cannibals , generally eating their enemies during

war . There have been some cases ofmothers eating children .

2 5 . Their weapons ar e the spear , boomerang, and club .

2 6 . They make nets , twine, fishing-lines , mats , and baskets from a

kind of rush .

2 7 . T he only tools which they possessed before Europeans came werestone tomahawk s .2 8 . F or description of circumcision and making young men ,

see notesG and A .

T H ELR M A N N ERS,C U S T O M S

,A N D L A N G U AG ES . 19

2 9 . They calltheir language M ar our a , or B erlko .

3 0 . There ar e no articles in their language .

3 1 . Of a man ,Kitthunthene.

”

T o a man,Kittolah.

”

By a man ,

“W inbindoo .

3 2 . There is no word for men , only for man .

W imbia , M an .

N uku wimbia , O ne man .

B arkolo wimbia ," T wo man .

B arkolo nuku wimbia , Three man .

B arkolo barkolo wimbia , Four man .

W imbego ,“A number ofman .

”

[ I am here giving a literaltranslation ]33 to 37 . T he verb has only three ten ses—past

,present , and future .

N o remote past tenseI out myself, “N ook kultree per .

“Te two out each other,N ook kulmar rallie.

I strike, B alkioo .

I strike again , B alkithu .

3 8 , 3 9 . There ar e no verbs signifying to be”

or“to have on the

Murray River .40 . T he letter 3 is not used .

4 1 . T he highest number which the natives can count by the voice isfive—T a , B arkolo barkolo nuku

,equivalent to two two one .

4 2 . G owah wingallia wimbia wangalla , panelgor appa kandelka berlko

Kone gr anappa pandewappa . L iteral tran slation—fl Come all men sit

down , speak I good language [news] . A way I sulky am I .

Karrah kariah illa eualpie kik kie kariah kariah kariah illa milka illawilkie wilkie

,illa bookerme1 ley. L iteraltranslation - “A nother country ,

not like this country , not any sicknes s , not any hunger , not any die.

”

[_S ee also note F .J[ S ee Table of L anguages .

4 4 . Chest diseases . L ungs , liver , and kidneys . I consider that theaborigines of A ustralia would live much longer , and be healthier and

stronger , if left in their nomade state . T he advent of the whites hasmade the aborigines of the colonies much more degraded , more helples s

,

more—yea , much‘

more—susceptible to all diseases . Their huntinggrounds ar e gone . They ar e now, to all appearance, a doomed race .

Before our coming amongst them their laws were strict , especially thoseregarding young men and young women . It was almost death to a

young lad or man who had sexual in tercourse tillmar r ied . I considerinfanticide came from the whites .4 5 . T he natives ar e very succes sful in the treatment of wounds .

Mother earth and low diet have a marvellous effect .4 6 . [ S ee note On]4 7 . T he natives do not knock out their f1 ont teeth at the Darling

Junction,but down the Mur1 ay they do .

4 8 . Circumc ision is practised only at Cooper’ s Creek . { S ee note A . ]

20 T H E A B O RI G IN ES O F S O U T fl A U S TRA L IA :

N OTE A . Queensland .

A t Cooper’ s Creek , Queensland , they circumcise on making a youth 8. youngman . I t

is done when the lad is about sixteen years of age they cut the whole of the foreskinoff with a flint . It is only performed by the old men of the tribe. N one can marry tillthey are circumcised . The part is held by the finger and thumb. With some of theQueenslanders, they not only circumcise, but make incisions through the scrotum, carefully avoiding the testicles ; at times , a skewer of wood is pierced through the scrotum ,

and allowed to remain for two or three days . T his Operation ismore, much more painfulthan cutting off the prepuce ; the cut-offparts ar e thrown away . S ometimes a nameis given to the lad immediately after the operation , but not with every tribe. O nlyearth is used to healthe wound . I t is not considered a religious duty, but a law and

custom handed down for generations . It is never performed after death . T his operation is never dispensed with . T he women ar e not allowed ’ to witness the Operation of

circumcision ,and the men also ar e bound to do all they can to prevent the women

seeing . G enerally , a number of lads ar e done together . A very close fence is madeallround the place chosen for the operation, to keep away prying eyes .

0

N OTE B .—Coop er

’

s Cr eek.

T hummyerloo, funi

L itchin ,mesin

Kokipij ir aT hockyar

M iyer

N apa nopa

War r i kundall

Koolar

T hulloo munal

Willawatta thuyinMuttoWhitkitha. 0 0 . o o e o

KonkaerM umnunahMurra mamlunyaT eeyah tarlina

T uyalie dusali

T hinaM intchie

Pulhiner

War r ina

T arlina n u t o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

0

N OTE C .—M etr r ay and Dar ling function.

“A ” thus , as in mate.

“A” thus , as mfat/mu

N ame of tr ibe.

L anguage.

TH E IR M A N N ER S,CU S T O M S

,A N I ) L A N G UA OE S . 21

T herto (oosolete on accountofdeath) T he head .

Kok0 1 a head .

Burlk1 e . hair .M a-gue ” eyebrows .

eyes .

Mendolo nose .

mouth .

upper-lip.

under-lip .

corners of the mouth .

G nerlly penah cheek bones .

M elinya nails on fingers .

ribs .

Pimbery pena collarbone.

Kunga gnarra throat .Wacka chin .

Murra or mambanya hand .

Kerlpr a fingers .

U r rna buttocks .

Kar r aka legs .

feet .U ndie teeth .

T arlina . tongue.

T hanganya liver .B .

- T heymakethe liver the seat of affections . They say “T hanganya napelr a,’

my bowels yearn ,or , literally, my liver 1 s shut .

Kurun to or nar enya The abdomen .

Panda heart .T herna perty kidneys .

Yun the yunthe kidney-fat.

B alyar ta S tep ; wait (wait a minute) .Balka H it it ; str ike it.

Barkolo . T wo .

B ar roar r gindo Do you hear ?I hear .

B erlko L anguage.

B erlka Rope ‘

or cord .

B erlkie H air .Burley S tars .

B ucka A n offensive smell; stink .

B ornda A fish.

B ilyar a Eagle-hawk .

B ineyana A vesselto hold water .B inyana A chisel.

B iminya Jealousy.

B onelya A bat

B ilcom S etting fire to a house.

Beer , or bunor a A long way ; great di stance.

B emkea A man who has lost a brother .Dalyo N ot heavy.

Dar inana T o put a vesselnear a fir e.

Diale F ood to eat.

Dalthing End of anything .

G nolo T o washMine.

T o give, or give me.

We.

T IIE A B O RI G I IVE S O F S O U T II A U S TRA L IA :

T wo persons .

G nolo T wo persons .

A ny number of persons .

G nernpa M y dear .G noma Your s .

G nana M e.

Illa-illa . N o. or not.

Illa bans. nato I did not hear .

Illa uatema I did not lay hold .

Illa thorkaninde Do not you loose it.

Illa thorkanyer ato I willnot loose it.

Illa panclgor inba Do not you speak so much .

Illa panclgorppa I willnot speak so much .

Illa banandalie \Ve did not hear .Indento I do not know .

Illa winj awtana Do not look .

Kandelka G ood .

Koninderie Rainbow .

Kanakie A vesselfor holding water .

Koninto (obsolete) T he stomach .

[O bsolete, on account of death of one of the tribe ]Kakie T hat .Katee wailwo Small.

Kowi Come her e.

Kowa Plenty .

Kulpana T o speak .

Koker cka Black .

Kalpo Bye-and-bye.

Ellow Yesterday .

Kerlpa A knot .Kanawinkie T o-morr ow .

Kar thro T here .

Kangernackie T his side.

Kolya Winter .Kultown Duck .

Koneger ana S ulky .

Konegr anappa I am sulky .

Konegr animba. Y ou ar e sulky .

Kalkr o A jagged spear .Kielpa A short di stance .

Kunakunakasno B arking of a dog .

A box -tree.

Kakee mur tanna I s that your husbandKakee nongoma I s that your wife

A prickly lizard .

Kuna G rey hairs .

Kombona A n old woman .

Kamballa A young woman .

G rassy .

H ambie A garment .Koinku yanan Smallwood .

Kultha,or kaso A nother.

Katoa S hort .Kinedana T o laugh .

Kar reda nappa I laugh .

Yato kandedana H e laughs .

Kunthama cuer ana T O smile.

S ilence .


94 T H E A B O RI G I IVES O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

A father whohas lost his child .

N ingana T o sit.

T o sit or fall.

Name.

Mina natkame \Vhat name .

N iley A shell.Cousin .

T o eat.

N uckarlo—S omething , they think , gets into their body and causes di sease, put there,they think , by some evilly disposed person ,native of another tribe. T he prmcipal

work of the native doctors is to extract thi s nuckarlo .

”

Water .A companion .

Your companion .

M y companion .

H is companion .

T o go .

I go .

You go .

We go.

B e goes .

Bark or skin.

T o appear.T o talk or to be noisy.

Y ou speak .

I speak.T o be ashamed

,or naked Uiterally,

the appearing of the skin] .

Palthawangalnappa I was ashamed .

Palthawangalnimba Y ou ar e ashamed .

Pandelanen T ired .

Pandelnappa I am tir ed .

Pandelnimba Y ou ar e tired .

Pandana T o spear a person or thing.

Pshah B one.

Perlka F ishing-line.

Pine tree.

White.

Moon .

L ight .T o shoot or blow.

G un .

Smoke.

A lie.

Y ou tella lie.

I tella lie.

When telling a person of tellingThe earth .

A hole.

I climb.

Y ou climb.

T o climb.

The tongue.

N othing .

H eavy .

The head .

Cease crying .

N ot good .

TH EIR JIIA N N ER S,C U S T O III S

,A N D L A IVG UA G ES . 25

T hickathickana

T huckar a

T hankomalar a

T hilhya

T hor om

T hopr amolla'

I hopramolappa

Thopr amolimbaT hungana

T hina

T hacka .

T hi ta thata lanaT aldree

T ong kongka

wato 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Wanbaua

Wanbanappa

Wonbanimba

Wangega

Wangeganappa

Wangeganimba

NV ingeato

WingamdoN atoa wingatchieWalpaWacka

VVandelana

WaimliaWher toWilyango, and r onumdo

\V appilka .

\V appilnappa

W'

appalimba

Yato wappilanaY apparaYartoY andarlana

Y andarlappa

Y andarlimbaYato yandarlanaYakakeYakake uappaYakake nimbaYakake nalieY ar r aka nappaY ar r aka nimba

Yato yar rakanaY owomaY awoma gumdindaY ar r ar a

Y ar rar ingyY elpiaYelka

T o pour water into a vessel.A bend of the river .A n island .

S trong.

Smoke going up a hole in a tree.

T o sit on a thing, or get inside.

I get on .

Y ou get on .

T Q fillup a hole.

F oot .A bank .

I tching disease.

A young man .

Evening or early morning .

T ake hold .

N ot to understand, or stupid .

I don ’ t unde1 stand .

Y ou don’ t understand .

What name.

What is my name.

I Vhat is your name.

Which way.

T o see.

I see .

Do you see .

I see.

T o lift .T he chin .

T o turn .

A black man .

A n old man .

A boy.

T o make a camp .

H ot .

I am hot.

Y ou ar e hot.

H e is hot.

Camp (for natives) .Wind .

T here it is .

T o crv .

I cry .

Y ou cry .

H e cries .

T o bathe.

I bathe .

Y ou bathe.

RV G b tthe.

I am thirsty.

Y ou ar e thirsty .

H e is thir sty .

Come back .

Y ou bring it beck .

Wood .

Cold .

26 TH E A B O RI G IIVE S O F S O U T H A U S TRA L IA :

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

Illa hooker mcr ley ur rie ur r ie

N OTE D.

Many men strongly question whether the aborigines of the Australian coloniesbelieve in the immor tality of the soul. I strongly assert they do ; but their beliefbeing traditional, to get a correct idea of what they clearly believe is difficult .H aving a word for soul clearly distinct from the word for body

, goes to prove theyhave some idea of a futur e. A fter a body is buried they are for a time afraid thespirit of that body will appear. T hey know and acknowledge the body to be safe inthe grave, but the Spirit may come, they say. The native name for a white man isthambar oo

,a spirit—a depar ted person .

T he escaped convict,Buckley

,who was some 32 years among the wild tribes was

taken by the abor igines for a departed chief,and consequently hi s life was spared .

The spear of the departed chief was in B uckley’ s hand when found , his height andso forth tallied with the departed one ; so , on beholding B uckley

,they would say,

“ H ere comes the depar ted chief.

” I have witnessed a native medicine man ”

whisper certain messages into the ear of a departed man .

N o doubt their “cor r obbery” was at one time a mode of worship . I have seen manyindications of this during some cor r obber ies ; for instance, cutting out an image of a

man out of a sheet of bark , and erecting it and dancing around it, and in various otherways . —a

N OTE E .

T here can be little doubt but that the A ustralian aborigines have come down from a

much hi gher state of civili sation . A greater portion of the tribes were cannibals . O f

this I have every proof—41 a,eating, not their friends , but their enemies .

O n the Murray and Darling, the dead ar e buried in holes , genera lly facing the west .T he same language is spoken allup the Darling , for 5 00 miles by land ; but on the

Murray , above and below the junction,the language changes every

,say forty miles .

Each tribe knows three languages ri . e.,own

,neighbor above, and neighbor below ; so

a communication can be carr ied on allup and down the rivers .

I consider the variety of languages has been brought about in the first instance, byoutlaws

,men banished from the tribe for some crime

,families formed , and there bydegrees adopted new words , so that their conversation , planning, or scheming, might

not be known by any eavesdropper from the tribe the banished ones came from ; and

the repeated changing words , owing to any deaths would assist in making a new

language.

—0

N OTE F .

T he Lord '

s Prayer in the Darling River language, N . S . W . N innana comben,innara inguma Kar kania, M unielie nakey, Emano pumum culpr eatheia , ona Kara can

jelka yonagh patua , angella, N okinda ninnana Kilpoo yaniee, T hickundoo Wantindoo

ninnanna Illa ninnana . puniner , thullaga , ThillthillChow norr iemorrie munda, lullaramunie. Euelpie.

”

A widow .

T hat way.

T he sun .

S unset .S unrise.

A roadT o break .

A camp .

T o unfasten .

T he swan .

S oul (soulofman) .The soulwillnot die.



N OTE G .- Junction of Durh

’

uy and M ur r ay River s .

L ads ar e generally initiated into a state of manhood soon after the hair begins togrow wellabout the chin , under pain of severe di spleasure ; they must not in any wayinterfere with this growth of hair . T he lads ar e thrown down at an unexpectedtime

,and held on the ground by the old men ,

during which time every particle of hairis pulled out most unmercifully from every part excepting the head— the secret par tssuffer most ; then the body, from head to foot, is smeared over with fat and ochre.

T hen the subjects are sent to the bush to wander alone quite nude for a number ofdays

,and only allowed to eat the food given to them by the old men ,

which is onlyenough to keep them alive. T he whole ceremonialis most disgusting . A t the Junction the natives do not knock out any teeth of the young men . A t the back of the

Darling they do, and on the lower Mur ray River they knock out one tooth in the

front . While at Cooper’ s Creek , in Queensland , they circumcise, and have many otherJewish customs amongst them—and I have met in some cases a very strong Jewishcast of countenance .

I remember a case, owing to the conduct of a white shepherd,where a scene

described in Judges x ix .,2 9th verse

,was carried out to the letter .

N OTE H .

The name of the departed is by no means ever mentioned not out of respect, butout of fear .The wife mourns for the husband

, but the husband never mourns for the wife .

T hey mourn by inflicting deep gashes upon themselves, at times burning their armswith a fir e brand

,at other times only covering the body with ashes , and the head with

a kind of gypsum, day by day adding to it. T he gypsum cap becomes say (thi r ty)301bs . weight . T his is worn by some women from one month to twelve . T he leavingof the cap on the departed husband’ s grave is a sign allmourning is at an end

,and the

woman willing to take another husband . Many women go into mourning for theirdogs , and keep it up for weeks .

Many women sleep on their husband’ s grave for a week or two, that his spirit maynot trouble his tribe at night . A bout the grave is kept clean ,

and a fir e kept for a

time.

I have never known food to be placed for the dead . Weapons ar e at timesburied with the dead , and sometimes the body placed in a sitting posture in the grave,sometimes straight out .

N OTE I .

T hey believe in N orallie,

”one who made all things, and that he is marr ied, and

hi s wife willpunish bad natives bye-and-bye.

T hey consider the course of the Murray was pursued by the winding of a very largeserpent , and that this serpent was killed by this great man N or allie.

N or allie told allthe game, emu, &c .

,not to allow the natives to kill them ; so

from that time allgame beca’

mewild,and difli cult to catch .

T he moon di sappears each month to form stars,and N orallie makes another

moon when he has finished making the stars .

T hey have rain -doctors , who profess to have the power to make rain T hese menhave great power over a tribe.

A rain-doctor is not a man who can cure a sick man or woman. T he two callingsar e different .

— 0

N OTE J .

Infanticide is greatly carried on amongst themothers .

28 T H E A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U T H A U S TRA L IA :

N OTE K .

Chieftainship rs not hereditar 'y chiefs have power to declare war , and they onlythe old men ar e the chiefs ’ councillors . N 0 position amongst the aborigines rs hereditary, doctor, &c .

,&c .

N OTE L .

The eldest I r other gives away his sisters in marriage and gets a wife'

in return . The

woman is not in any way consulted , but told to go . A native without a sister cannotget a wife froru his tr ibe, so he by night vis its a tribe at a distance, and steals a woman,

and she becomes h1 s wife.

A mother must never lu ck at her daughter’ s husband after marriage ; nor must theson-in-law look at his mother-in-law.

Polygamy is greatly carried on . A brother can have a wife for every sister .Widows ar e common property, tillthey take another husband .

Children ar e never cor rected by their parents .

T he aborigines are fast dying out on the Murr ay River . A tribe I knew wellfifteenyears ago of one hundred and fifty

,only one young man left—who is now living with

me ; he is the last of the tribe.

R. IV . H OL DEN .

Poonindie I nstitution ,Port L incoln

,S outh A ustralia,

N ovember l9th 1 875 .

O V E R L A N D C O R N E R T R IB E,R IV E R

M U R R A Y

1 . CO RP O RA L SHAW , of Overland Corner . H is informan t was an in

telligent native named “N oontoo Per tchy,”who resided at Chowilla .

2 . T he name of the tribe is Rankbir it.

3 . T he country they inhabit is called W illa .

4 . T he tribe is divided into three clan s , named VVilloo , Rankbir it, andY er r ar uck .

5 . T he totem of the Rankbir it clan is an eaglehawk . Each clan hasits totem .

6 . There ar e no clas s-names .

7 . They intermarry with other tr ibes .

8 . They have no marriage customs . T he brother or nearest relativesimply gives the bride away .

9 . T he children belong to the father’

s clan .

1 0 . Polygamy was practised formerly .

1 2 . Blood relations ar e not allowed to marry .

1 3 . There is no particular form of government .1 4 , 1 5 . It appears that when any O ffence or crime is committed , the

person is brought before the old members of the tribe and dealt withaccording to its nature .

1 6 . A rope or band made of deceased natives’ hair , tied round thehead or loins , is supposed to cure and prevent alldiseases .



T H E M O O R U N DE E T R IB E .

1 . P O L I CE-TRO O PER EW EN S , of Blanchetown . H is informant was anative named N aloor i,

’of Porlee, on the River Murray .

2 . T he M oorundee tribe .

3 . This tribe inhabits the country from Mannum to Overland Corneron the river , and from twelve to thirteen miles back on each side.

4 . There ar e no clan s ; only one tribe.

5 . N o totem . They were marked by cuts on the skin with flint .6 . N o clas s-names .7 . They marry into the same tribe, and exchange with other tribes

when agreeable to both .

8 . T he father gives away his daughter in marriage ; and ifhe is dead ,some other nearest relative .

9 . T he children ar e of the father ’ s tribe,1 0 . Polygamy is practised in some cases .1 2 . Blood relation s ar e not allowed to marry .

1 3 . A king govern s , assisted by the old men of the tribe.

1 4 , 1 5 . T he king and old men take evidence,and order the old men to

carry out their sentence. Only in cases of murder , death for death .

1 6 . N o kinds of sorcery practised .

1 7 . T he tribe is summoned and attend with all relatives only whenwomen die . But when a man dies , women wear clay on their heads andplace it when dry , in the shape of a basin on the grave.

1 8 . Property descends to next of kin .

1 9 , 2 0 , 2 1 , 2 2 , 2 3 , 2 4 . A llthese question s ar e an swered in the negative.

2 5 . Their weapon s ar e three kinds of spears , three kinds of clubs or

waddies , and a shield .

2 6 . They make nets and baskets only .

2 7 . Their only toolis a tomahawk , made of hard stone with woodenhandle .

2 8 . I cannot describe any peculiar customs .2 9 . They calltheir language Niawoo .

3 0 to 3 9 . N o information . Informan t says they ar e too much halfEnglish to explain

,that I cannot understand what the form was in the

proper language .

4 0 . I cannot find that s is used .

4 1 . T he natives can count as high as twenty .

4 2 . M ernco gnucko , Fresh water river . ”

44 . T hemost prevalent diseases ar e rheumatism,consumption , and liver

complaint .4 5 . They have no methods of treating disease .

4 6 . When they ar e over fi fteen , the young men ar e considered men ,

and ar e covered with wet r ed clay; and when it is dry , the ceremony isover .



4 7 . They do not knock out front teeth .

48 . Circumcision is not practised amongst them.

N OTES (FROM DR . MOORHOU SE) .We have the grammar and vocabulary of Dr . Moorhouse

, the first Protector ofAborigines , and it is of the language of these very natives . By means of this severalof the omi ssions in the foregoing answers can be supplied . A s Mr . M oorhouse

’

s

information was gathered thirty years ago it is very trustworthy . N o doubt manycustoms of these natives have ceased since then . N o tribe in S outh A ustralia has diedwith such rapidity as this . In 1 864 , I was told by Dr . Walker

, the Protector ofAborigines , that he saw at Blanchetown 20 0 adults of this tribe

, but there were onlytwo children amongst them . Infanticide has been constantly and persistently practisedin spite of every attempt to stop it. The result is that now veryfew people survive.

”

2 . T he following an swers to the question s ar e to be gathered from Dr .M oorhouse

’s work and from my own knowledge of them

2 . T he tribe is called Mer u by themselves .

1 6 . Dr . Moorhouse says there were sorcerers amongst these natives called “idlaidlangko,

”who practised in cantations bymeans of a rock crystal called “katto

,whi ch

females and children were not allowed to see.

2 0 . Dr . Moorhouse gives the names,

of several imaginary beingsbelieved in by these aborigines , called Kambattan Kar r aam

, a fabulousperson , who first gave names to various parts of the country . N okunno ,a fabulous being, said to be going about in the night , whose sole obj ect isto killthe blacks . T ou , an imaginary being ,

having mortiferous power ;the word also means death , or a dead body . This tribe also had a wordfor soulspirit , Idlaial. Hence a sorcerer appears to have been one havingto do with spirits idlaidlangko .

3 0 . T he language has no articles .T he following is the declension of the noun nguilpo, a child

S IN GUL AR .

N ominative -N guilpo, a child .

Causative—N guilyanna, by a child .

G enitive—N guilyong, of a child .

Dative—r -N guilyanno, nguilpallarno, to a child .

A ccusative— N guilpo, a child .

Ablative—N guilyanmudl, from the child .

DUA L .

N ominative—N guilpakul, the two children .

G enitive—N guilyamakul, of the two children .

Dative— N guilyakullamanno,to the two children .

A ccusative—N guilyapakul, the two children .

A blative— N guilyakullamanno,at, or with the two children .

Exative—N guilyakullamainmudl, from the two children .

PL URA L .

N ominative— N guilpa , children .

G enitive— N guilyar ango, of the children .

Dative—N guilyarumanno,to the children .

A ccusative—N guilpa, the children .

A blative—N guilyar amanno, at the children .

Exative—N guilyar amainmudl,from the children .

T he above an swers also question 32 .

32 T H E A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

3 3 . T he following is the declension of the personalpronouns as givenby Moorhouse

F ir st per son.

S IN GUL AR .

N ominative—N eape, I .

G enitive N gaiyo, of meDative—N ganne, to me.

DUA LN gedlu, we two.

N gedlango, of us two.

N gedlunno, to us two .

A ccusative—N gape, me.

Causatlve—N ganna, byme.

PL URA L .

N ominative- N gennu, we.

G enitive—N gennango, of us .

Dative—N gennunno, to us .

~

S econd per son.

DUA L .

N gupul, you two .

N gupalango , of you two .

N gupulunno, to you two.

S IN GUL AR .

N ominative—N gurru, you.

G enitivc—N gur r ongo, of you.

Dative—N gur r imno, to you .

A ccusative—N gur ru , you.

Causative—N gur r a, by you .

PL URA L .

N ominative—N gunnu, you.

G enitive—N gunnango, of you.

Dative—N gunnunno, to you .

Thir d per son.

DUA L .

Dlauo,they two .

Dlammongo, of them two .

Dlauunno,to them two.

S IN GUL AR .

N ominative—N inni,he, she, it.

G eni tive—N unnango, of himDative—N innanno

,to him.

A ccusative—N inni , him .

Causative—N inna, by him.

PL URA L .

N ominative—N ana,they .

G enitive—N ammango, of them.

Dative—N auunno,to them.

There is no abbreviated form of the pronounnor gender

Ithas often lately suggested itself tome that, in caseswhere we put ablativeto theseforms of words , the word locative would more exactly express the shade of meaning of

the inflection . I judge from the analogy of the N arr inyer i language, whi ch thi s muchresembles

,indeed there ar e many words common to both languages . In this language

the genitive or possessive—thi s is the better word—is declined as it is in the Narr inyeri .

3 6 , 3 7 , 3 8 , 3 9 . Dr . Moorhouse says the verbs ar e allattributives whoseconjugations , moods , and tenses ar e marked by infiexion .

T he following ar e the infiexions of the verb “ terrin ,

standingPresent —T errin ,

stand .

Perfect—T erra, did stand .

F utur e—T er r idla , shallstand .

Imperative—T erra , stand .

Conditional—T er r inna, would stand.

Prohibitive—T er rinni , stand not.

to stand , or

Preventative T err ulmunnainmudl, thathe may not

,or lest he should stand .

O ptative —T er r idla ngape, may I stand .

Infinitive—T er rilappa, to stand .

Past par tic .—T er rulmungko, having stood .

Paradigm ofParldkun—S trike.

T H E IR M A N N ERS,CU S T O M S


Present—Parldkun ,strike or striking . Preventive—Parldkulmunnainmudl

,

A orist imperfect -Parldka , did strike. that hemay not strike.

A orist perfect—Parldkul, struck . O ptative—Parldla,may strike.

F uture—Parldla , shall strike. Infinitive —,

Parldlappa for to strike.

Imperative—Parldka, strike. Participle past I ’arldkulmungko,Condi tional—Parldkiinn a , would str ike. having struck .

Prohibitive—Parldkumoi, strike 11 0 .

N OTE .—Mark , there i s no present participle. T his is because the verb itself is a

participle.

“Parldkun”is striking .

T here 1 s no passive ve1 b Dr . Moorhouse says The English passive voice is notexpressed by an inflexion of the verb

,but by the application of the active nominative

case,as—Purnagunnanna laplapnanna ngapemukkarna , L arge knifeme did wound,”

73a ,

“With a large knife I was wounded .

”The existence of an active nominative

supersedes the necessity of having a form for a passive voice.

T here is no verb to tie in the language, as far as Dr . Moorhouse explains it.

4 0,4 1 . There is no sibilant , neitherf, nor O . A ccording to Dr . Moor

house they have only words‘

for one two , three, four .stick With

4 2 . N akkoalninna ngape parldkul—H e beat me with a stick .

wi th stone I willbuild my house .

Parkoalnganna ngar r udla ngaio rapko—I W illbuild my house with stone.

What for child cr ying

Meyak ngur r ongo nguilpo ngeyiu ? N gemmar a .

T H E N A R R IN Y E R I T R I B E .

[ T he question s were sent to five person s dwelling in localitiesfrequented by this tribe viz . ,

Police-trooper E . H . Deane, of

W'

ellington ,River Murray ; Police-Corporal John Dann , O f Milang ;

Crown L ands B anger George Wadmor e, of Men ingie ; Police-trooperT . Moriarty , of Goolwa ; and also to the Editor of these pages . T he

answers to the questions ar e verymuch alike . This was to be expected ,as they refer to the clans of the same tribe . T he Editor , ther efore , will

give an account of this tribe at greater length , and entering into moreparticulars than ar e contained in the short an swer s of Messrs . Deane,Dann , and W admor e . Police-trooper Moriarty ’ s replies also refer to a

clan of the N arrinyeri ; but as they live at Goolwa , about sixty milesfrom the W ellington clan ,

it has been con sidered advisable to give hisvery able and intelligent ser ies of an swers separately . It will beremarked , however , that the similarity of the testimony of these fiveobservers 1 s a guar antee of the corr ectnes s of the statements . This isvery satisfactory . T he N arrinyeri ar e one of the mos t important tribesof aborigines in South A ustralia . They posses s greater vitality thanany other tribe that we know of. There is also amongst them indication sof a form of organized society , law,

and government , of a highercharacter than is usually found amongst A ustralian aborigines ]

T H E A B ORI G IN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

1 . T he REv . G EO RGE TA P L I N , Missionary to the A borigines , Poin tMacleay .

2 . T he “N ar r inyer i . Probably this word is an abbreviation of"Kornar r inyer i

”

(belonging to men ) . This is the derivation recognisedby some. N evertheles s some natives prefer to regard the word N arrinyeria s derived from narr ,

” plain,intelligible ( referring to language) and

“ inyer i ,”belonging to . This would make the word mean—belonging to

plain or intelligible speakers , or those of one language . It is probablethat the first derivation is correct , because it is applied frequently tothose whose dialects differ considerably .

3 . A tract of country—which may be said to begin twenty miles aboveXV ellington , on the Murray , and which maybe enclosed bylines supposedto be drawn from that point to Cape Jervis on the west , and to Kingston ,L acepede B ay, on the east and south-east—is occupied by the clan s of

this tribe or nation .

4 . T he tribe is divided into eighteen clan s , and each has a tribalsymbol, totem—or as they callit “ngaitye

”—con sisting of some animalor

vegetable . T he following ar e their names and totems :

Name of Clan . Locality. Totem, or N gaitye.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

River Murray

1 7 . \Vunyakulde River Murray1 8 . N gr angatar i L acepede B ay

The Coor ong clans of the N arrinyeri were called , in the early days of the colonythe M ilmenr oor a T r ibe.

”T he writer recently inqui 'ed of some Coor ong blacks if they

bore this name they replied,that many years ago the clan dwelling on the Coor ong,

near McG rath’

s Flat,was called “M ilmenroor ar

,but that now they were called M 11

menyer ia i n . T his is an instance of change of name. T he natives seemed muchastonished when the name “M ilmenr oor a

”was uttered : they regarded it as a sort of

resur rection of an old name.

Encounter BayG oolwa

Murray Mouth (west side)Murray Mouth (east side) T ern

Mundoo Island CootL ake Coor ong Butterfish

L ake Coor ong MulletL ake Albert (south side) BullantL ake A lbert east side) Chocolate sheldrakeL ake Albert Passage Wild dog, dark colorPoint Malcolm \Vild dog, light color

L ake A lexandrina (east end) L eeches , catfishL ake Alexandr ina (nor th side) WhipsnakeMilang (L ake Alexandrina) Musk duck

River Mur ray Black duck , blacksnakewith r ed belly

Black swan , teal,black snake withgrey belly

Black duckKangaroo r at


36 T H E A B ORI G IN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

choose a suitable man out of the clan to take his place. T he number ofmen on this counc ilis usually ten or twelve .

1 4 . Justice is administered by the tendi in accordance with the

customs handed down by tradition in the tribe . In case of an offencebeing committed against native law or custom, a regular trialtakes place .

T he rupulli presides , and sits on a j udgment seat called “ tendi lewurmi .”

W itnesses ar e examined , and full inquiry made . A ll parties O btain a

hearing . Various pun ishments ar e inflicted upon the guilty in proportion to the heinousnes s of

'

the crime . Sometimes a certain number of

blows ar e given on the offender ’ s head . Sometimes he is banished fromthe clan . A nd sometimes death is inflicted . Sometimes the tendi willsecretly condemn a breaker of the law, and appoin t a person to suddenlyfallupon him and put him to death . When offenders belong to differentclans , or the contention is between members of two or more clans , theunited tendis decide the matter .1 5 . T he most frequent punishments ar e blows . Sometimes

,however ,

a murderer is speared to death . Sorcery is severely punished .

1 6 . There ar e three forms of sorcery , called “millin ,

” “ngathungi,

and “neilyer i.

”

III z'

ZZz'

n .

—T he aborigines have a big-headed club,called plongge, which

is used entirely for millin . Its mor e touch is inj ury . When they getan O pportunity they knock down an enemy

,then tap his chest with this

club, hit him with it on the shoulders and knees, and pullhis earstillthey crack ; he is then called “

plongge watyer i .”T he victim is now

supposed to be given into the power of a demon called N alkaru ,who

willmake him have chest disease, or cause him to be speared in battle, orbe bitten by a snake . Very often the plongge is used upon a personsleeping . T he weapon is warmed , and his o r her ches t gently tappedwith it. O ne who has been thus s erved is supposed to be sure to havedisease of the chest . If a man or woman feels sore in the chest it isalways attributed to millin . A fter death the chest is opened , and anydisease found there is attributed to this cause .

’

yathunyz'

.

—This kind of sorcery is practised with bones , or remainsof animals which have been eaten . When a man gets hold of a particular bone of some bird or beast which his enemy has eaten , he mixesit with grease and r ed ochre and human hair , and stick s the mas sin a round lump on the end of a prepared skewer of kangaroo’ s leg bone,and it is called “

ngathungi .” When inj ury is to be inflicted on the enemy

who ate the animal from which the remains came , the posses sor of thengathungi puts it down by the fir e, and as the knob melts , so disease issupposed to be engendered in the person to be bewitched , and if it

wholly melts off he dies . A man who know s that another person has anngathungi capable ofinju r ing him buys it ifhe can , and throws it into ther iver o r lake ; this breaks the charmN ezlyer z

'

.

—This is practised bymeans of a pointed bone . It is scrapedto a very fine point . Sometimes an iron point is used ; This is poisonedby being stuck into a dead body . A ny one wounded by it is inoculatedw ith the virus , and either loses a limb or dies . Very often this wound



is inflicted secretly when a person is asleep . T he bone point is keptmoist for use by human hair soaked in liquor from a dead body . T he

natives ar e so terribly afraid of neilyer i that they dread even for theweapon to be pointed at them , attributing to it a deadly energy .

1 7 . Children who died in infan cy were sometimes burned , but ar e nowalways buried . Y ouths and adults in the prime of life when they diedhad their bodies dried . A fter death the body was carefully examined ,and allthe apertures sewed up . Then it was set on its back , with thearms c ros sed in front and the thighs spread out, and the legs and feetbent under . In this posture it was placed 0 11 a sort of triangularbier called ngar atta . This was elevated on three men

’ s heads , withthe body o n it. Then allthe friends and relatives stood round and calledout various names , in order that they might discover who had by sorcerycaused the man or woman to d ie . T he body , thus elevated , was taken tovarious spots in the neighborhood which had been frequented by th

deceased . It was said that when the right name Wa s called an impulsewas felt impelling the bearers towards the person who called out the

right. name . This was regarded as a sufficient indication of the guiltyperson . T he bearers profes s to be entirely cont rolled by the dead man

’s

spirit . Sometimes , in order to discover the guilty sorcerer , the nearestmale relative would sleep with his head on the corp se, in order to dreamwho was the criminal. This matter having been settled , the body wasplaced over a slow fir e till the skin rose , and then it was all peeledO ff, and the corp se appear ed like a white man

,the p iyrnentum myr um

having been removed with the scarf skin . I do not think there was anyrule for this ceremony or the preceding one to be performed first . Itdepended on the presence of friends . A llnear relatives were requiredto be present. at the trying for s orcery . T he scarf skin having beenremoved , the body was smeared with grease and r ed ochre , and the headtied up in pieces of skin o r rags . It was now called “gr ingkar i, a name

applied to Europeans bythe blacks , because they think that they resemblea peeled corpse . T he body was then elevated on a stage about four feetfrom the ground in a sitting pos ture , with the feet un d er the thighs . A

slow fir e was kept under it for weeks,and it was basted with grease and

r ed ochre . T he liquor from it was kept for neilyer i purposes . Regulartimes of wailing and s creaming around it were observed . M en andwomen cut off their hair in sign of mourning . T he hair was spun andmade into head-bands . T he hair of the dead was especially prizedfor this purpose

,as it was supposed to confer the gift of clear-sighted

nes s . M en blackened their faces , and women smeared filth on theirforeheads

, in sign of mourning . It was not uncommon for them to cutthemselves to show grief . NVhen the body was dried , it was wrapped inrugs and carried about from place to place to be mourned over . Whenthe grief was assuaged , it was put on a stage in a tree, and , after a time ,

buried . T he body of a very aged person would be wrapped up and put

in a tree without much ceremony .

1 8 . Property descends from father to son,or nearest male relative

if there be no sons .

38 T H E A B O RI G IZVES O F S O U T fl A USTRALIA :

1 9 . T he N arrinyeri always believed in a future life after death.

They believed that the dead go to some place in the west where their

god N urunder i r esides r In pass ing to this place they go under the sea , and

as they go see down below them a great fir e, and the bad ar e in dangerof falling into it and being burned , but good people—according to theirideas of goodnes s—get safe to N ur under i . They callheaven Waiyir r i,or \Vyir r i, or VVyir r ewar r i .

2 0 , 2 1 . T he great god of the N arrinyeri is N urunder i. They alsobelieve in several demi gods called \V aiungar e, N epelle, and demonsPep i, Melapi

,N alkaru , M ulgewanke, and Karungpe . T he tradition s of

the N arrinyeri allrefer more or les s to N ur under i and his adventures andexploits .N urunder i

,their great and wonderful god or chief, came down the

Darling with his followers . \Vhen he arrived at the lower River Murrayhe sent back two of his men to tell those from whence he came of

his arrival. They never rej oined N ur under i. T he chief and his partyar e said to have cros sed the country from the Murray—apparently fromthe south bend —to the lakes , striking L ake A lbert . They found the

country around the lakes in possession of clan s of black s under Waiun

gare and N epelle. Various marvellous adventures ar e told of thesepersonages . N ur under i is said to have thrown flat stones into L akeA lexandrina , near Pelican Point , and they became the fish called “ tinuwarri ” ( or bream) . H e made an expedition up the Coor ong ,

where hehad a great fight with and slew a chief who had stolen his children .

Then he arrived at Encounter B ay,and while there his wives forsook

him . H e called upon the sea to overflow and drown them , and it

obeyed . A fter many such adventures N ur under i wen t to VVyir r ewar r i ,or heaven , where he resides . They also have an indistinct myth inwhich a son of N urunder i called M aztummer i is spoken of, but it is so

misty that little sense can be made of it.

VVaiungar e is said to have been produced by his mother ’ s excrementswithout any father . H e was a r ed man (nar umbe) .

‘

H is brother wasN epelle . N epelle

’s wives one day saw VVaiungar e at the lake and

desired him for a husband . S o they went to his hut at Pulluwewal and

finding him asleep made a noise like emus running outside . H e awokeand came out, when they burs t out laughing , and rushing to him claspedtheir arms round his neck and ins isted upon becoming his wives . T he

unfortunate hero appear s to have yielded . N epelle, enraged , wen t toWaiungar e

’s hu t

,and found that he and the wives were absent , hunting .

S o he put fir e in the hut and told it to wait until they returned , andthen ,

when they were asleep , to get up and burn them . T he fir e obeyed ,and the sleepers were aroused by the vengeful flames . They fled to theswamps on the shores of the lake and plunged in and es caped . A fterthis \V aiungar e threw a spear at the sky with a line tied to it. A t first ,when he hauled upon it, the weapon came out. Then he threw upa barbed spear . This held fast

,s o he pulled himself up to heaven and

afterwards hoisted up the two women . Certain stars ar e pointed out as

VVaiungar e and his wives . N epelle afterwards was driven to the top of

TH E IR M A rVN ERS,CU S T O ZVI S


the hills by a great flood . S o he got to heaven by the same meansas Waiungar e, and drew up his canoe after him . This vessel is still tobe seen floating in the sky in the “milky way.

” These persons ar e said tohave lived at a time when enormous kangaroos and fish existed . T he

former were so large that the skin of one covered acres of ground .

Waiungar e and N epelle, after their apotheosis , sought to make theseanimals smaller . T he former tore a kangaroo in pieces , and , strewingthem on the earth , each piece became a small kangaroo such as we now

have . N epelle did the same with a fish , and produced smallfish .

T he following is a native myth in the vernacular of the N arrinyeriN or ar nger tir ulangk ,

kar mor okkir an mamar . Kar tuppir an mamarTipping . W anyar muldur ar ngungyin namur amb an mamar . Wunyarpulker i muldur ar pettir an mami . VVunyar nor ar ngr akkuwallir .

Wunyar nor ar muldur ar mendir . Kar pingkir muldur ar brugungai

wunyarKinemin . Wunyar nor ar balpewallin lun ellin tukker i.” T r ansla

tion—“ T he pelican s fished in the lake and caught s ome tukker i fish .

They carried the fish to Point Sturt . Then the magpies made a fir e to

cook the fish with . T he greedy magpies then stole the fish . T he

pelican s were angry with the magpies , and they fought . T he magpieswere rolled in the ashes

,which made them black . Then the pelicans

became white like the tukker i fish , which they had eaten .

”

2 2 . It seems to be very p robable that the N arrinyeri ar e a mixture of

two races . Most likely the tribe which came with N urunder i were of

Eastern Polynesian race, derived f rom some people who may have beendrifted in canoes on the north-eastern coast of A ustralia from the SouthS ea Islands . They dis covered that therewas a tribe already in posses sionof portion s of the country , which seems to have been Papuan . I t is a

fact that some of the N arrinyeri ar e s traight-haired and of a lightercomplexion , while others ar e curly-haired and very black . A llthe nativetradition s agree with the above theory .

2 3 . N o doubt the N arrinyeri descended from a more civilised state of

society . They pos sess laws , customs,implements , and weapon s which

they ar e quite unable to invent now , and elaborate ceremonies of whichthey do not know the meaning , although they adhere to them s trictly .

T he remains of a kind of sacrifice is found amongst them . When they

go on a great kangaroo hunt they knock over the first wallaby whichcomes near enough to the hunters . A fir e is then kindled and the

wallaby placed on it, and as the smoke ascends a kind of chan t is sung bythe men

, while they stamp on the ground and lift up their weaponstowards heaven . This is done to secure succes s in hunting , but the

reason of the custom they know not .

2 4 . T he N arrinyeri ar e not cannibals , and expres s a great horror ofcannibalism.

2 5 . Their weapons ar e. clubs and waddies ; heavy wooden spears ,barbed and unbarbed . These ar e made of very hard wood , got from the

r iver tribes , and , through being hardened in the fir e, become as hard as

bone, and can be made very sharp . T he most dangerous and effective

weapon s ar e the spears called kaike and yarnde . T he shafts of these ar e

110 T IIE A B O RJGJN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

made of reed for the kaike , and dry grasstree-flower stem for the yarnde .

Both have a point consisting of about a foot of hard wood . Sometimesthe yarnde is barbed with splinters of quartz , stuck on with grasstree or

pine gum . These spears ar e thrown with a throwing-stick or tar alye .

They can hit a mark at fifty and sixty yards . They ar e quite as effectiveas arrows from a bow . They also have boomerangs , but they ar e not

much used in war—more for striking waterfowlon thewing . They havealso two shields—the broad bark shield and a narrow wooden one . T he

former is called wakkalde , the latter murukanye.

2 6 . They make nets , twine, fishing-lines , mats , and baskets . T hematsand baskets ar e made of two or three kinds of rushes and flags . T he

twine and lines ar e made of rushes , or of the root of the menokkur i

flag boiled and chewed and then twisted by hand .

2 7 . Their only implements 1 11 the way of tools we1 e stone tomahawk sand shells . They often use the edge of a split reed for cutting flesh .

2 8 . Several ce1 emonies have been des cribed 1n the foregoing answels .

It is only necessa1 y to say that the natives ar e particular to adhere tothem . They have a certain kind of courtesv amongst them . T he formal

good bye of one departing is N ginte lew” Do thou sit and

the 1 eply of one 1 emain ing is ,“ N ginte ngoppun

”( Do thou walk ” )

It rs 1 egar ded as i ery 1 ude to conver se or speak privately to a per son inthe pr esence of others . T he women ar e always kept separate imme

diately after parturition and during the time of men struation . Boys ar eforbidden to eat certain kinds of game , and young men other kinds , and

again women others .T he following is a list of the kinds of game forbidden to boys , and

also to young men during the ceremonies of introduction to manhood

Y O U N G M EN . B ov s .

N ative N ame. English.

1 . N akkar e Black duck‘2 . N ger ake T eal

2:{f

v

l

fil

églde'e

T ur tle of two kinds 1 ° When5 . Ponde Murray cod . .

6 . 1’ankelde Black and white goose7 . T ye1 i G olden perch8 . Punker i Widgeon9 . Kalper i S hoveller duck1 0 . Parge IV allabyll. T ilmur i F emale musk duck1 2 . Pomer i Cat fish1 3 . Kupulli Blue mountain parrot1 4 . Rekalde \V ater r at

Puldyokku1 i Water hen1 6 . T alkinyer i N ative turkey 9 . T alkinyer i

1 7 . l'

.r olgc . N ative companion 1 0 . Pr olge

1 8 . Wanye Mountain dur k ll. Wanye

1 9 . T a1 ke . L ake perch . T a ke2 0 . Korneok Pink eyed duck 1 3 . Korneok

S o that twenty kinds ar e forbidden to the young men , and thir teen kindsto boys I t is supposed that if they eat of these they will g1 ow ugly


42 T H E A B O RI G IA'

E S O F S O U T I I A U S TRA L IA :

out three times ; each time the hear d was allowed to grow about twoinches long . They were not allowed to take a wife till this periodelap sed , generally two years ; but during this time very little fault wasfound with them for licentious conduct . During the time between the

first plucking and the second the youths were called “narumbe” instead

of their realnames ; during the time between the second plucking and

the third they wer e called “ takkm e mak,r “

plucked cheek .

”T he

second and third plucking was generally performed without any ceremonylike the fi r s t . T he two young men who unde1 go this rite together ar eve1 after held to hold a peculiar relation ship to each othet called wirake .

”

4 7 . T he N ar r in } er i natives do not knock out the front teeth .

4 8 T he N arrinyeri do not practice c ircumcision .

S TA TEM EN T or T H E N U M BER or T H E“ N A RRI NY ER I .

Pr ep a r ed by the Editor on December 3lst,1 874 .

l. I have often thought that it is very desirable that we should knowexactly how many of the aborigines there ar e

,so as to be able to form

some idea of their wants . I have several times heard expressions of

incredulity when I have said how many I thought there were and , 0 11

the other hand , I have heard people say they thought there were morethan I had any reason to believe existed . Such a counting of the abori

gines , if it had taken place twenty years ago , would have afforded some

interesting information as to their rate of decrease, and would havethrown light on the causes of the decay of the aboriginalraces . By wayof making a beginning in this direction ,

I prepared a lis t of the namesof all the natives of the N arrinyer i tribe, or nearly all. T he dangerin taking such a cen sus is of omis sion , and perhap s I may have omitteda few . M ay I be allowed to suggest that if at every aboriginaldepé t aregister were kept of every man , woman

, and child known to the is suerof stores , and a periodicalreturn of their numbers made , it would bevery valuable ; it would be especially so in the F ar N orth ,

and on the

overland route, and in the N orthern Territory .

2 . In making out the list , I got the assistance of four intelligen t nativemen ; I allowed them to apportion the different names of persons totheir respective clans ; in one or two cases I found people belonged to a

d ifferent clan from what I had supposed . I have a personal knowledgeof three-fourths of the natives whose names ar e given ; the rest I am as

sured ar e living , and ,in some instances I am told I have seen them, but

have forgotten them.

TH E IR M A N N ERS,CU S T O M S


3 . T he proportions of the different clans ar e as follows

Name of Clan . M en . Women Boys . G irls . Total.

G oolwa and Por t ElliotL ake Alber t .

Milang and Point S turtPoint MacleayThe Coor ongL ower Murray, nearWellington

v . 1 96 1 83 63 5 1 1

I t willbe seen that the Point Macleay clan is the largest this is inconsequence of the natives here being the healthies t . T he smalles t pr oportion of children ar e found in those clans which inhabit the settleddistricts . T he Goolwa and Port Elliot clan has only fifteen children , and

yet they have as many men as the Point Macleay clan , which contain sforty-five children . T he circumstances attending the life of the aboriginesin settled districts ar e adverse to their having children . I am sure thatwe have , by getting children from the natives in the settled dist1 icts tothis Institution . saved the lives of many ; the proportion at Goolwa and

W ellington would be even lower than it is , were not this the ca se, and Iknow that the natives who reside here have and rear more children thanany others of their tribe . T he Coor ong clan is a numerous one, and

needs our best efforts for its welfare . I do trust thatwemaybe enabled ,by having a tract of land allotted to us , to reach these people, and dothem as much good as we have done the Point Macleay clan ; they haveamongst them some intelligen t men . T he Point Macleay clan and the

M ilang clan ( a very small one) ar e the only ones where the number ofwomen is greater than that of men . I can say with as suran ce

,that the

diss ipation and debauchery into which many of the natives fallis morefatalto women than it is to men .

4 . T he preparation of this statement forcibly reminds us of the

decrease in the numbers of the aborigines . I myself, in 1 849 , saw 5 0 0

fighting men of these N arrinyeri ; I was also told by a former Gov ernment officer , that he saw 8 0 0 fighting men in 1 842 at the presen t time

they might mus ter 1 5 0 . This would make the proportion of warriors atpresent a little more than one third of the. whole number , suppo sing , asis probable , that then _

the proportion was one-fourth , there were in 1 84 9N arrinyeri, and in 1 8 4 2 , I am sure everyone willfeelsorry

at this . W e have deprived the natives of their country , sadly diminishedtheirmeans of subsistence, and introduced a state of things more fatalto them than the barbarism in which they before lived . W e feelanxiousto prevent such mournfulresults . O ur history 0 11 this stat ion has beenone of seventeen years

’ resis tance to their downward progres s towards

44 T IIE A B O RI G IN ES O F S O U T H A U S TRA L IA :

ex tinction , and it has not been altogether un succes sful. W e trust wemay prevent that almost total disappearance which has befallen the

A delaide and M oorundee tribes .5 . A s the subj ect of disease among the natives has a close connection

with the causes of the decline of the aboriginal races , I have drawn upa statement of the result of my observations and experience on this sub

j ect.

O

T H E Dr s EA S E s O E T H E A B O R I G I N E S or T H E L A KE S A N D L OW ER

MURRA Y ( S O U TH A U STRA L IA ) .

I have resided among the aborigines inhabiting the L akes and L owerMurray for the last twenty years , and during that period have observedthat they ar e subj ect to the following diseases , viz A poplexy

,acute

nephritis , cataract , con sumption (tubercular) , dysentery , diarrhaea , epi

lepsy , fistula in ano , hydrocephalus , hepatitis (acute and chronic ) , hydatids in the liver , hydrothorax , influenza , indigestion , impetigo , neuralgia ,

otalgia , otorrhoea , ophthalmia ( acute and chronic ) , phrenitis [one instanceonly] , pneumonia , porrigo , ranula [one case only

,but very bad] , rheu

matism (acute and chronic ) , sunstroke . syphilis , sore throats in its variousforms , toothache, and tabes mesenterica .

1 . My observations have led me to the following views of the principaldisease from wh ich the natives suffer , which is evidently tuberculosis inits different forms . I think that a large number of deaths arise from thiscause—of fifty deaths of adults which occurred here between 1 8 5 9 and

1 869 twenty-five were caused by tubercular consumption . In infancythe tuberculous diathesis shews itself frequently in the form of hydr ocephalus , generally occurring at the time of dentition ; it also very oftenmanifest s itself in the form of tabesmesenterica , about the third or fourthyear or even later ; I have even known of a very bad case occuring in a

man of twenty-five . This constitutional tendency often appears in theform of induration and ulceration of the glands of the neck ; where itcomes out thus it is generally cured , and the person becomes healthyafterwards ; but its mos t usualand fatal form is that of tubercular con

sumption . A ny ac cident to the ches t seems to lead to the deposition of

tubercle . I knew a case of a previously healthy young woman whoreceived a blow on the ches t from her jealous drunken brute of ahusband she vomited blood immediately after , then her case graduallyas sumed the form of tubercular consumption . I had a case of a whitewoman on my hands at the same t ime as this one . I was struck withthe exact similarity of the symptoms in each case—the two women diedwithin an hour of each other though living miles apart .2 . T he mortality among infants of the aborigines is very great—of 1 0 1

deaths . occurring between 1 8 5 9 and 1 869 , thirty- six were of infantsunder two years of age , fifteen of children under the age of puberty , andfifty of adults . In nothing has the result of our labors been so apparen tas in the saving of infant life. T he good effects of cleanlines s and

T H E IR MA N N ERS ,CU S T O M S

,A N D L A N G U A GE S . 45

p‘. oper care ar e so apparent that I have heard the women on our stationlecture young women on the neces sity of keeping their children wellwashed . Infan ts suffer very much from the exposure of savage life .

I have known infants die of the s corching which their heads gotthrough being exposed on their mothers ’ backs during a long march on

a hot day ; and any severe disease“

which may suddenly seize a child ,when its mother is in a situation where

t

help cannot be obtained,of

course run s on and becomes fatal, although at first quite amenable to

treatment .3 . I have frequent cases of both neuralgia and toothache . A peculiar

cause of toothache is the chewing of fibre for the purpose of makingtwine this wears the teeth down to a leveland makes them very tenderto bite upon .

4 . I have frequently seen cases of epilepsy . I have generally noticedthat the person s subj ect to it have sunk into a low state of health . and

soon died of consumption . I had recently a case of a woman whosepregnancy was accompanied byattack s of haematemesis and epileptic fits .I have seen severalcases oflunacy among them ; it is not uncommon forthe intellect of old men to give away , and for them to be insane . Inone instance an old chief was frightened by some people telling him thatthe whites were going to take him and his tribe to Kangaroo Island ; heimmediately betook himself to the reeds and hid for days , he was thenfound byhis friends , and afterwards had an apopletic attack , in a few

Week s homicidalmania set in , and he chopped a woman about with atomahawk frightfully—this led to his incarceration in the A delaideL unatic A sylum In two or thre e years he was dis charged cured : he ishowever yet strange in his manner . T he relatives of lunatics have no

superstitious ideas about them ,and treat them verykindly—they ar e rather

afraid of them .

5 . T he aborigines do not suffer from malarious fevers .

6 . Before the advent of the whites a s trange disease came down theMurray and car ried off many of the natives—it was doubtles s small-pox ,

for some of the old men ar e pockmarked . T he natives point to certainmounds were the dead were interred who fellvictims to it. T he nativesreadily receive vaccination . T he aborigines here do not readily takemeasles ; a few had them when they were very prevalen t . but they werenearly allhalf- castes . W e never had the measles on this station at all,although settlers had them within two miles of us , and they ragedviolently at M ilang and Meningie

—and yet nearly all the aborigines atthe Poonindie Mission S tation had them . I cannotunderstand the reasonwhy our natives were exempted . A lthough a large- number of nativeswere gathered in camps at sheepshearing, and some of them ,

mostly halfcastes , had measles , yet they did not spread generally ; this is surprisingsince absolutely no care was taken to prevent infection . N either ar e thenatives subj ect to s carlatina

,although the disease has prevailed very

much in this colony . I never knewnatives have it, and yet I have reasonto believe that they had the cast-off clothes of white sufferers from the

disease given to them.

46 TH E A B O RI G IN ES O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

7 . T he aborigines have a skin disease , which is a sort of impetigo , itmight be called impetigo contagiosa it manifests itself in a crop of

pustules about the j oints , the ancles , knees , hip s , or elbows ; it is worstwhen it occurs on the hips it is accompanied with itching, swelling , and

pain,and afterward s excoriation . I have seen places on a person’ s hips ,

occasioned by it, as r aw as beef and as large as my hand it is very contagious among the pure blacks , and les s so among the half-castes . Ihave known half-castes sleep with blacks who had it and yet not catch it.

I have known a very white half- caste woman who was married to a blackhusband and yet she never had it, but her children did . Sulphur is aspecific for it. Some years ago I was led to ask the A borigines

’ D epartment for a supply of soap

, which I used liberally the supply has beencontinued , and the result has been a marked decr ease in the number ofcases of impetigo ; this fact is very significant as to the cause of the

disease . T he natives callthis diseaseW ir rullumi .T he natives often get ringworms on their bodies , but not on the scalp ;

they catch them through tending calves which have them . N o kind of

leprosy is known among the aborigines .8 . I have seen cases , even bad cases , of syphilis amongst the natives .

I am sure the disease was imported among them ; they knew nothing of

it before the advent of the whites—this is the testimony of the natives .

I have known fatal cases,also cases where the tibia was affected , and

bony excrescences on the skin , with atrocious neuralgic pain ; I havealso seen buboes in the groin . Venereal disease is not very prevalent ; I em per suaded that sometimes cases of impetigo have been takenfor it.

9 . I have never seen a hunchback among the aborigines , and only onecase of lateralcurvature of the sp ine in a half-caste .

1 0 . T he vital power of the natives varies very much in differentindividuals , but taking the average I do not think it could be rated highthey easily give way to disease, and hopelessly yield themselves up to a

fatalresult . I think their diseases ar e more of a sthenic than asthenictype. They endure both heat and cold well—they willsleep comfortablyunder a much thinner covering than an average European .

1 1 . T he question has often occurred to mewhether they suffer as muchpain from inj uries as European s do . It is difficult to decide ; let aninjury be caused by a European , or bywork for a colonist , and a greatfus s will be made of it, while a much more severe injury occurringthrough a native customwillbe made light of and endured with fortitude .

This leads me to think that they do not really suffer so much as we do

however , the whole question as to whether one man suffers as much as

another from a similar injury is one which I should like to see ventilatedbya competent authority .

W ounds madebymetalor stone implements or weapon s healabout thesame as similar wounds would do in European s , but wounds made bywooden weapon s healvery quickly—the tr ansfixing of a leg by a wooden

spear is regarded as a trifle and soon heals . Blows on the head ar e not

so dangerous to natives , because of the thicknes s of the fatty tis sue



between the s calp and the skull—this forms a kind of pad, which in some

measure protects the head .

‘

1 2 . T he aborigines have no medicines peculiar to themselves : theyregard alldiseases and most inj uries to the person as the result of sorcery .

In order to cure diseases they use charms, which consist in the utterance

of certain words in a kind of chant or recitative . They endeavor tocure some complaints , such as rheumatism , bya r ude kind of vapor bath ;the patient is placed on a platform made with sticks

,underneath ar e

placed r ed hot stones , or a few live coals , a r ug is wrapped round thesufferer ; then some water weed called pinggi is taken wet from the lakeshore and put on the hot stones or fir e and the s team allowed to ascendaround the naked body , and a perspiration is produced from which reliefis oftentimes obtained .

1 3 . I have known women get spots on their eyes from receiving blowson the back of the head ; these spots enlarge and oc casion very imperfectvision in afterlife . I have known several cases of blindness , but not

only from this cause .

1 4 . T he writer has often been asked respecting the fecundity of the

natives , and the condition and habits of women in pregnancy and

parturition . It has been stated that amongst some tribes in the othercolonies if a woman has a half-cast child she never has another of herown race. This is not the case amongst the N arrinyeri, and the writerdoubts if it is the case anywhere . H e has known many women havelarge families after having a half-caste child . Instances have o ccurredwhere the firs t child was a half- caste, and yet a large family of blackchildren followed . A lso , there have been cases where a half-caste childhas been born after severalblack children , and then black children havesucceeded it. Then women ar e known to have had two half-caste , and

afterwards severalblack . Indeed in every way the statement that thebirth of a half- caste inj ures the fruitfulness of the mother afterwards isproved to be untrue as far as thc N arrinyeri ar e concerned .

T he writer is convinced that when native women take to the excessiveuse of alcholic drink s it inj ures

,and often entirely prevents their

fecundity . In no in stance has this rule been found to be incorrect . L et

a black woman take to drinking, and she generally has no more children ,

or , if she does , they ar e poor weakly creatures , and soon die . T here isto be taken into account , though , that where aboriginalwomen become

drunkards they become pro stitutes too .

A remarkable result follows the. free use of tobacco by the nativewomen . T he writer has observed it for years in a large number of

instances . When a women smokes a great deal during her pregnancythe child which she bears is always excessively fat. Such a child willresemble one of those little fat Chinese pigs , so abnormally fat will itbe O ften a native woman is complimented on the plumpnes s of her

baby when it arises solely from this cause . B ut to a person ac customedto see native children this fatnes s is known to be peculiar in its character .T he child is round and bloated and unhealthy although so fat. A nd in

every instance such infants have died . I never knew one that survived

48 T H E A B O RI G IN ES O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

the troubles of dentition and weaning . T he effects of tobacco have alsooften been noticed in the case of women suckling . I have been calledto a child which was ill, and found it suffering from allthe effect s ofpoisoning by tobacco ; and no wonder , for its mother smoked heavily ,and it was nursed in a close hut with half a dozen people allblowing a

suffocating cloud of tobacco smoke . I am convinced that a great dealof the ill-health of the natives m tendency to lung disease , &c .

—arisesfrom exces s ive use of tobacco . They use it so immoderately . I was

confirmed in my opinion of the use of tobacco causing a peculiar fatnes sin infant s by observing an instance of the same kind in a white woman .

During her pregnancy she suffered severely from toothache , and onlyfound relief by smoking tobacco . This she did until the infant wasborn . It was enormously fat, although both the parents were thin and

spare in habit . I noticed too that the fatness was of exactly the same

peculiar kind as that in the black infants . However the fatalresult didnot follow in this case , for the mother left off smoking, and the childsurvived , and got r id of its exces sive fatnes s after a time .

T he pure blacks ar e not so healthy as the half-castes . A lways thechildren of two half-castes willbe healtmer and stronger than either thechildren of blacks , or the children of a black and a half- castes . Vt

’hen

a half-caste man and woman marry,they gener ally have a large and

vigorous family : I could point to half-a-dozen suchA boriginalwomen generally suffer les s on the whole during parturition

than white women do . I attribute this to their bodies being allowed todevelop in childhood without the restraints and injuries which resultfrom the use of stays

,corsets . and other civilised appliances . T he

experience of the writer has not been small, and he never saw an

instance where deformity or malformat ion of the pelvis was indicated inany native woman yet. M ay not this result be attributed to the fact thattheir mothers never wore stays during the time when they were childbearing ? T he pelvis of a growing ftntus must be peculiarly liable tomalformation from abdominalpressure in the mo ther . A t any rate, suchis the fact , as stated above, with regard to native w omen ,

and

obstetricians will appreciate the vast decrease in danger and sufferingwhich is caused by it .

A boriginalfemales though do suffer considerably in child-birth , some

more and some les s . In stances of death in child-bed are rare. T he

only three which I know were remarkable . These were two sisters ,each named Petembaitpir i ; they got. married , and each died in child-bed .

O ne died with her second child , and the other died with her thirdchild . T he second one left a daughter whom we brought up frominfancy , and she attained to a marriageable age . S he was married , and ,

notwithstanding every means which was used , died in child-bed with herfirst child . T he cause was obstinate metritis , which set up immediatelyafter the birth .

Many of the native women ar e skilfulmidwives , and exhibit much tactand presences of mind . A boriginal women always hear their childrenwhile they kneel, and sit back 0 11 their heels , their feet being laid on the




ground , soles uppermost—a common posture always with them whensitting . O ne of the women attending sits behind the woman in labour

,

and puts both her arms round her waist thus forming a support for herback . T he other midwife will attend to her as necessity requires .Parturition always takes place in this posture . T he mother of a newlyborn child generally recovers rapidly . I have known a woman walk twomiles the day after she was confined . But this always does harm ; and

I have heard their husbands reproach them with their folly .

On emergencies native women have sometimes been called in to act asmidwives to the wives ofwhite men living in the bush , and have succeededvery well. I remember one amusing instance . T he wife of a settler onL ake A lbert was unable to get the help of one of her own countrywomen , so she called in an intelligent half-caste named Emily , in her soreneed of help . In due time the infant was born

,and when she had made

the mother comfortable in a very kind way, the half-caste Emilyproceeded to wash the newly-born baby . A fter she had been quietlyproceeding for a time the mother was attracted by hearing the click of a

pair of scis sors , and on looking at the nurse saw a spot of blood on her

hand . What ar e you doing to my baby ,”she enquired . O mis sus,”

an swered the nurse, your baby'

has got too many fingers , and I onlybeen cut off one ; I will cut off the other directly , and make h im all

right .” O f course the mother protested that she would not have this

,

and the second operation was not performed . It turned out that theinfant had five fingers on each hand , and the native woman had clippedof with the s cissors the superfluous finger outside the little finger on theright hand to make allright as she said . I

,

only relate this as indicatingwhat would be probably done by aboriginals themselves in such a case.

T he infant in this in stance suffered very little . and grew up a fine boy.

Children very much deformed were invariably killed immediately afterbirth . But they must have been rare,

for , although they ar e not killednow, they rarely appear .A lthough the N arrinyeri ar e so often exp osed to the bite of venomous

snakes , they have no remedy fo r this disaster . Their superstition leadsthem to believe it the result of sorcery . A llthe snakes ar e more or lessdeadly . Their poison brings on tetanus , and coma

,and death . I have

seen a strong man die in agonies from tetanus on the third day afterbeing bitten by a very smallbrown snake .

T he natives particularly dread the native slow-worm called by themwiitii turar ” (wiitii ,

“ stinging”—4 turar , “ teeth ” Whether it is really

venomous I never could ascertain . I have cured five natives who werebitten by snakes . T he remedies used were very large doses of liquorammonia for tis simus , administered in one-ounce doses of neat brandy .

T he effect of the bite of the snake is to lower the pulse . It is felt tobe gradually going down . I therefore gave ten drop s of the ammonia inone fluid ounce of brandy every quarter of an hour till the pulse ro se .

When this takes place the danger is passed . It is astonishing what anumber of doses of the above willbe taken before the slightest effect isperceived . A t the same time I freely scar ified the wound made by the

50 T H E A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U T II A U S TRA L IA

snake’ s teeth with the point of a lance, and rubbed into the place pureliquor ammonia fort .T he natives themselves have a sort of treatment of diseases , but it

consists more in incantations than anything else . There ar e certain men

amongst them sometimes called “Kuldukkis ,” sometimes “W iwir r ar

maldar , and sometimes “Putther ar ” but allmean doctors , and theyprofess to cure the sick . They blow and chant and mutter over the sickperson , allthe while squeezing the part affected by the disease, and aftermany efforts will pr oduce a bit of wood , or bone, or stone, which theydeclarehas been extracted from the place, and is the cause of the ailment .T he natives ar e accustomed to scarify a part affected by pain with a

bit of shell or glas s , so that by making it bleed a cure may be

accomplised . A nother method which they pursue in cases of rheumatismis this —T heymake a lot of stones r ed-hot in the fir e. Then they erecta stage about three feet from the ground with vsticks . On this they placethe patient . Then they put the hot stones underneath , and cover themwith wet water-weed , called pinggi .

”T he patient and all is then

enveloped in rugs or blankets , and the steam ascending produces avapour bath , which often brings on a salutary perspiration .

T H E G O O L W’

A O L A JV'

O F TH E N A RRIJV’

Y’

E’

RI

1 . By T . M O R IA RTY , Police-trooper , Goolwa .

2 . T he name of the Goolwa clan is T anganar in .

3 . They inhabit a piece of country about seventeen miles by twelvemiles , extending from the Murray mouth round the southern sides ofHindmarsh and Mundoo Islands to the River Finniss , and includingthose islands ; and thence, by way of Currency Creek , to Port Elliot .4 , 5 . This clan has a totem ( the pelican ) , and every family in the

tribe has its own symbol.

6 . There ar e no class-names .7 . Marriages never take place between persons of the same clan .

8 . In marriage a brother gives his sister in exchange for a wife . Ifthere is no brother the father gives his daughter away , and gets a youngwoman in exchange to give to one ofhis clan .

9 . Children belong to their fathers’ clan .

1 0 . Polygamy is practised , and a man is compelled to marry a brother’

swidow.

1 2 . Blood relation s ar e not allowed to intermarry .

1 3 . T he old men govern the clan or tribe .

1 4 . Justice is administered by persons appointed on the occasion .

There is a form of trial for suspected offenders , and the elders ar e the

j udges .

T H E IR M A N N ERS , C U S T O M S,A ND L A N G UA G E S . 51

1 5 . Punishments ar e awarded ac cording to the nature of the offenceagainst triballaw . Generally corporeal punishment with the plongge is

inflicted , but sometimes temporary banishment from the clan .

1 6 . There ar e kinds of sorcery . O ne is practised thus—When thebone of a bird or fish which has been eaten by a native comes into thepos session of another , he buries it for some time in decomposed humanflesh,

covers it with r ed ochre, and recites some incantation over itwhilsttying a lump of the grease of a certain fish on its end . T he bone thusprepared is called “punkudi,

”and is said to give the power of death to the

pos sessor over the person who ate the flesh of the animal from whichthe bone came . W hen it is intended to be used with deadly effect it isstuck into the ground before a fir e until the grease melts off ; death isthen certain . T he victim , just before he dies , dreams of his enemy , andtells his name to his friends present , who swear to avenge his death .

A partialmelting of the grease, it is said , will produce sicknes s only,

which in its severity will be in proportion to the quan tity of fat melted ;but cannot be cured , except by giving the punkudi up to the sick person ,whose friends burn it immediately , and throw the ashes into the water ,when the patient gets quite restored to health .

1 7 . A dead body is dried in a certain manner . T he body is strippednaked and placed in a sitting po sture on a hurdle over a slow fir e in the

Wurley . T he relation s and friends ar e continually basting it, day and

night , with its own fat. T he proces s generally oc cupies about six weeks ,during which period the wailings ar e inces sant . When completed thebody is wrapped up in rags , and kept in the wurley of the nearestrelative . This rite being both offensive and inj urious to the public

,I do

not allow it to be performed in any settled part of this d istrict . It isalways done at the Murray mouth .

1 8 . T he property of the deceased man is equally divided among the

widow and the children .

1 9 . T he aborigines here believe that they will be taken to Wyir

(heaven ) by N gurunder e, who is now the great king of that pl2 0 . They also believe in M uldarpe, and a host of minor demons .2 1 . They have a stock of mythologicallegends . N gurunder ehad two

wives who caught a large fish and a small one . They gave him the

smallfish to eat, and baked the large one for themselves . When heate his

,he saw the large one

,and became very angry , and said to them

“ Y ou shall die for that , and all T anganar in shall (he and there willbe fighting, and sickness , and evil spirits until then . N gurunder e,after creating them , made everything for their use

,and taught them to

use their implements and weapon s in hunting, fishing , and fighting .

But after the sentence of death by him for the deception practised byhis wives , he deprived langanar ins of knowledge and power

,and

, in his

anger , left them, and ascended to Wyit ( their heaven ) T hey werethen ignorant and powerless , and they lived like the beasts of the field .

A fter a long time there was born of a virgin a good and wise man, who

was named Wyungar e . H e returned to them their los t wisdom and

power , and taught them sorcery . When this great teacher had regenerated

52 T I IE A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U T H A U S TRA L IA :

them . he was taken up to Wyir by N gurunder e, where he is now the

second king of that place ; and when a Tanganar in dies Wyungar e takeshis spirit up to Wyir , and gets him a fine place in that country fromN gurunder e .

T he following is the above legend in native N gurunder e nakningkaiengk nape . Kengk ngar tin hikke grauwe mami Kur angk muralappe . Kengk pempir kinangk hik mur alappe takur amb. Kengk merammin hikkai grauwe mami Kenggunambe . U ngunuk iltakker , kilnakkir

grauwe mami . Kilun enggunangk nyenungkun . Kilyarnin Kenggau

nangk ngurlhik onduanir atye porna kanangk . Kar T anganar in hik on

duar atye pornani, kanangk wunyilwiwir r i, wir r angar , brupar ,2 2 . They believe that N gur under e, their great maker and king ,

came

down the river from afar—probably over the seas . Their belief in hishaving had two wives may be con sidered as pointing to an orientalorigin .

2 3 . T he tradition of their fall and regeneration ,the grammatical

capabilities of their language , and the artistic manufacture of theirweapon s , may afford some proof of a more civilised state in past ages ;while their strict observance of social etiquette, and their religioushorror of incestuous intercourse, ar e probably the remnants of civilisedcustoms .2 4 . They ar e not cannibals .2 5 . Their weapons ar e spears

, plonggar ( singular , plongge -m a club) ,boomerang, shields .2 6 . They make nets , twine, fishing-lines , mats , and baskets . T he

twine is made from roots and rushes which ar e first steamed and thenchewed . T he fibre is then twisted between the hands or on the thigh .

2 7 . They have canoes and wakiar . W akia is a n et to catch wild fowlin reeds and marshes . Before Europeans came their cutting tools weremade of sharp flin t stone .

2 8 . O ne ceremony is as follows z—W hen they ar e cooking an emu ,

which has been shot or speared , they recite incantations , and perform a

variety of genuflec tions o ver it. T he emu is considered the mostdelicious of allfood .

2 9 . They calllanguage Kalde .

3 0 to 4 3 . T he answers to these questions ar e comprised in the Grammar and Vo cabulary of the N ar r inyer i language, which willbe found insucceeding pages .They have disease of the liver (kalker i) , skin ( tunkuri) , lungs ; also ,

rheumatism .

4 5 . T he poother i (doc tor ) boils rushes and the root of the mallee

tree,and gives the liquor to drink for in ternal disease . H e dries and

powders the sheaoak apple and the fibre of a certain tree for sores andrheumatism . F or sore eyes the blood of a cousin is procured , and usedas a lotion . T he third application it is said willeffect a cure .

T his native legend is a little different in di alect from theupper lake natives , butyet the same language

—ED .

T H E IR [ MA N N ER S,C U S T O III S


4 6 . T he ceremony is called T chain (T yiyin . ) T he youth’ s hair , which

has never been combed , is combed with kangaroo bones prepared forsuch occasions ; his moustache and beard plucked from the root . H e is

then stripped naked , and anointed all over with grease and r ed o chre,

and is not permitted to eat, drink , o r sleep for three days and nights . H e

is kept in almost a state of perfect nudity during the period of initiation ,which is between one and two years ; and is not allowed to speak to , or

take, or use anything that has been handled by a female untilhis beardand whisker s ar e again plucked , which completes the ceremony . H e is

then pronounced marriageable .

4 7 , 4 8 . T he natives do not knock out the front teeth , neither is

cirumcision practised amongst them .

0

N OTES BY T H E_EDI T O R .

1 . It willbe noticed that the above answers by Mr . Moriarty ar e very nearly thesame as those given by the Editor respecting the N ar r inyer i .

2 . With respect to legends and myths , I am sure that there is a little influence of

ideas gained from the whi tes to be observed in Mr . Moriarty ’

s account of the legendsof N gurunder e. T his is to be expected . T he natives—especially the young ones—ar e

many of them now wellacquamted with S criptur e hi story through the teaching whichthey have received .

MEA SUREMEN T S O F A DU LT S O F T H E N A RR IN Y ER I .

[B y the Editor . ]

H eight from ground toVertexMeatus auditoriusPoint chinT op of sternumUmbilicusT rochanter

A cromionElbow c c c c c c 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

End of fingerCir cumference of

ChestH aunchesA t trochanters

0 0 0 0 0 0

F ootG reatest circumference of head

54 T H E A B O RI G IN ES O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA

Jas . N gunaitponi , Wewat-thelar ie,River Mur r ay Clan . Kanmer aorn

A ge 48 . Clan . A ge 35 .

Feet . Inches . Feet . Inches .

H eight from ground toV ertexMeatusChinT op of sternumUmbilicus

F orkKneeA cromionElbowEnd of finger

Circumference ofChestH aunchesA t trochantersN eckWaist

L ength of

F athom

T


Pantuni,M ur r ayClan . A ge 2 7 .

Feet . Inches .

H eight from ground toV ertex

ChinT Op of sternumUmbili cusT rochanterF orkKneeA cromionElbowEnd of finger

Circumference ofChestH aunchesA t trochanter s

N eckWaist

L ength of

S panThllmt) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



56 T IJE A B ORZG LNE S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

T itpundithalar e, Amy, PointPoint Malcom Macleay Clan .Clan . A ge 28 . A ge 1 9 .

Feet . Inches . Feet. Inches .

H eight from ground toV ertex 4 9&Meatus auditoriusChinT op of sternum . . 3 1 0—5Umbilicus

2 1 1 2 7

A cromionElbowEnd of finger

Circumference ofChestH aunchesA t trochanters 2 1 0

N eck2 5

L ength of

F athom o o o o o o o o o o o o o o


H eight from gr ound toV ertexMeatus auditoriusT Op of sternumUmbilicusF orkKneeA cromionElbowEnd of finger

Circumference ofChest 3 2 7}H aunches . .

A t

F ootG reatest circumference of head .

TH E IR .M A N N ERS,CU S T O M S


N OTES .

1 . T hesemeasurements ar e taken in accordance with the dir ections given in “ The

AnthropologicalN otes and Queries ,” published by the British A ssociation ,

as far as it

was possible to comply with them .

2 . The great length of the fathom of these aborigines willbe noticed .

3 . T he color of the aborigines was compared with the color types of M . Broca . It is

found that the young men ar e of color N o . 4 2 ; the older people ar e of color N o. 2 7 ; the

color of half-castes varies , but is either N o . 2 1 or N o . 30 .

4 . The circumference of the heads is taken fr om the greatest di stance at the backround by the glabella .

T H E T A T IA R A A N D S O U T H E A S T ER N

T R IB E S

1 . P O L I CE-TR O O PER HUM PHR IE S , of Border Town , bythe assistance ofan old native of the T atiara Tribe , called “Y ilgoonin.

2 . T he name of the tribe is Jackegilbr ab.

3 . It inhabits the Whole of the T atiar a country .

4 . T he tribe is divided into six clans , called—Kooinkill, Wir r iga,Chala , Camiaguigar a , N iall, M unkoor a .

5,6 . N o answer .

7 , 8 . A man of one clan is permitted to marry any woman in theirown tribe. Marriages ar e not regulated by class or caste ; they ar e

arranged by parents , irrespective of clan s , and sometimes betweenbrothers .

_

A s to ceremony , they ar e married by a person in the capacityof minister , in the following manner z—They sit down side by side afterhe has said a few words , the

,

meaning of which I cannot obtain ; thenthe tribe sit around them in a circle, when they indulge in the usualcor r obbery. If a man of one tribe wishes to marry a woman of anothertribe, he has to ask the brother , or , in the abs ence of brother , the fatherof the bride

, as amongst themselves .9 . T he children always belong to the fathers

’ tribe .

1 0 . Polygamy is practised .

1 2 ; Blood relation s do not marry .

1 3 . They were formerly ruled by a king .

1 4 . There is no form of administration of justice or trial,and no

j udges .1 5 . A n offender has to stand as —a target for as many as like to throw

a spear at him , and if he escapes them,he has expiated is crime .

"6

1 6 . There is no kind of sorcery .

T his is a true ordeal. A ccording to aboriginal ideas, a man may be enabled bysuperior spir i ts to avoid spears or

,if he be a guilty man ,

be rendered unable to avoidthem by the power of some invisible spirit exerted upon him .

58 T H E A B O RI G I rVE S O F S O U TH'

A U S TRA L IA :

1 7 . They simply bury the dead in the ground .

1 8 . Property descends to the eldest son .

1 9 to 2 3 . N o an swers .2 4 . They ar e not cannibals .2 5 . Their weapons ar e the tomahawk , spear , leangle, waddy , and

boomerang .

2 6 . They make mats , baskets , and opos sum-rugs .2 7 . They have no tools or implements2 8 . N o answer .2 9 . They calltheir language N alunghee .

3 0 to 4 0 . N o answers .4 1 . They can count as far as ten .

4 2 .

“Wokia toka,

” G ive me a thing .

W okia kala , G ive me a dog .

44 . N o diseases ?“

4 5 . They treat wounds with herbs .

5 6 . T he young men have to absent themselves from camp away fromwomen for about a fortnight ; they also have, during the same time, to

live very frugally and rub themselves allover with r ed ochre47 , 4 8 . They do not knock out front teeth

,o r practice circumcision .

T H E PA D T H A W A Y T R I B E .

1 . R . L AW S O N , of Padthaway, as sisted by a native named “Emma ,

residing at that place .

2 . T he tribe is named Coolucooluck .

3 . They inhabit the trac t of country between Salt Creek , Gall’ s Station ,

and Padthaway.

4 . T he tribe is not divided into classes .5,6 . N o totems or class-names .

7 . They marry in the same tribe, or take a wife from another , but they

generally have to promise another in the place of the onewhich they havetaken .

8 . T he relations of the lubra take her to her husband ’ s camp , andleave her , each One bearing a fir estick , which they leave at the camp .

B rothers often exchange their sisters for lubras from other tribes .

Marriages ar e sometimes arranged by the parents .

9 . Children belong to their fathers’ tribe .

1 0 . Polygamy is frequent .1 2 . Blood relations ar e allowed to intermarry .

1 3 . T he only form of government is that the oldest man is the chief .

T hi s answer,like. N o . 2 7 , cannot be correct .

TH E IR M A N N ER S,C U S T O M S

,A ND L A N G NA G ES . 59

1 4 , 1 5 , 1 6 . N o an swers .1 7 . t en any one dies . a grave is dug and a fire made in it. When it

has burned out, the body is put in and covered withbark the grave isthen filled up , and a mimi is built over it.1 8 . If any property is left by the deceased it is destroyed .

1 9 , 2 0 , 2 1 , 2 2 , 2 3 . These people have no ideas of a future state, no r of

gods or demons , neither ar e there any legends or traditions amongstthem.

2 4 . These people ar e cannibals . If they caught one of another tribe,they used to eathim .

2 5 . Their weapons ar e spears , boomerangs , leangles , mor tpulie—or

waddy .

2 6 . They used , in their aboriginal state, flint for knives , and sharpstones for axes .2 8 . N o answer .2 9 . They calltheir language Y aran .

30 to 4 2 . N o information44 . T he most common disease is consumption .

4 5 . Their method of treating disease is to put hot ashes on the ground ,spread gum leaves over

,and then lie on them wellcovered up .

4 6 . When youths ar e introduced to the state ofmanhood their beard isallpulled out, their faces rubbed with r ed ochre, and they have to walknaked for a time .

47 , 4 8 . They do not knock out front teeth , o r practice circumcision .

T H E N A R A C O O R T E A N D'

S O U T H E A S T

C O A S T T R I B E S .

1 . A n swers ar e given by CH IE F-RA N GER S I N G LET O N , of Penola , r e

specting the aborigines at N aracoorte and the country between there and

ea-coast . Replies also ar e given by CH I E F -RA N GER T O L M ER respectingthe tribes along

“

the coast from Kingston to M acDonnellB ay, and aroundMount Gambier and M illicent . But these replies in both cases ar e

substantially the same as the foregoing, excepting that the native wordsar e different . It is evident then that the tribes from the T atiar a to PortM acDonnellar e alike .

2 . T he native words indicate an approach to the dialect s of the V ictorian aborigines ; at the same time

,many expressions ar e the same as

those used by the N ar r inyer i .

3 . These T atiar a tribes ar e very low in their status amongst theabor iginies . Traces of organised society , existing amongst black s to thenorth of them,

ar e not found amongst them . Their practice ofmarryingin their own tribe shows a lower type—a degradation .


4 . It may seem strange to find on the fertile lands of the southeastern district and the western districts of Victoria , such an inferiorclas s of aborigines . I account for it in this way. T he tract of countryfrom the Murray to the latitude 3 7

0S .

, and from the Coor ong to the

R iver A voca , is mos t of it a barren desert ; south of that line we haverich and fertile districts . T he aborigines who inhabit these districtshave reached them by coming in small parties acros s the desert fromthe Murray . N ow, I have observed that when a small party splits off

from the clan and wanders away , they ar e generally of a low type—eitherdiscontented persons , or offenders of some kind against native law . T he

party withdraws to the desert and manages to live in a very bestialmanner , and is often driven to sore straits for food . Gradually they moveacros s the waste, attracted by prospects of getting game

,but it takes a

long time . T he distance would be about 1 5 0 miles , and I can quiteconceive that it took one or two generations to get over it. T he proces sof passing thus over a desert is always degrading to savages . Hence wefind in the fertile dis tricts to the south of the desert a much lower clas sof aborigines than those to the north , on the Murray . Customs , habits ,weapons

,and implements have been forgotten , while some words and

practices indicate from whence they came .

5 . There is amongst the N arrinyeri a legend of such an emigration of

of a party to the south . They say that once upon a time two hunters,

with their wives and families—perhap s four women and six or sevenchildren—went off into the desert to the south-east ofWellington on the

M urray . They went away vigorous hunters and were gone for manyyear s indeed untiltheir friends had become aged men and women . T he

young people who had been born and had grown up since their depar tueoften heard of their expedition ,

and wondered where they went to . A t

last a party of hunters started off to see if they could find them. Theytravelled south -east for many days , and almost gave up the search . A t

last they made a great“kauandie,

”or signalsmoke, thinking it might be

observed and understood . They looked around and at last saw an

answering signalsmoke far to the south-east . They travelled to it, and

came upon the lost people They found the hunters who had gone awayvigorous young men had become old and decrepit , and their children hadbecome men and women . T he men who had searched for them tried topersuade them to return to the Murray , but without success . They had

got used to their adopted country and had no desire to return. O f course,one can easily see how such instances may have occurred again and

again . In th ese cases probably the practice of exogamy would cease .

6 . O ne of the persons an swering the question s (R . L awson ) says theTatiar as were cannibals ; the others say no . T he fact is they werecannibals , and there is abundant evidence of it. Twenty years ago thethen sub-protector of aborigines at W ellington , Mr . G . Mason , who hadbeen there twenty years

,said that the . N arrinyeri natives were always

afraid of the T atiar as , as they were cannibals . H e said he had heard ofinstances of their coming out of the scrub and stealing women and

carrying them off to eat. A bout sixteen years ago the Rev . J . Reid was


62 T H E A B ORI G IN E S O F S O U T H A U S TRA L IA :

1 5 . F or a minor offence they beat the offender , or rather the aggrievedparty fights him ; but in mos t cases death is the result .1 6 . T hey believe that by chanting certain words , and waving a bunch

of feathers over a sick person they can expeldisease, and they sometimesbelieve they ar e pos sessed by certain animals

,which they think they can

expelby a similar process .

1 7 . When a person dies they wrap him or her up in a blanket ; thedeceased person is then carried about for two days by four men , and thenburied . A hole is dug , and the corpse is put in feet first , a large fir e islighted in such a manner as to produce a great smoke, the body is coveredup

, and the funeralis over .1 8 . Spears , boomerangs , waddies , &c . , ar e divided amongst the son s

and brothers-in-law.

1 9 . They have no idea of a future state .

2 0 . They have no belief in anything beyond the evidence of their eyes .2 1 . They have no legends nor trad itions beyond their own experience .

2 2 . I cannot suppose anything,no traditional information being

obtainable .

2 3 . There ar e no proofs of civilisation in past ages .2 4 . They ar e not cannibals .2 5 . Spears , waddies , boomerangs , and yam stick s .2 6 . They make nets , twine, fishing-lines , mats

, and baskets now, but

only nets previous to the coming of the white man, and then of kangaroo

smews .2 7 . They have no tools . Spears , waddies , &c .

, were shaped withsharp flint stones .

2 8 . They have no ceremonies nor peculiar customs .2 9 . They have no name for their language .

3 0 . Cutchu cuddelee,”tran slated , is Give me em dog ; Cuddeleewad

delee wunna ,” Where em dog

—showing there ar e no articles in their lanua e.g3T. XV ith regard to the declension of noun s , they say of a man , and to

a man,as in English , but they have no word for by. I cannot under

stand how they expres s the obj ective case . I cannot elicit anythingfrom them intelligible .

3 2 . They have no word but “bulle which means two, for two men ; no

dualwor d .

3 3 . I . he, she, it, we, you , they , and them,but no thou.

34 . They have no abbreviated forms of pronouns .3 5 . N o .

3 6 . N o reply .

3 7 to 3 9 . N o replies .40 . They do not use the sibilant , nor f or 5 .

4 1 . They count only up to ( 5 ) five.

4 2 .

“ B urnee, B umenee, Come on ;“ O orer oo nuntha,

” Waddie kangaroo .

44 . Their diseases ar e pleuro and bronchitis .4 5 . They have no treatment only let disease take its course.

TH EIR M A N N ERS , C U S T O M S ,A N D L A N G UA G E S . 63

4 6 . Three or four of the elders examine the youth , to note whether hehad any appearance of having had sexualintercourse ; which is but a

mere form,for , whether he has or not, they chant and wave feathers over

him, and circumcise him .

4 7 . They do not knock out front teeth .

4 8 . They practice circumcision .

O

N O T E .

T his tribe is a very low one in the scale of humanity . We now come to people whopractise circumcision ,

and whose language is of a different type from the Murray tribes .

T heseWallaroo natives ar e more similar to the A delaide tribe than any other . A s we

have no records concerning the extinct A delaide blacks , we ar e led to infer what theymight have been from these .

0

L IS T or WORD S I N T H E L A N GUA GE or T H E WA L L AROO T RIBE .

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 O O

o o o o o o o o o o 0 o o o 0 o 0 o 0SmallG ood 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Bad 0 0 0 0 0 0 O O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

M an

woman 0 0 c Q o a a 0 o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

64 TH E A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

T H E F L IN DER S R A N G E T R IB E S .

1 . P O L I CE-TRO O PER N O BLE , L aura , as sisted by a native.

2 . T he name of the tribe is A lury.

3 . T he tribe resides on Flinders Range, Crystal B rook , and the

surrounding country .

4 . There ar e two clans , Muttay and A r r iee .

5 . Each clan has a totem, known 1n the native language as“bu1 do .

6 . There a1 e no clas s-names .7 . T he different clans intermarry .8 . There ar e no marriage ceremonies practised . T he king of the tribe

gives away the female . Marriages ar e not arranged by the clans .9 . Children belong to the fathers

’ tribe .


1 2 . Blood relations maymarry .

1 3 . There is no form of government .1 4 , 1 5 . There is no administration of justice . Previous to Europeans

inhabiting the country , whoever committed murder , except in war , waswaddied to death .

1 6 . N o kind of sorcery is known .

1 7 . There ar e no funeralcustoms .1 8 . Property descends to the nearest relation .

1 9 to 2 3 . N o replies .2 4 . They ar e not cannibals at present .2 5 . Their weapon s ar e boomerangs , spears , and waddies .

2 6 . They make nets,lines , mats , and baskets .

2 7 Their tools ar e made of wood and stone .

2 8 . N o an swer .

2 9 . They calltheir language Y oungye .

3 0 to 4 2 . N o replies .

44 . Their diseases ar e principally colds and indigestion .

4 5 . T o cure disease they bleed the sick , and suck the blood tilltheyar e very weak .

4 6 . T he youths ar e initiated into manhood by the cutting off of the

foreskin by a piece of glass bottle .

47 . N o reply .

48 . Y es , they circumcise .

T H E M O U N T R E M A RKA B L E T R IB E .

1 . M R . B ED F O RD HA C K,Crown L ands Ranger , Mount Remarkable

assisted by a native, named Coonia .

2 . T he name of the tribe is N oocoona .

3 . They reside on a tract of country extending from Bundaleer on thesouth to Port A ugusta on the north , and from Coonatto on the east toPort Pirie on the west .

MA T S , BA S KET S . N ET S . TW INE , G IRDL E S , A N D N ECKL A CES ,

MA NUFA C T U RED B Y T H E N A RR INY ER I .

T H E IR“

M AN N ERS,C U S T O M S


4 . I am unable to get any information as to whether the tribe has anyclans .5 . They used , before whites came, to tatoo ( called willyaroo) to

distinguish tribes .6 . N o class -names .7 . Marriages only take place within the tribe which the young people

belong to .

8 . A female child is given away in marriage in infancy by the fatherof it.

9 . Children belong to their fathers’ tribe.


1 2 . Blood relations do not marry—not even cousins ai e allowed .

1 3 . T he only authority is physical strength .

'

1 4 , 1 5 . Punishment is summary . They follow the offender , and killhim when caught by order of the old men of the tribe . They killmurder er s if they can .

1 6 . I can get no information about sorcery .

1 7 They carry the dead about for a week , and then burn the body .

1 8 . They hava no property .

1 9 . They have no idea of a future state .

2 0 . They believe in an evilspirit only .

2 1 . N o reply .

2 2 . They came from N ew Guinea , landed on the north coast , thendispersed—(M . M . )2 3 . There ar e no proofs of former civilisation .

2 4 . They ar e not cannibals .2 5 . Their weapon s ar e waddy , sword-stick , and spears .

2 6 . They make nets , lines , mats , and baskets .

2 7 . Their tools are yam-sticks

,and a club with fiint stone attached

with resinous gum ,used as a cutter or tomahawk .

2 8 . I cannot describe any ceremonies .2 9 . They calltheir language W arra .

3 0 . They have no articles - (M . M . )3 1 . A man is “mer r oo ;

”two men ,

“budlina ; a number of men ,

mum appa .

”

3 2 . They have a singular , dual, and plural form fo r noun s , pronouns ,adjectives , and verbs—(M . M . )3 3 . N o reply .

3 4 . There is an abbreviated form of pronoun , but I cannot give themaccurately—(M . M . )

‘

3 5 . They have no genders—(M . M . )3 6 . N o reply .

3 7 . T he verbs have an indicative,imperative, and infinitive mood .

M . M . )3 8 . There is no pas sive ver —(M M . )

The letters “M . M . indicate the replies ofDr . Moorhouse.

66 TH E A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

3 9 . There is no verb to be, or to leave, in their language.

40 . They do not use s ,f, v , or

4 1 . S ee Table of L anguages .4 2 . N o reply .

4 3 . They suffer from consumption chicfly—(M . M . )4 5 . Their method of treating disease is to suck the afflicted part till

blood comes .4 6 . Initiation to manhood consists in cutting the foreskin off with a

sharp piece of flint .4 7 . They do not knock front teeth out.

48 . S ee answer 46 .

N OTES .

S ome of these replies Dr . Moorhouse filled in, as he had been collecting lore previously, and his long acquaintance with the mann ers and customs of the natives madehim peculiarly adapted to make r eplies . T he rest I have filled in myself

,after seeing

the natives and taking their replies (lOWIl. —[BEDFORD H A CK. ]

T his is another low-class tr ibe. Pr obably these tribes , inhabiting the country fr omPort A ugusta to A delaide, and also down Yorke’ s Peninsula , come from the far north .

Most likely they were pushed southwar ds bymore powerful tribes , such as those wecome to next,consequently they have become degraded in the process . We have

here the same result as in the case of the T atiaras ; if a tribe of savages, whichinhabit a fertile district , have reached it by crossing a long tract of deser t, they willbe of a very low-class . The inferiority of the above tribes to the N arrinyer i is remarkable.

T H E “ D IE Y E R IE T R IB E .

( F a r N o r th . )

1 . T he informant is SA MUEL GA S O N , of Barrow Creek , S . A .

2 . T he name of the tribe is the D ieyerie .

3 . T he tribe inhabit a tract of country near L ake Hope,630 miles

north of A delaide . Its most southerly point is Mount Freeling, and the

most northerly point by Per igundi L ake (Cooper River ) , the mosteasterly point L ake Hope

,and most westerly po int L ake Eyre.


68 T IIE A B O RI G IZVE S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

1 3 , 1 4 , 1 5 . I would refer you to my book Manners and customs ofthe Dieyerie Tribe .

”

[T he following is the extract referred to byMr . GasonCO U NCIL S .

Should any matter of moment have to be considered - such as r e

moving the camps , making of rain , marrying , circumcision , or what notone of the old men moots the subj ect late at night , before the campretires to rest .

A t dawn of the succeeding .

day, each question ,as proposed by the

old man ,is an swered at once, or , should they wait until he has finished ,

three or four speak together ; with this exception , there being no interruptions , and stillnes s prevailing in the camp .

A t first they speak slowly and quietly , each sentence in its delivery ‘

occupying three or four minutes , but generally become excited before theconclusion of their speeches .

TREA T Y .

Should there be any misunderstanding between two tribes,the

women of one ar e sent to the other as ambas sadors to arrange the dispute, which they invariably succeed in doing , when women from the

o ther return the visit to testify their approvalof the treaty at r ived at.

“ T he 1 eason women ar e appointed in this capaci ty is that they ai e

free from danget , while, should the men go ,their lives would be in

peril.PINY A .

—(A rmed Party . )

T he armed band , entrusted with the office of executing offenders

( elsewhere referred to) , is entitled “ pinya,

”and appointed as follows

“ A council is called of all the old men of the tribe ; the chief -a

native of influence—selecting the men for the pinya , and directing whento proceed on their sanguinary mission .

T he night prior to starting , the men composing the pinya , at aboutseven p .m . , move out of the camp to a d istan ce of about three hundredyards , where they sit in a circle, sticking their sp ears in the ground nearthem .

T he women form an oute1 cir cle round the men , a numbe1 of thembearing fir esticks In their hands .

T he chief open s the councilby asking who caused the death of theirfriend or relative, in reply to which the others name severalnatives of theirown or neighboring tribes , each attaching the crime to his bitterest enemy .

“ T he chief, perceiving whom the maj ority would have killed , callsout his name in aloud voice, when eachman grasp s his spear .

T he women , who have fir esticks , lay them in a r ow , and while so

placing them , call out the name of some native, till one of them callsthat of the man previously condemned

, when all the men simultaneouslyspear the fir estick of the woman who has named the condemned .

Then the leader takes hold of the fir estick , and ,after one of the old

men has made a hole a few inches deep in the ground with his hand ,

TH E IR IIIA N N ERS,C U S T O III S

,A ZVD L A N G UA GES . 69

places the fir estick in it, and covers it up , all declaring that they willslay the condemned , and see him buried like that stick .

A fter going through some practices too beastly to narrate,the women

return to the camp .

T he following morning, at sunrise, the pinya attire themselves in aplaited band painted white ( charpoo ) , and pro ceed on their j ourney ,untilwithin a day ’ s stage of the place where they suppose the man theyseek willbe found , and remain there during the day in the fear they maybe observed by some straggling native .

A t sunset they renew their j ourney untilwithin a quarter of a mileof their intended victim’ s camp , when two men ar e sent out as spies tothe camp to ascer tain if he is there , and , if possible, where he sleep s .A fter staying there about two hours , they report what they have seenand heard .

T he next thing done is the smearing of the pinya with white clay , soas to distinguish them from the enemy , in case any of the latter shouldendeavor to es cape .

They then march towards the camp at a time when they think theinmates ar e asleep , from about midnight to two a .m . and , when withinone hundred yards of it. divide into two parties , one going round on one

side of the camp , and the second round on the other—forming a com

plete circle to hinder escape .

T he dogs begin to bark , and the women to whimper , not daring to‘

cry aloud for fear of the pinya , who, as they invest the camp , make avery melancholy grunting noise .

Then one or two walk up to the accused . telling him to come out

and they will protect him , which he, aware of the custom,does not

believe, yet he obeys , as he is powerles s to resis t .

In the meanwhile, boughs ar e distributed by the pinya to all the

men , women,and children ,

wherewith to make a noise in shaking , so

that friends and relatives of the condemned may not hear his groanswhile he is being executed .

T he pinya then killthe Victim by spearing him and striking him withthe two-handed weapon ,

avoiding to strike him below the hips , as theybelieve

, were they to inj ure the legs they would beunable to return home.

“ T he murder being con summated , they wait for daylight , when the

young men of the pinya ar e ordered to lie down .

T he old men then wash their weapons , and , getting allthe gore and

flesh adhering to them off, mix it with some water ; this agreeabledraught being carried round by an old man who bestows a little uponeach young man to swallow, believing that thereby they will be inspiredwith courage and strength for any pinya they may afterwards j oin .

“ T he fat of the murdered man is cut off and wrapped round theweapon s of allthe old men

, which ar e then covered with feathers .They then make for home .

L AW O F MURDER.

If two or more men fight , and one of the number should be accidentally killed he who caused his death must also suffer it. But should


the offender have an elder brother , then he must die in his place,or

should he have no elder brother , then his father must be his substitute ;but in case he has no male relative to suffer for him,

then he himselfmust die. H e is not allowed to defend himself, nor indeed is he awareofwhen the sentence may be executed . H e knows the laws .

“ On some night appointed , an armed party surr ound and dispatch

T wo sticks , each of about six inches in length—one representingthe killed , and the other the executed—ar e then buried , and upon no

occasion is the circumstance afterwards referred to .

Should a man of influence and well-connected—that is , have numerousrelatives—die suddenly , or after a long illnes s , the tribe believe that hehas been killed by some charm . A secret council is held , and some

unhappy innocent is accused and condemned , and dealt with by the pinyaas previously described .

L AW or FEL O NY,85 0 .

Should any native stealfrom another,and the offender be known , he

is challenged to fight by the person he has robbed , and this settles thematter .Should any native accuse another wrongfully , he is dealt with in the

same manner as for stealing .

Children ar e not punished on committing theft , but the father or

mother has to fight with the person from whom the property was stolen ,

and upon no occasion , as stated elsewhere , ar e the children beaten .

”

1 6 , 1 7 . I would refer you to my book Manners and Customs of theD ieyerie Tribe.

”

[T he following is the extract referred to byMr . Gason

M O OKO O EL L IE DU CKAN A .—(Bone S trike, or Death S pell)

T he words at the head of this chapter ar e derived from M ookoo

(bone) and Duckana ( strike) , the compound word implying s tr uck by a

bone.

“ A s no person is supposed , from whatever cause , to die a naturaldeath , but is conj ectured to have been killed— either by one of a

neighboring tribe or of his own—men,women , and children ar e in con

stant terror of having offended some one who may therefore bear themenmity .

“ Thus , so soon as a native becomes ill,a council is held solely to

ascertain who has given him the bone .

“ Should he remain a considerable time without a change, or his

malady in crease, his wife, ifhe has one,or if he has not, the wife of his

nearest relative , is ordered to proceed to the person who is suppo sed tohave caused the sickness . S he does so , accompanied by her paramour

(whose relationship is explained elsewhere) , and on arrivalimmediatelymakes a few presents to the person suspected of her relative’ s illness ,

T H E IR [ MA N N ERS,C U S T O M S


but makes no accusation against him,contenting herself with simply

stating that her relative is fallen ill, and is not expected to recover ;whereupon he sympathises with her , and expres ses a hope that the ihvalid willsoon be wellagain .

H e knows , however , perfectly well, though not accused , that he issuspected of having caused the malady ; and

, on the following morning ,

acquaints the woman that she can return to her relative, as he woulddr aw allp ower awayfr om the bone by steeping it in water . A ccordinglythe woman carries back the j oyful tidings that she has seen the partywho has the bone

,and he has promised to take allthe power out of it.

N ow, should the invalid happen to die, and be a person of any influence, the man who acknowledged to having the bone is murdered on

the first opportunity .

M en threaten their wives ( should they do anything wrong) with the

bone, causing such dread in their wives , that mostly , instead of having asalutary effect , it causes them to hate their 1 usbands .

This bone is not any ordinary one, but the small bone of the humanleg ; and one of every two of the natives is charged with having one in

his possession wherever he may go ; but, in my own experience, I havenever seen more than a dozen

, and those at one of their ceremonies—as,

for instance, when the whole tribe desire to killat a distance, say fromfifty to one hundred miles

,some influential man of another tribe, they

order severalof the old men to despoilthe dead—that is to take the small

leg-bones from many skeletons .Of these, the relics of their owntribe, they take from three to eight ,

which they wrap in fat and emu feathers ; allthe most noted men of the

tribe taking them and pointing towards the place where their intendedvictim is supp osed to reside

, while doing which they curse the man theydesire to kill, naming the death they would wish him .

A llpresent ar e bound to secrecy , and the ceremony lasts about anhour .Should they learn after a few weeks that the man they destine to de

s truction is still alive and hearty , they account for it by supposing that

gome one of the tribe of the person cursed had stopped the power of theone .

S o s trongly ar e men , women ,and children convinced of the power

of the bone, that no reasoning can shake their belief.I have frequently asked why they d id not give a bone to myself or

any of the settlers , knowing that they mortally hate all white men , but

they meet this by saying we ar e too superior in knowledge, so that thebone would have no effect on us .

F UNERA L RITES .—CA NN IBA L I SM .

When a man, woman , or child dies , no matter from what cause the

bIg toe of each foot ar e tied together , and the body enveloped in a net.

T he grave is dug to about three feet , and the body is carried thitheron the heads of three or four men

,and on arrival is placed on its back

72 T IIE A B ORI G I IVE S O F S O U T H A U S TRA L IA

for a few minutes . Then three men kneel down near the grave, whilesome other natives place the body on the heads of the kneeling men .

“ O ne of the old men (usually the nearest relative) now takes twolight rods , each about three feet long ( these ar e called coonya) , and

holds one i n each hand,standing about two yards from the corp se ; then

beating the coonya together , he questions the corpse, in the belief thatit can understand him, inquiring how he died , who was the cause of his

death , and the name of the man who killed him—as even decease fromnatural causes they attribute to a charm or spell exercised by some

enemy .

T he men sitting round act as interpreter for the defunct , and , according as the generalopinion obtains

, give some fictitious name of a nativeof another tribe .

“When the old man stop s beating the coonya , the men and women

commence crying, and the body is removed from the heads of the bearers ,and lowered into the grave, into which a native (not related to the de

ceased) steps , and proceeds to cut off allthe fat adhering to the musclesof the face, thighs , arms , and stomach , and pas ses it round to be swal

lowed . T he reason assigned for this horrible practice being that thusthe nearest relatives may forget the departed , and not be continuallycrymg .

T he order in which they partake of their dead relatives is thisT he mother eats ofher children .

T he children eat of their mother .Brothers -in-law and sisters-in-law eat of each other .U ncles , aunts , nephews , nieces

, grandchildren , grandfathers , and

grandmothers eat of each other .But the father does not eat of his offspring , or the offspring of the

A fter eating of the dead the men paint themselves with charcoalandfat

,marking a black ring round the mouth . This distinguishing mark

is called “munamur oomur oo .

”T he women do likewise, besides painting

two white stripes on their arms, which marks distinguish tho se who have

partaken of the late deceased ; the other men smearing themselves all

over with white clay , to testify their grief.T he grave is covered in with earth , and a large stack ofwood placed

over it.

“ T he first night after the burial the women dance round the grave,crying and s creaming incessantly till sunrise, and so continue for a weekor more.

Should the weather be cold when a native dies , fires ar e lighted nearthe grave so that the deceased may warm himself, and often they placefood for him to eat.

Invariably after a death they shift their camp , and never after speakof or refer to the defunct .”

1 8 . Property descends to the most powerfulrelative .

1 9 . N o reply.


74 TH E A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U T H A U S TRA L IA :

Kootcha” is a bunch of hawk ’ s , crow’ s , or eagle’ s feathers , neatly

tied with the sinews of the emu or wallaby . and cured in hot ashes . Thisis worn ,

either when fighting or dancing , and also used as a fan .

“Wur tawur ta”is a bunch of the black feathers of the emu,

tied to

gether with sinews , worn in the y inka near the waist .“ Champoo

”is a band of about six inches long by two inches broad ,

made from the stems of the cotton bush , painted white, and worn roundthe forehead .

Koor ie is a large musselshell, pierced with a hole, and attached tothe end of the beard o r suspended from the neck ; it is also used in cir

cumcision .

“ U npa ” this a bunch of tas sels made fr om the fur of rats and wallaby ,worn by the natives to cover their private p arts ; they ar e, in length six

inches to three feet long , according to the size of the parts intended tobe concealed .

“T hippa” —this is used for the same purpose as unpa , it is a bunch of

tassels made from the tails of the native rabbit , and , when washed indamp sand is very pretty

,being white as the driven snow . It takes

about fifty tails to make an ordinary thippa , but I have seen some con

sisting of three hundred and fifty .

“A roo , the large feathers from the tailof the emu used as a fan .

Vt’urda wur da ,

”a circlet or coronet of emu feathers worn only by old

men .

“Pirra is a trough-like water ves sel.“M fondar oo is a closely-netted bag made from the fibre of the cotton

bush .

" M intie is a fishing-net made from rushes , and is usually sixty feetlong by three feet wide .

2 7 .

“Kundr iemookoo ,a short stick of semicircular shape, two feet six

inches long , to one end of which is attached , by resin , a flint , forming a

kind of axe or toolused in making weapon s . T he resin is got from the

mindr ie,”a large root , from the outside of which is obtained a kind of

resin ; when prepared at. the fir e and allowed to dry it becomes veryhard and tough and is called kundr ie .

”

“ Y ootchoowonda ,

”a piece of flint about three inches long ,

with an

edge like a razor , and at the blunt end covered with resin ; this is c on

cealed in the palm of the hand when fighting , and is capable of inflictinga wound like one made with a butcher ’ s knife .

They grind the seed of various indigenous plants between two stones andmake it into meal, which is made into loaves , and baked in the ashes .2 8 . I would refer you to my book-m “ Manners and Customs of the

D ieyerie Tribe .

”

[T he following account of ceremonies is extracted from that workM INDARIE.

—(F estivalto invoke Peace. )A fter enduring the ordealof the willyaroo , the next ceremony the

young man has to go through is that of the mindarie, which is heldabout once in two years by this as by other neighboring tribes .

T H EIR M A N N ER S,CU S T O M S


When there ar e sufilcient young men in the tribe who have not

passed this ceremony , and each tribe being on friendly terms with the

others , a councilis held , when time and place ar e appointed in which tohold it—some three months after it is determined on

,to allow the hair

to grow sufficiently long to be dres sed in the manner hereinafter des cribed , and those

'

young men whose hair , at the termination of thisperiod , is not long enough , cannot take part in the ceremony .

“W omen ar e sent to the neighboring tribes to invite them to the

ceremony , the preparations for which , in building wurleys , &c ., occupies

from six to seven weeks .Every daywitnes ses fresh arrivals ofmen ,

women , and children ; andas soon as the first native heaves in sight , the mindarie song is sung, toshow the stranger that he is hailed as a friend .

A t length allhaving arrived , they wait on the full of the moon , so

as to have plenty of light during the ceremony , which commences at sunset. In the meanwhile, at every sunrise , and at intervals during the

day, every man in the camp join s in the mindarie song .

They then proceed to dres s the young men who have not gonethrough the ceremony previously .

First of all the hair of the head is tied with string so that it standson end . T hippa (the tails of rats ) ar e then fastened to the top of the

hair , the ends hanging down over the shoulders . Feathers of the owl

and emu ar e fastened on the forehead and ears . A large yinka (pr eviously described) is wound round their waist , and in which , near thespine

,a bunch of emu feathers is worn , and the face is painted r ed and

black . By the time the young men ar e dres sed the sun has set.

A llthe men, women , and children now begin and continue to shout

with the fullpower of th eir lungs , for about ten minutes . They thenseparate, the women going a little way from the camp , to dance, whilethe men proceed to a distance of about three hundred yards ; the siteselected being a plain , generally ofhard ground , which is neatly swept .

A little boy about four years of age, deputed to open the“

ceremony ,is tricked out allover with

'

down from the swan and duck , bearing a

bunch of emu feathers on his head , and having his face painted withr ed ochre and wh ite clay .

H e dances into the ring—the young men following him , and theyfollowed by the old men .

They dance for about ten minutes , when the little boy stop s thedance by running off the dancing ground .

A ll the“ young men then r e-commence, going through many extra

ordinary evolution s—standing on their toes , then on their heels , then on

one leg, shaking their whole frame at a rapid rate, and keeping accuratetime

, throwing their hands in the air simultaneously , and clapping ;running one way as fast as they can go ,

they will suddenly halt , renewthe dance with hands and feet both in motion , again run off, perhapstwenty abreast

, and at the sound of a certain word , as one man, drop

one shoulder , and then the other . Then they throw themselves down on

the ground , dance on their knees,again clap their hands , and accompany

76 T H E A B O RI G JN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

these postures by shouting and singing throughout the night withoutceasing ; the whole keeping time as perfectly as a trained orchestra .

“ By sun-rise, becoming tir ed ,'

the ceremony is closed , when they retireto rest , and sleep during the day .

T he reason of holding this ceremony is to enable allthe tribes toassemble and renew peace, by making present s to each other , and

amicably settle any disputes that may have arisen since the last mindarie.

T he natives ar e all pleased at this observance, and talk of the eventfor many days after .

T HE MAKIN G O F RA IN .

This is one of their grandest ceremonies .

When there is a drought or dry season , frequent in the D ieyeriecountry , the natives have a hard time of it. N o fresh herbs , no roots ,nothing but nardoo have they to subsis t on . T he parched earth yieldingno gr as s , the emu,

reptiles , &c .

, ar e so poor as to be nearly valueles s forfood ; it is , therefore, easily perceived that to the natives rain is the

supremest blessing .

Believing they have the pov er of producing it, under the inspirationof M oor amoor a ( the Good Spirit) , they proceed as followsW omen , generally accompanied by their par amour sfi

"ar e dispatched

to the various camps to assemble the natives together at a given place .

A fter the tribe is gathered , they dig a hole about two feet deep , twelvefeet long, and from eight to ten feet broad . Over this they build a hut ,by placing stiff logs about three feet apart

,filling the spaces between

with slighter logs , the building being of conicalform, as the base of the

erection is wider than its apex “ then the stakes are covered with boughs .This but is only suffi ciently large to contain the old men ; the young onessit at the entrance , or outside .

This completed,the women a re called to look at the hut , wh ich they

approach from the rear ; then dividing , some one way, and some the

other , go round untilthey reach the entrance—each looking inside, butpas sing no remark . They then return to their camp , distant about fivehundred yards .

T wo men , supposed to have received a specialinspiration from the

M oor amoor a , ar e selected for lancing , their arms being bound tightlywith s tring near the shoulders to hinder too pr ofuse an effusion ofblood .

“When this is done all the men huddle together , and an old man,

generally the most influentialof the tribe, takes a sharp flint and bleedsthe two men inside the arm below the elbow on one of the leadingarteries—the blood being made to flow on the men sitting around , duringwhich the two men throw handsfulof down ,

some of which adher es to

the blood , the rest floating in the air .

This custom has in it a certain poetry , the blood being supposed tosymbolize the rain , and the down the clouds .

Each married woman is allowed a paramour .



4 4 , 4 5 . Consumption . S ee book on the D ieyerie Tribe .

[T he part referred to is the following :]DI SEA SES .

Willa/rm—This disease is , I think , the itch . T he symptoms ar e

innumerable smallpimples allover the body , causing considerable irritation , only to be temporarily allayed by rubbing the parts affected with asharp instrument or stone—the hand alone being insufficient to affordrelief .It is very contagious , spreading from one person throughout the

camp , and is probably caused by generalwant of cleanlines s , and allow

ing mangy dogs to lie with them . They ar e subject to this disease oncea year .

M z

’

r r a .

—A disease which every native has once in his life, sometimesat three years of age, but more frequently at fourteen , or thereabouts .T he symptoms ar e large blind boils , under the arms

,in the groin , on the

breast or thighs , varying in size from a hen’ s egg to that of an emu’ segg . I t endures for months , and in some instances for years , beforefinally eradicated .

“ During its presence the patient is generally so enfeebled as to be

unable to procure food , and in fact is totally helpless .It is not contagious , and is , I surmise, peculiar to the natives , who se

only remedy is the application of hot ashes to the parts affected .

M oor amoor a .

—U nques tionably small-pox , to which the natives weresubject evidently before coming into contact with Europeans , as manyold men and women ar e pockmarked in the face and body.

They state that a great number have been carried off by this disease ;and I have been shown , on the top of a sandhill, seventy-four graves ,which ar e said to be those of men , women , and children , carried off bythis felldisorder .

T H E DO CT OR (Koomkie) .

T he “ koomkie” is a native who has seen the devilwhen a child ( thedevilis called Kootchie) , and is supposed to have received power fromhim to healallsick .

“ T he way in which a man or woman becomes a doctor , is , that ifwhen young they have had the nightmare, or an unpleasant dream , and

relate this to the camp , the inmates come to the conclusion that he or

she has seen the devil.“ T he males never practice until after circumcision , and , in fact , ar e

not deemed proficient tillout of their teens .Whenever a person falls ill, the koonkie is requested to examine

and cure him .

T he koonkie walks up to the invalid . feels the parts affected , andthen commences rubbing them until he fancies he has got hold of some

thing , when he suck s the parts for a minute or two , and then goes outof the camp a few yards .

TH E IR M A N N ERS , CU S T O M S ,A N D L A N G UA G ES . 79

H e now pick s up a piece ofwood , about one or two inches long, and

returns to the camp , where, procuring a r ed-hot coal, he rubs it in his

hands to make them hot, and then feels the disordered parts again , andafter a little manoeuvering , produces the stick which he had concealed inhis hand , as if extracted from the patient’ s body , to the great surprise of

allthe natives , who conclude that this was the cause of the complaint .T he koonkie is requested to try again , when he goes out a second

time in a very solemn manner ( the natives all looking at him withwonder) , blows twice or thrice, returns , goes through the same per

formance as before,and then produces a long piece of twine , or a piece

of charcoal—of course from the part affected .

This impostor won’ t confes s to his trickery , and , indeed , from con

stant practice, at least deludes himself into a belief of his skilful surgery ,which allthe other natives have implicit faith in . A nd , indeed , the forceof imagination is so strong in some cases

,that I have seen a native quite

ill, and actually cry for the koonkie, who , after his humbugging, ap

pear ed quite r ecovered .

Should the koonkie fail in his effort to relieve the sick , he is pr e

pared with a ready excuse- some koomkie of another tribe,pos ses sing

more skill, has stopped his power .When a koonkie is illhe calls in the aid of another koonkie to cure

A s I have said elsewhere, no person is presumed to become illnaturally . T heKootchie ( devil) , or some native has bewitched him .

CURE O F DI S EA SE O R WO U NDS .

Sores , cuts , bruises , pain , and disease of all kinds , no matter howarising , ar e treated in one of two modes ; if slight , by the application of

dirt to the part affected ; if severe, by that of hot ashes .“ In Cases of any kind of sting , leaves of bushes , heated at the fir e ,

ar e applied to the part stung , as hot as the patient can bear it, and the

smart almost immediately disappears .

”

4 6 , 4 7 , 4 8 . Full particulars will be seen in C ason’ s book on the

Dieyerie Tribe of aborigines .

[The following is the ac count referred to

KURRAWEL L IE WO NNAKANNA (Circumcision) .A s soon as the hair on the boy ’ s face makes its appearance, a council

of old men,not relatives to the boy, is held , but no warning is given to

him or his parents . Every thing is kept secret .A woman , also not related to the boy, is then selected , and her duty

is to suspend a musselshellround his neck . Whereupon , some appointednight j ust before the camp retires to rest , or dinarily about 9 p .m . , she

watches an opportunity to speak to“

him,during which she contrives to

cast over the boy’s head a piece of twine, to which the shell is attached

by a hole drilled at one end . H e, knowing the meaning of this byhaving observed the same thing done to other boys , immediately run sout of the camp .

80 T H E A B O RI G IN E S O F SOUTH A U S TRA L IA :

T he inhabitants of the camp upon learning what has happened ,directly commence crying and shrieking at the top of their voices .

“ T he father and elder brothers at this become excited and quarrelsome,

demanding by what right the old men of the camp seized theirsons or brothers . However

,after about an hour ’ s quarrelling (without

fighting) , they go to sleep as if nothing had happened .

In the meanwhile the boy remains alone, camped by himself , untilthe following day, when the young men (not relatives ) , visit him,

and

take him away to other camps , fifty , or sometimes one hundred milesdistant , for the purpose of inviting other natives to the intendedceremony .

“ T he lad , during the day, keep s aloof from the camps he had beenled to ; at daybreak , befor e the camp arises , being away hunting , and atnight camped about four hundred ya1 ds apa1 t from the other natives .During the boy ’ s absence , his near relatives collect allthe hair off

the heads of the men ,women , and children ,

till they ar e thoroughlyshorn , spin it, and twist it into a fine thread about the thicknes s ofo rdinary twine , in one continuous length , without break , of at. rut 5 00

'

ards .3This is made for the purpose of winding round the waist of the lad

after circumcision , when it is called “yinka .

”

O n the dayprevious to that appointed for the ceremony , at four p .m . ,

allthe old women of the camp ar e sent in search of the boy, knowingwhere to find him,

for , after proceeding as before described a distancefrom his relatives , oc cupying so long as a fortnight , he returns home

ward , and prepares the knowledge of his whereabouts by raising smoketwice or thrice each day, which also indicates that he is alive ; they thenbring him into the camp , when he is directed to stand up for a few

minutes until everything is ready . ( T he natives never can prepare untilthe very last moment . generally causing much confusion when the time

arrives for work . ) T he father and near relatives walk up to the lad and

embrace him ,when immediately two or three smart young men rush at

the boy,place him on the back of another man

,allthe men of the camp

shouting at their highest pitch thrice .

“ T he boy is then taken about one hundred yards away from the

women ,and covered up in skins , remaining so tilldaybreak .

T he father and relatives of the lad now renew their quarrelling withthose that ordered the shellto be suspended to the neck of the boy, and

a general fight ensues , all able-bodied men joining in the fray , eachhelping his friend or relative, untilby the time the r ow is ended , therear e many broken heads and bruised bodies—the women in themeanwhilecrying , shouting,

screaming , his sing , and making many other hideoussounds , like so many hyenas .“ Subsequent to the suspension of hostilities , the men keep up an

incessant humming noise, or singing (not dancing) , and practising mosthorrible customs , untilabout four a .m . , when the women and childrenar e ordered off to a distance of four hundred yards from the camp , wherethey remain beating a kind of wooden trough with their hands once


T IIE IR M A JVJVERS,C U S T O M S

,A ND L A N G UA G E S . 81

every minute (as in civilised communities bells ar e tolled for the dead ) .the men replying to the noise in like manner , un tilday dawns , when the

beating ceases .

Immediately before the boy ’ s circumcision , a young man p icks up ahandful of sand , and sprinkles it as he run s round the camp , which is

supposed to drive the devil out, keeping only M oor amoor a , the good

spirit in .

A s soon as circumcision has taken place, the father s toop s over theboy, an d fancying h imself inspired by M oor amoor a to give him a name

other than that he previously had , r e-names him ; upon which he is takenaway .by some young men ,

and kept away for thr ee or four month s after ,when he return s virtually a man ; for though only a lad in years , he isallowed the same privileges as a man

,in consequence of being circum

cised .

I have omitted to state that , in the event of no father living , his nextof kin stands in place thereof.Decency has compelled me to suppres s the worst features of the

ceremony .

CH IRB IN CH IRRIE—(Extr action of the T eeth) .“ From the age of eight to twelve years , the two front teeth of the

upper j aw ar e taken out in the following manner

T wo pieces of the cooyamur r a tree, each about a foot long , ar e

sharpened at one end , to a wedge-like shape, then placed on either sideof the tooth to be extracted , and driven between as tigh tly as pos sible .

T he skin of a wallaby , in two or three folds , is then placed on the toothabout to be drawn , after which a stout p iece of wood about two feet longis applied to the wallaby skin and struck with a heavy stone , two blowsof which is sufficient to loosen the tooth ,

when it. is pulled out by the

hand . This O peration is repeated on the second tooth .

A s soon as the teeth ar e drawn ,a p iece of damp clay is placed on

the holes whence they were extracted , to stop the bleeding .

T he boy or g irl(for this ceremony is performed indifferently on eithersex ) is forbidden to look at any of themen whose faces may be turnedfrom them, but may look at those in fron t of them, as it is thought thatshould the boy or girllook towards the men wh ile their back s ar e turnedfrom them, the child

’ s mouth would close up,and consequently never

allow them to eat thereafter .F or three days this prohibition “

is maintained ,after which it is

r emoved .

T he teeth drawn ar e placed in the centre of a bunch of emu feath e rs,

smeared with fat, and kept for about twelve months,o r some length of

time, under the belief that if thrown away the eagle-hawk would cause

larger ones to grow in their place, turn up on the upper lip, and thuscause death .

T he D ieyerie, on being questioned , can as sign no reason for thusdisfiguring their children than that when they were created the Moora-z

82 T f/E A B O R I G I TVE S O I ? S O U T fI A U S TRA L IA

moor a'i" knocked out two front teeth of the upper j aw of the firs t child

,

and , pleased at the sight , commanded that such should be done to everymale or female child for ever after .This ceremony has been witnessed byme on several o ccasions

, andthough 1 t must be very pa1nful, the boy or girlnever winces .

”

O

N OTES BY m 1; EDITOR .

1 . \Ve ar e indebted to Mr . G ason for the permission to extract so much from hisvaluable work on

“ T he Dieyerie T ribe. \Ve can assur e the reader that this bookwill amply repay a careful perusal. I

Ve hope that Mr . G ason will again gi

ve thepublic the results of his observations in the F ar N orth . S uch an acute and accur ateobserver is sure to contribute information valuable for scientific study and comparison .

“re should like to know a great deal more about the Dieyerie and their neig

hbours .

What ar e the ordinary habits of their lives P Mr . G ason has given us their ceremoniesand peculiar customs . XVe should be glad to get some information about their everyday life, htmting, births , marriages , deaths , &C .

,&c .

2 . Mr . G ason gives us a rather copious vocabulary of the Dieyerie language. H e

also supplies some grammatical par ticulars . It is evident though that in hi s ideas ofgrammar he has not been able to get r id of the forms of the English or L atin . We findhim— stimulated perhaps by recollections of the verb amo of his schooldays or of wellthtunbed Murray giving us a sketch of the inflex ions of the verb to love. We shalltake the liberty of extracting and tabulating some of the grammatical particularsscattered through Mr . G ason’

s vocabulary .

3 . It is evident that the declension of nouns is accomplished by a number of affixes,having the force of prepositions . We gather the following

B ootoo,with—Kintalobootoo

,with a dog . Kintalo

,dog—B ootoo

,with

Elie,of— B ootchooelie

,of the blind . B ootchoo

,blind—Elie

,of

U ndr oo,relating to —Kur naundr oo, relating to a blackfellow— that is

,we presume.

to a man a man— U ndr oo,relating to . A pa, water . A panie, my

water . A palie, of water . Apanundr oo, r elating to waterT hulka

,relating to—Kurnuthulka , relating to a man

G oo,of or to—Y inkanigoo, of or to yours

M i,to . A nie

,to .

\V e have no doubt that a closer knowledge of this tongue would discover more ofsuch affixes . \V e see that thi s language, therefore, has that sort of unlimi ted numberof cases

,or facility for forming cases , whi ch we find in the N arrinyeri and others .

4 . T he pr onouns ar e remarkably plentiful and precise. T hi s is another A ustraliancharacter istic . T he following ar e the personalpr onouns

A lthoo —I Yinkanie—YoursA thoo—Byme (causative) N ooliea—H e (nomin . and causat. )Ani e—M e N oeleo—H imA koonga— T o me N oonk an ie H is

N ie—O fme,my N anieya, nundr oya She

Jannana,uldr a—W

’

e N anica,nandrooya

—H er

A lie—U s N ankanie H ersU ldr anie—O f us N inna— ItJannanie O urs T hana T hey (nomin . and causat. )M oonthalie—O urselves T haniya

, goondr oo—T hem

N inna T hee T hananie—T heirs

gtondr oo—

Y

—T hou (causative) “indie O f them to them .

1n 1e—i on Wu1 1 a

M oor amoor a is a good spir it,G od , or D ivine Being ; and , although they have no form of

r eligious wor ship , they s peak o r the M oor amoor a W i th g r eat r e\ er enee .

-r I t is r emarkable that the wor d for man in Nar r in yer i—a tr ibe 700 miles fr om the D ieyer ie—i s

Kom i .


84 T H E A B O RI G I TVE S O F S O U TH'

A U S TRA L IA :

long as it willkeep . T he quantity they consume at a time is something enormous, and

it appears to be very nutritious and fattening food , no doubt from the large amount ofsaccharine matter it affords . T hey wear no covering for the body, except themen

,some

of whom wear a small fringed curtain in front of their persons . T hi s is sometimesmade from the tailof the pouched hare ( l‘er agalia lagotis) , the white tips of which ar e

worked into a very neat and ornamental covering ; thi s is called “thippa ,

”T hey

also wear a similar fr inge, only larger , made of wallaby or rats ’ hair,whi ch they call

“unpa .

” T he ends of the tails of the native rabbit, or pouched hare, ar e carefullysaved up until about forty or fifty in number are fastened in rows

,forming a very

attractive adornment ; they have, however , often as many as from 1 5 0 to 2 00 in one

bunch . T heweapons they carry with them when visiting ar e few and simple,consisting

of a yam-stick for digging out rats

,&c .

,and an awkwardly-made looking boomerang .

I found that they had plenty of spears , and large two-handed boomerangs , like an

immense wooden scimitar . T hese they kept out of sight on most occasions . T hey hadsome very neatly-constructed trough-like water-vessels , which they called “

pir r as .

”

T he men were finely-formed young fellows , with pleasing and regular features , and one

in particular had beautifully-formed olive eyes ; he was a very handsome young fellow,

and we alladmired him verymuch . T hrough our native. interpreter , Cepper top (whoj oined us a S trangway s) , we were enabled to converse with them. T hey were veryanxious for rain ,

as they could not travelfar away from the waterholes on the Creeks .

T ravelling further on towards L ake Eyre, we met with several wild-looking lotsplenty ofmen,women

,and children

,all looking very hearty and contented . T he .old

men were about having a meeting to make rain,

”and as it looked very likely for rain

they would no doubt before long be able to again astonish their tribe by their power asrain-makers .

We were now keeping a strict night watch , as , if theymeant no mischi ef “leading tohuman gore, ” they were diligently intent on what they call tealing .

”It was evident

by the cut timber about the creeks that they had axes or tomahawks and,on inquiry

where blackfellow gut um tomahawk , ’ the answer received was,“him ‘teal’ um along

a whitefellow .

”

Ther e is no doubt they had s tolen sever alduring the construction of the

overland telegraph . T hey ,however

,always kept these tomahawks out of our sight .

Knives , tomahawks &c .

,ar e their p r incipalweaknes ses ; but they will stealanything

they can lay their hands (or toes) on . O ur in terpreter,Copper top,

” having arrived inhis own country, “ the Macumba, ” made tracks . leaving his clothes , which were transferred to another yormg man who joined us ; T ommy was hi s name, and he had a goodsmattering of English from having been with the telegraph construction par ties forsome time

,and was very usefulas a guide and interpreter . O ne day , when travelling ,

we metwith natives outsider s —whose patois T ommy was unacquainted with,and

he cr ied out in despair "me can’ t hear um .

"T ommy was of a very inquiring turn of

mind , and thinking sugar was dug up at some “ berry good place, ” he one dayasked the question

,t en we catch um that big one sandhillallsame where white

fellow get um suga r .

O n Willie’ s or S alt Creek,we saw , in a large mob of natives

,one old man

,who had

evidentlybeen in the wars ; hi s arm had been br oken in two places and had set crookedat each fracture, giving the poor old man a very battered appearance. T he old fellow

walked up and down the camel train from one person to another . talking and gesticu

lat ing, evidently wishing us to go on ; and on our starting he looked very pleased , andpointed in the direction we were going , and saying“appa

,appa” (water, water) , as

much as to say G o on ; there is plenty of water over there for you .

”A t starting , much

to our amusement and surprise, the old man said,

“ G ood morning , good morning . T hiswas toward evening ; but, although the old man seemed to wish us away from his own

camp,he was at our camp the next morning to see us start and wish us good morning

again . S everalwomen at the old man’

s ca ‘

up wer e smeared all over with burnedgypsum (plaster of Paris) , making them quite white, and giving them a hor rid-lookingappearance. T hey were in mourning for deceased relatives . A ll the natives we saw

look very healthy and fat, the ch ildren looked as clean in the skin as could be desired,and altogether their appear ance and physique showed them the pictures of health and

contentment . \Ve saw one fine young man who was ilia d fr om cataract,and the poor

ZH EJR riIA N N ERS,CU S T O M S


old man with the broken arm was leading him about and attending to his wants . NVeafterwards saw,

at Kopperamana , a young hearty-looking woman who was sufferingfrom the same affli ction .

T hey told us that the weather last year in the winter was very cold . but that no rainfell. T hey make thebest wurleys I have seen anywhere—allcovered in securely

,and

having a hole for the exit of the smoke as wellas the entrance hole,which is , how

ever, small. T hey ar e covered allover with grass , r ushes , roots , earth , &c and are quitedry . In the summer they have only a shade constructed of boughs . During the hot

weather they were catching large quantities of fish with nets,which they constructedvery ably from rushes . T hese nets ar e mostly fixed stationary across a favorable spot

in the creek,and the fish caught by endeavoring to pass through the meshes , when

they get fixed in the net by the mesh passing over their gills . NVhen the supply offish fails , or , wanting a change of food

,they have r oots

,seeds

,herbs , caterpillars (in

bushels) , li zards , snakes , and numerous odds and ends,to procure allof which in quantity

requires at times much labor,and this food-labor mostly falls to the lot of the lubras

,

who have generally plenty to do for,after they have got the food to their wurley s ,

there is much to do grinding or pounding seeds of acacia , nardoo, 85 0 .

S ome of the large waterholes on the S alt Creek have superstitious terrors attached tothem. O ne blackfellow, after killing a pelican with a boomerang, would not attempt torecover his weapon

,as he said ther e was a large snake in the hole alwavs on the look

out for blackfellow .

A tKopper amana , the L utheranMission S tation ,only a smallnumber —about a dozen

or so—were camped ; they appear to easily obtain plenty of fish in the lake, but had notsuch a fat

,hearty-looking appearance as the natives on S alt Creek . S ome were em

ployed on the station shepherding goats , others lamb-mindi ng, &c . , and allappeared to bewelltreated . O f their scholastic attainments lcannot sayverymuch , as I was informedthat as they got taught anylearning they went away . O ne young fello ;v appeared to havea good idea of figures, and counted twenty-five very fairly . O nly a few natives were seenat L ake H ope ; these talk pigeon English with fluency

,well interlarded with strong

adjectives . T hey haveplenty offish in thelake, and the rats , snakes roots , &e accordingto the season Per r igundi L ake has longbeen known as a se-called dangerous place forWhites to camp at

,unless wellarmed and in pretty good force. I twas at this place where

a party of stockmen fr om L ake H epewere attacked some few years ago while they wereasleep , and only for the bravery and promptitude of one of the party the whole of themwould have been killed . O ne young man , named N euman , died of the spear woundshe received in thi s fatalafl’r ay. We camped here two nights and one day S aturdaynight and S unday . S even or eight finely-made strong young fellows paid us a visit,and were very peaceably disposed

,and fetched us some fine fish in exchange for a little

tobacco . S ome of the weapons they had with them were of the most formidabledimm sions . and welladapted for knocking down a bullock . T hey did not make anyoffer to molest us ; but the sight of our revolvers , rifles , and guns no doubt everywhereacted as a good warning to them as to what they might expect if they commencedhostilities .

T hey did not appear to paymuch respect to old age after decease,as one of themwas

noticed byone of our par ty taking some dead wood from an old grave to make a fire, and

on being remonstrated with he replied , "Al: right ; only old woman been tumble down .

”

Proceeding on to L ake M cKinlay, there is a pretty numerous tr ibe there , but onlyeightor nine visited our camp . as most of them were away hunting in the sandhills , wherethey always go after the rains have left water enough in the clay-pans for their subsistence whilehunting . S ome of them weremuch frightened at the camels . They lookedin excellent health . We camped here close to the tree which M cKinleymarked on hisjourney . T he tree had been partly destroyed by the blacks , but some fine young saplings are springing up straight and tall again , and the old tr ee promises to be soon as

good as ever. I think it is only an act of justice to these poor people to record theirpeaceable and friendly behaviour to us all the way we travelled ; and we hope that assoon as the S alt L ake country is occupied , which , from its fine grazing capabilities, itimmediately willbe, that a thoughtfuland liberal G overnment willsend a supply of

useful things to them as blankets , tomahawks &c .

86 T I IE A B O RI G IJVE S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

The S alt Creek tribe is numerous and powerful, and I feelconvinced that kind butfirm treatment at the outset willbring about the most desirable results . Police pr otection ought to be at once given to the fir st settlers on this and the neighboring creeks .

I t would act as a wholesome check on the bad propensities and cupidity of the natives,

and at the same time secure their proper treatment .

0

DEC LEN S I O N o r PRO N O U N s .

T he declension of the pronouns in the language ofthe Dieri Dieyerie tribe.

ished by the REV . E. H orraxx,L utheran MissionaryPRON OM IN A PERS O N A L L A .

Singular . Dual.

N ani N ali, N aliena

N akani Nalina , N aldr ani

N akangu N alinga N aldranguI S T PERS O SN ana N alina, Naldrana

A ctic zesi" N ato N aldrarN om. .I idni Judla

G en . Jinkani Judlani

<lDat. Jink angu Judlangu

A cc . Jidnana Judlana

Voc . Perlaia JudlaLA ctie. Jundru Judla

Masculine. Feminine.

N om. N anj a Nania Pudlaia T anana

G en . N unkani N ankani Budlani T anani

Dat. N unkangu N ankangu Pudlangu T anangu

A ce. N inaj a N anaia Pudlanaia T ananaia

Voe. Kanja N ania Pudlaia T anani

LA ctic . N ulia N andr uj a Pudlali T anali

IN K—O nly third person singular has Masculine and F eminine ]

PRON OM IN A Possns srvA .

N akani N alini . N aldr ani N aianani

Jinkani Judlani Jur anani

N unkan i (masc . ) Pudlani T anananiN ankani (fem. )

Declination the same as substantives , for example :ls r PERS ON S IN GUL A R .

IVom N akani A ec . N akamiG en . Nakanaia Voe. N akanaia

Dat. Nakanami A ctir . N akanali

[N . B .—M r . H omann ’ s j is pronounced like the English y.

- ED. ]

T he “A ctivus case of M r . Homann is evidentlv the same as that whi ch I have designated“ Causative” elsewhere —ED .


88 TH E A B O RJG IX E S O F S O U T H A U S TRA L IA

it. T he relations smear their faces with powdered charcoal and r ed

ochre mixed with fat. T he other members of the tribe put a plaster ontheir heads made of burn t gypsum powdered and wetted , and alsoplastered about their bodies . If a husband dies the widow does notenter camp all day, but is brought to camp after dark by the nearestfriends or relations . S he eats nothing for three days . If a wife dies thehusband sits in the camp , but does not speak more than necessary , norenters into any cor r obbery for three months .1 8 . T he property of the decea sed is burnt .1 9 ,

2 0 , 2 1 .

“Kinchir r a .—I can get no English for kinchir ra . A s soon

as a blackfellow or blackwoman dies , a kinchir r a blackfellow fetcheshim and bears him off to the west , where he o r she will have nothing todo but play about and have plenty of food . This is their only idea of a

future . Should the black be a very bad character , the kinchir r a drownshim or her in the water .2 2 . They believe that two old women called “Y ammutu” live towards

the east a long way (paldr upa) , and that when rain comes they lie d ownon their back s with their legs open , and the water runs into their personand causes them to bear a lot of young black s called M ur ee ; who , as they

grow up , start wes tward , always throwing a smallwaddy , called weetchu ,

before them ,tillone of them meets a blackfellow with his lubra . T he

M ur ee, being invisible , then walks in the blackfellow’ s tracks to makehim or her look like the blackfellow ,

and then throws the smallwaddyunder the thumb-nail or great toe-nail, and so enters into the woman ’ sbody . S he is soon pregnant , and in due time gives birth to an ordinarychild .

2 3 . There is no proof of their having been more civilised .

2 4 . They ar e not cannibals .

2 5 . \Veapons .—A large club (munkuwir r ie) , boomerang (wadna) , a

club with a large head (muclricha) , and a weapon made of mulga and

pointed at both ends and used for throwing (pirra) .2 6 . N ets for catching euros (a kind of kangaroo) ar e made ofthe sinews

of large eur o tails . Twine is spun out of opossum hair . N o fishing-lines ,

mats,or baskets .

2 7 . They had tomahawk s ( cor r awolpu) made of a s tick about a footand a half long,

with white flint fastened in the end with gum (murlkanur ie) .2 8 . N o ceremonies that I can explain .

‘2 9 . They calltheir language A r chualda .

3 0 , 3 1 . N o reply .

3 2 . M an,

“mir r u ; two men ,

“mir ruilpilla ; men ,

“mir rupappina .

3 3 . 3 6 . N o replies .3 7 . I cut

,artu wonninda .

H e cuts , “ pallu wonninda .

’

W e cut,

alpula wonninda .

Y ou cut,“nunda wonninda .

They cut,

“ yadna wonninda .

I was cutting ,

“ar tu butu nurrda .


90 T l A B O RI G I TVE S O F S O U T I I A U S TRA L IA :

7 . Marriages ar e wholly regulated by these class -names , in the manner

following

Male, Par r oola

Female, PanungkaOffspring i s Koomur ra .

Male , Panfmgka

Female, Par roola

Male. B ooltar a

Female. Koomur r a

Offspring is B ooltar a .

Offspring is Poonungka

Male, Koomur raFemale, B ooltar a

Offspr ing I S Par r oola .

T he offspring may be of either sex without affecting the above result .

These rules ar e strictly conformed to , and death is the penalty in case of

infringement .8 . T he marriage customs and ceremonial largely partake of the

revolting features so frequently found to prevailamong the aborigines ofthis continent generally ; and unless under pres sure , I should preferomitting a description of these disgusting practices . T he female is

given away by her parents and relatives . S he is betrothed at a veryearly age, almost in infancy .

9 . T he children ar e of the fathers ’ side1 0 . Y es . Some individuals have four or five wives . It is not unusual

for a man having severalto present one or more to a friend , providingthe latter belong to a clas s with which the woman maymarry .

1 1 . T he system of kinship clo sely resembles ( so far as can at presentbe ascertained ) that obtaining among ourselves T he elder brother of

the father has no r elationship to the child but that of uncle . Particularcare has been taken to ascertain this point .1 2 . Blood relation s do not marry .

1 3 . N one worthy the name . T he older men exerc ise considerableinfluence , but it scarcely amounts to authority .

1 4 . N either administration of j ustice, nor form of trial.1 5 . Death in some cases ; in others , cutting acros s the hams to the

bone, and also burning . These ar e, however , rather acts of revengethan punishments

,properly so-called , and ar e usually inflicted as reprisal

for some realor supposed inj ury . A woman suspected or found guiltyofadultery is liable to be cut acro s s the hams o r burnt in a most barbarous manner .1 6 . A stick ( some say a bone) is pointed at the person whose death is

desired . T his stick is called wir r ikur r a .

1 7 . Bodies ar e simply buried in the earth near the camp . Mournerssmear their heads and breasts with a white earth usually gypsum and

pipeclay . A fter being kept on (and occasionally renewed) for a month ,it is taken off and thrown on the grave.

1 8 . Property ( of deceased) , whether that of a male or female, is eitherburnt or thrown away .

1 9 . N o ideas of a future state .

T H E IR fllA N A 7ERS,CU S T O ZII S


2 0 . They speak of a demon appearing in the form of a blackfellow,

and sometimes as a white man . H e is said to travelnear the surface of

the ground , but not on it, and consequently can never be seen . T he

natives he1 e do not seem to fear travelling at night , and their dread of

the demon does not appear extreme, as is the case in other parts of thiscontinent.

2 1 and 2 2 . N o legends or traditions , so far as can be at presentascertained .

2 3 . N o proofs of forme1 civilisation2 4

,N atives killed 1n war ar e not e ten . It is alleged that children

ar e occasionally eaten by neighboring tribes , but the practice is disclaimed by informant s ’ people .

2 5 . Their weapons ar e— 1 . A large and heavy spear without barb,

used for close quarters . 2 A lighter spear for throwing , fitted with a

barb formed of hard wood tied to the spear-head with the sinews of the

emu , &c . T he throwing stick or board is about a foot long, and four toseven inches wide, slightly hollowed on one s ide to serve as a platter .T he hand end is usually fit ted with a p iece of agate embedded in and

attached to the wood by a very hard cement . T he other end is fittedwith a smallpeg wh ipped on with spun hair or sinews . T he nativescan throw their spears fifty to sixty yards with much precision . 3 . A

boomerang , ofa very open curve, about 2ft. long and 2 to 3 in . wide .

4 . A large two-handed sword- stick 5ft . long .

2 6 . Bags of netting made of mallow fibre , meshes close, almost likegunny bag . Twine of opos sum or human hair .

2 7 . Stone chisels of the rudes t make . A n agate cemented to the end

of a short stick . Troughs or calabashes precisely similar to those of

southern tribes .2 3 . N o peculiar customs or ceremonies have been witnes sed , nor have

we been able to obtain details of such .

“ Rain-making obtains hereas elsewhere. T he only information as yet gathered respecting thissuperstition is that it is conducted by the older men , who perform incantations , &c .

, wearing different head-dresses , for five days . Blood-lettingdoes not seem to form a part of the ceremonialhere , as is the case withtribes to the south-east of them .

2 9 . T he language o f informants ’ tribe is called A r r inda

3 0 and 3 1 . Owing to impe1 fect acquaintance with the language, thisand similar queries must remain unanswered for the present .3 2 . N o dualform of noun , so far as can be gathered .

3 3 . Pronoun s . l, ying-a . Thou , ung-a . H e, idlama We, naka

Y ou, They ,3 4 to 3 9 . Same reply as N o 3 0 .

4 0 . Sibilants do not oecu1 : 11 0 r doesf4 1 . N umerals one ; tir r ama , two ;

“ koolpej ama ,three ; four

‘ is represen ted by“ tir r ama binna ,

”and five by

“ tir r amabinna tir r ama binna nyinda . Only up to five .

42 . L ar rapinta kichila plj ana yinga ilyata”—Finke Creek came from

I to-dav .

“ T ir r am er rleia ilyat er r ina attr a” —T wo emus j ust now saw I .

92 T H E A B ORI G IN E S O F S O U ZE A U S TRA L IA :

4 4 . Chest diseases , cancer , polypus , &c . N o mark s of small-poxvisible .

4 5 . They set broken limbs with splints in a rude manner . There are

men who profes s to cure diseases and injuries by pretending to extractstick s

, s tones , &c . , from the diseased part . This is done by sleight of

hand . They also make believe to draw blood and humour from the

affected part by sucking it, making their own gums bleed and spittingout the blood as though really that of the patient .46 . Boys ar e kept separate from the women during the rite of circum

cision , which lasts five days , and for three months afterwards , when theyar e allowed to mingle with the rest of the tribe.

4 7 . They do not knock out front teeth but some of the neighboringtribes do .

4 8 . Circumcision is practised without exception .

T he spelling has been throughout that enjoined by the rules of thecircular .

T H E N O R T HER N T E R R IT O R Y

T R IB E .

Copies of the questions were sent to the police and to the Protector ofA borigines in the N orthern Territory , but the replies received were ofthe

most meagre and unsatisfactory description . O ne list of words was supplied by Police-trooper L ee, but the officials seem to have known verylittle . Through the kindnes s of M R W . T . BED NA LL

,of A delaide, we

ar e able to give a pretty correct list ofwords in the L ar akeeyah language .

T he following ar e the particulars gathered from (the late) DR . S TURT ,medicalofficer , and Protector of A borigines .1 . T he tribe is called L ar akeeyah.

They inhabit Port Darwin Penin sula .

T he tribe is not divided into clans .There is no totem.

T he tribes intermarry but rarely .

T he old man or chief settles marriage . T he female makes some

string and gives it to the man .

7 . T he children belong to the fathers’tribe .

8 . Polygamy is practised .

9 . T he diseases mo st prevalent ar e blindness , bronchitis , and pneumonia .

1 0 . T he natives apply to inj uries water and bark bandages . F or

diseases they drink hot water .1 1 . T he L ar akeeyahs , W oolnas , W oolwongas , and Waggites allknock

out one tooth top and bottom . I think these ar e cannibals .1 2 . Their weapons ar e spears .1 3 . They make nets

,twine, fishing-lines , mats and baskets .

om

ens


94 T IIE A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

1 1 . S o far as I am aware, their ideas of kin ship do not extendbeyond mam-ma ( father) , wi-a (mother ) , yung-a (brother ) , and kon-ki

( sister) . They willtalk glibly enough in their broken English of uncle,

aunt , cousin , &c ., without , I believe, having the faintest conception of

those relationship s . F or instance,a grey-headed old man willsometimes

point to a little girl and tell you she is his uncle ; or an old woman,

pointing to a little boy, will tell you he is her aunt, and such likeincongruities . In speaking of any other relationship they would use theseparate words .

Example.

My father . father ’ s brother .

N gai-tshi mam-ma . N gai

-tshi mam-ma yung-a .

My brother . My mother .

N gai-tshi yung-a . N gai

-tshi wi-a .

My mother ’ s sister . My father ’ s sister .

N gai-tshi Wi-a k é n-ki . N gai

-tshi mam-ma kon-ki .

My mother’ s brother . My son . My daughter .

N gai-tshi

.

wi-a yung-a .

T _

Kijfsha

M y sister . Y our father . Y our mother .

N gai-tshi kon-ki . Nu-ni mam-ma . Nif-h1 Rt?

1 2 . B rothers and sisters of course do not marry ( if their socialcondition can be called marriage) , but I have never seen any proh ibitionbeyond that ; in fact their mode of living mayalmost be called herdingtogether .1 3 . N 0 government .1 4 . First query : N ot at all. S econd : N one . Third : N one . Pr o

perly speaking they have no idea of right and wrong—I mean , of course ,untaught by the white man . W ith them might is right .

”

1 5 . N o punishment of offenders .

1 6 . N o kind of sorcery .

1 7 . D irectly the body is dead a great wail or lamentation is set up,principally by the women , and preparation s ar e made for immediateinterment . T he thighs of the deceased ar e broken , and the body putinto a sitting posture , and tied with yarn spun from opo s sum fur or anyother kind of rope at hand ; and while this is being done by some, o thersar e preparing the grave, which is simply a large hole of irregular shape,and generally not more than three or four feet deep , and is dug with thekot-thu

, a large stick flattened and sharpened at one end , generally usedfor digging up roots , white ants , &c .

, the earth being thrown out withthe hands—unles s they happen to be near a settlement where they canborrow a spade . T he body is then placed in the grave in the sittingposture, and facing eastwards , together with everything pertaining to it

T H E IR TII A N TVERS,C U S T O rl/ S

,A N D L A rV G U A G E S . 95

in the shape of clothing, &c . , and is covered over with grass and boughs ,and the grave is then filled in with earth . A semi-circular moundof earth is then made round the back part of the grave, and some loosestones placed on it, the front part being made quite smooth and sweptwith bough s for some distance round the feet , or where the feet would beif “ laid out, and a large fir e is kindled on the swept surface, which iskept burning for two or three days and nights for the purpose of

destroying the 95m1’

1n-da-bi ( spirit) , which , they say, would otherwisewalk about ” and inj ure them . T he funeral obsequies generallyterminate in a fight ; and they invariably leave the locality and make forthe next nearest water where they can camp , and will probably not

revisit the place for months .

1 8 . N ot at all. They have no property .

1 9 . N o idea of a future state.

2 0 . They have some vague idea of a something which they callfmnuda-bi ( spirit) , or pur

-ka-bid-ni ( devil) , which they imagine can do themharm

, and which they appear afraid of meeting, particularly at night ;but they have no idea whatever of a god , or creator , or anythingpertaining to futurity .

2 1 . I never heard of any tradition s or legends .

2 2 . They have no idea of their origin .

2 3 . I have never seen anything that would lead me to suppose theyhad ever been , as a race, more civilised , but rather the contrar y .

2 4 . T here is a prevailing opinion that they were cannibals beforeEuropean settlement ; but I have never seen anything approaching it, andI think it is not practised now, if it ever was .

2 5 . Spear (ki-ya) . This weapon is of the s implest pos sible construc

tion , as in fact ar e the others . It is made simply by trimming the bark ,

knots , and irregularities from a mallee stick about eight feet long, andmaking it straight byheating the crooked parts in hot ashes and bendingthem tillthey ar e straight . T he thick end is hardened in the fir e and

made to a long sharp point , slightly tapered to the other end , which isbound round with the sinews of the opos sum’ s tailto prevent it splitting .

A smallhole or indent is made in the end of the spear (ki-ya) to receivethe hook of the wommera (mirl-a) with which it is thrown . Sometimesa barb is put at the spear ’s point by

.

tying 0 11 a smallsharpened piece of

wood or bone with sinew. T he wommera being adjus ted at the spearend ,

it is firmly grasped by the three last fingers , and the spear is held inits place by the forefinger and thumb, and is thrown with considerableferce and accuracy . It travels with a rotary , quivering motion , whichrenders it more difficult to evade , at least to an unpractised eye ; the

natives , however , ar e seldom struck by them,as they ar e very expert and

active in getting out of the way. I have seen them avoid both spear andwaddy by simply putting the head aside, lifting a leg, or bending the

body,thus letting the weapon whiz past within a few inches of them ;

any stationary obj ect at fifty or sixty yards distance would almost cer tainlvbe struck .


Waddy (wir -r i) is simply a stick , about two feet long , of nearly uniformsize, slightly curved in shape, and j agged a little at the smaller end

to give greater grip to the hand . This is thrown with much force and

skill, and generally kills or cripples the obj ect thrown at. It causesa whirring noise in its course, and is very difficult to avoid . I have seena man ’ s leg broken or a skullsmashed in by a blow from the wir -r i.

Y am-stick (kot-tha) is used not only as an implement for digging anything outof the ground , but also as a weapon of offence and defence . It isa stout mallee stick , generally about one and a half inches in diameter andfive feet long . flattened and slightly sharpened at one end . When fighting,

they grasp this stick in the middle and use it as a sort of shield to wardoff spears , and when at close quar ters use it as a weapon of offence .

2 6 . They do not make nets , twine, mats , or baskets .2 7 . Prior to European settlement their only implement was a hard

white flint , very sharp , and fastened to the end of a stick—generally thehandle end of the wommera (mirl-a) , with a kind of black’ resin obtainedbymelting the dried flower s of a certain shrub. T o obtain this resin they

gather the shrub when in fullbloom, and keep it a day or two tillnearlydry; the bloom is then shaken off in the shape of a coarse yellowpowder , and melted by the fir e, when it assumes the form and consistencyof black wax or resin ,

and when quite cold becomes very hard . Thissubstance is also used for stopping the natural holes in the mutton-fishshell, which renders it water-tight ; the shell then becomes a usefulutensil.2 8 . They have scarcely any ceremonies worth describing beyond the

funeralceremony , and what will be described at 46 , unles s the followingmaybe called peculiar customsOn the birth of a child a long tasselof yarn ,

spun from opos sum fur,is

hung round its neck as a talisman, and is not removed for many months

—generally not tillthe child can walk .

A woman,during the period of menstruation , must live by herself , or

accompanied only by some old women . They have a superstition that ifshe remained in the same wurley (ng1

’

1 -r a) with the others allthe men

would become grey-headed .

When on the march , if one of their number from sicknes s , age, orother infirmity becomes unable to travel, the strong men take it in tur n tocarry the infirm one on their shoulders , and they willdo this for weeksin succession ; but when all hope of recovery is gone they willcoolly go0 11 their way, leaving the helples s one behind to die and remain unburied .

I have buried two bodies left exposed in this manner .They never make anything in the shape of a permanent dwelling , their

wurleys ( 11 gl’

i -r a) consisting merely of a few boughs packed up togetherto break the wind . In winter they take a little more trouble in puttingthem together ; but in summer a wurley is very often noth ing but a fewboughs laid on the ground in a semi-circular form , about a foot high .

2 9 . Ku-ka-tha ( the name of the tribe) .I have given this question very careful study , and am inclined to

answer decidedly , N o ; at allevents I can think of no form of speech of


T H E IR [ MA N N ERS,C U S T O III S

,

‘

A N D L A N G UA G E S . 97

theirs that would be at allequivalent to our s aying“a dog,

” “an apple ,

the house,”or the like . F or in stance , N gai

-i yel-ka mi-na

”literally

translated is I dog see butwould mean,freely , I see,

”or , I saw,

”

or , I have seen a dog ,or the dog .

”

3 1 . There is none, and I think the dialect is altogether too crude and

meagre to admit of these nice grammaticaldistinctions .32 . N o . They would say

“ k1’

1 -maf kt

’

i r -da ,”

one man ;“ kut-tha-r a

kt'i r-da , two men , &c .

3 3 . T he only declension I can give of the personalpronouns is s imply“ngai

-i,” I ;

“ ngod-li,”we ;

“nu-ni

,

”you . This last word is used

,

as in English , pluralor singular—and I believe these ar e allthey have .

3 4 . There is no abbreviated form of the pronoun .

3 5 . I think not, but am not certain on this point .3 6 . Y es , and the only form of the verb in use amongst them, so far

as I know. F or instance, for I sleep ,” I slept ,

”or I shall sleep ,

”

they would say N gai-i mi-a ,

”literally, I sleep .

3 7 . I have never known them to use the verb in any but the presentten se .

3 8 . There is no passive form of the verb.

3 9 . N o verb to be, or , to have, that I am aware of.

4 0 . T he letter 3 is sometimes , though very seldom,used . T he only

words I can remember in which it occurs ar e st’

r ,”which is used as a

curse, equivalent to “ damn ,”when strongly emphasized , or as an

expression of contempt,in which case it is accompanied by a con

temptuous gesture ; and Shang-gil-ti,”a man’ s name . T he consonants

f, v, z do not occur .4 1 . Ku-ma

, one ; kut-tha-r a, two ; ka-bu ,three ; wi-ma, four ; nger

la, five . A ny larger number is expressed bythe word7i‘mur n-na , which is

also used to expres s much,

”

great .”

big,

” many .

”

4 2 .

“Give me some water : Kop-pi ung-a ; literally , Water give .

“ Iam very hungry z

”N gai-i

*mfirn-na ; literally , I much hungry .

“We

killed the dog , or dogs z”N god

-li yel-

ga buk-a-na° literally , We dog

kill.

“ G o to the s crub and bring me some firewood : Pi'

m-tha-r i ngomer -na ngai

-tshi 7"‘kurl-a fi‘mt'

i r -r a-na ; literally , Scrub go my fir e bring .

4 3 . S un, tshin-ta ; moon , pir

-r a ; heat , pu-ka -ra ; cold , pai-a-la ; hill,pur -r i ; stone, parn-ta water , kop-pi ; sea , war -na ; sheaoak tree,kurt-li ; boat , or ship , war -r i-u-ka (a compound word fromwar -r i ngi

'

i -katha

, literally , wind go ) ; fish, kt'

i -ya ; dog , yel-

ga ; kangaroo , wa-ru ; fir e,*kurl-a ; house (or any other kind of dwelling or place to live in ) , ngi

'

i -r a ;

S pear , ki-a ; wommera , mirl-a ; great,ffmurn -na ; small, min -

ya ; good ,yet

-to ; bad , ngon-tha ; man ,-da ; woman

,ko-r e ; boy, worl-ba ;

father , mam-ma ; mother , wi-a ; head , kok-a ; teeth , yié-r a ; hand ,

s~‘mur-r a ; eye, mi-na ; ear , y1’

1 ~r i ; foot , tshi-na ; nose, mt’

i t-la ; die, kt'

ik

a-buk-a ; hear , yi'

l-r i ; see, mi-na ; look ,nok-u-na ; sit, ni-na ; stand ,

yr'

i -ka ; give,

‘

ung-a ; I , nga1 -i ; me , ngot-tha ; mine, ngai

-tshr he, she,or it, yet

-ni ; we, ngod-li ; this , or here , ni-a ; who or what , ngon-

gi ;one, kt

'

i -ma ; two ,kut-tha -r a ; three . ka-bu ; four , w1 -ma ; five, nger-la ;

more, or another , kt’

i -tsha ; sleep , mi-a ; lie down (as to sleep ) , ngar-bin

98 T H E A B ORI G IN ES O F S O U T H A U S TRA L IA :

ya ; eat, mt'

m-gi ; drink , é l-gu-na ; speak , wenk-a-na ; sleeping, mi-a-la ;

go , ngom-er -na ; be off. win-ni ; wallaby , wart-a ; opossum, porl

-ta :

clothes , or covering, or skin of any animal, pOl-tha ; emu, war -r i-tsha ;

egg, pi-

pi ; bark ( of a tree) . yul-thi gras s , kor -r a ; native hare, wirl-pa ;kangaroo r at, -ti-a ; seal, mOt-tha-r i ; hole, yep-

pa ; tail (also the

male genitals ) , kOt-la ; leg, wit-tha foot , tshi-na (also used to expres strack or foot-print ) ; snake wOb-ma ; eagle , wOl

-tsha ; crow, worn-ka-r a ;white ant, mir -ta ; meat , bar -ru ; clay , mait-lia ; yes , ya ; no ,

%muk-ka ;stink , pu-ka ; excrement , ftki

’

i r -ta ; fear , or afraid,wai-i ; breast , i-bi ;

kis s , ‘i‘tshup-pa-na ; smoke, pu-ya ; scrub, p1’

1 n-tha-r i ; whiteman ,kt

'

i -pa ;oyster , yer -la-ta ; sick

,pain , ill (or any ailment

, whether internal or

external) , ming-a ; duck , ff'mfir -r a-r a ; pelican , wi-li ; cockatoo ,yung-a

na ; swan , kat'i -er -ti ; mosquito ,ku-na-bin-j e-ln ; fly (the insect) , yum

ber -a ; ant,wir -pa ; mouth , ni-mi ; beard , ngern-ka ; hair of the head ,

ngt'

i -r oo ; tongue, kai-a-king ; bone, m1’

1 -la-li ; blood , yé il-do ; skin( cuticle) , im-ba ; fat, men-bi ; star , 7"kul-ka ; dark , mO-a-bu ; day, pirr i-a ; night , malt-thi

° rain , wain-ba-ru ; wood , ftkurl-a ; sweet , mOr -u~ga ;thirst

,or thirsty

,

ftmun-

ga-r a ; ghost , pur -ka-bid-ni come here, 9fpur -ni

ngOm-er -na ; make haste, be quick,or run , i-ter -r a ; urine, or micturition ,

kum-pa .

"6

4 4 . Cutaneous , syphilitic , and pulmonary .

4 5 . Their mode of healing the sick is most barbarous . When one of

their number is very ill, the doctor ( I quite forget the native word) , issent for , if he be not with the party , and on his arrival he goes to thepatient with an air of importance and as sumed wisdom , and after lookingat him a few moments without speaking he goes away to some dis tanceand gathers some small branches from a bush , which he brings backwith him. By the time he returns the patient has generally moveda short ( 1 1 stance from the invariable fir e, and the doctor begins to r ub

and beat the sick person ,first with the boughs and then with the naked

hands,then pinches him,

turns him over and repeats the same process ,allthe time muttering some unintelligible incantation ; and having pr eviously ascertained the locality of the pain (min-

ga) , he pinches the partmost unmercifully , and then takes it in his mouth and sucks it vigorouslyfor some time, then runs quickly away to a distan ce to spit out the accumulated saliva from his mouth, which he makes them believe is the

min-

ga . This mummery is kept up for nearly an hour , the old women of

the party keeping up a low monotonous wail the while, and the patient

[The following words , collected by a lady at S treaky Bay,and published in the

Comet,may present some slight variations from the above

,and supply some words not

ther e z—Father,moma ; mother, wede ; sister, kouka ; brother, morea ; aunt, konkea ;

uncle,kaya ; head , camka ; hair, ur e ; eye, mile ; none, mula ; mouth, er a ; shoulder,

bilbee ; elbow,comar ; hand, mur ra ; knee, boor a ; foot, chima ; morning, yangoe ;

night, multee sun,chintoo ; moon, beera ; stars , culga ; wind, hilr a ; fire, culla ; cry,

mingie ; water, cabbie ; wild dog, yelga ; kangaroo, oudla ; Opossum,hilda ; house,

culba ; daylight, mulbila ; whirlwind , whoopa ; blind , milyour a ; come here, punnieweenie ; go quick , etra. weenie ; quick , etra ; no, mucka ; yes , youa . ]


100 T IIE A B O RI G IN ES O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

cf tails like r at-tails . A round pad , composed of emu feathers , grease,clay, and human excrement , is then placed on the top of the head , andall the hair brought up over it and securely bound in its place, inthe same manner as previously des cribed with the 7i

‘

bt’

i r t-na-ba . Each of

the men then gives him a good blow with the kOt-tha over this pad , anda sham fight takes place around him . Spears and waddies ar e freelythrown at and from one to the other , in which serious wounds ar e

O ften inflicted . During this part of the performance they pretend to bein a terrible rage, probably for the purpose of initiating the youth intothe horrors of actualwarfare . T he wil-ya

-r a (young man)—for so he is

now called—is left by himself, and the others return to the main camp ,where the remainder of the night is pas sed in yelling, dancing, and

savage revelry , the women and children keeping time to the dancing, &c . ,

by beating the ground with sticks and beating sticks together . T he

wil-ya-r a is not allowed to see a woman , or mix with the others , or speak

above a whisper , for a period of three weeks,the blood previously spoken

of having to remain on his body till it comes off of its own accord .

A fter this period of twenty-one days he is allowed to assume his naturalvoice, and take his place in society I as a man ,

and get a wife (kO-r e)if he can . T he women will run away and hide themselves anywhere toavoid being seen by a wil-ya-r a during his probation .

4 7 . N one of the coast clans knock out anyof the teeth ; but the inlandnatives inhabiting the salt lakes country north of the Crawler Rangesknock out the first incisor from the upper j aw . Many of these nativesar e frequently seen among the coas t clans ; in fact they sometimes permanently reside with them.

4 8 . Y es . [ Vz'

cle

N O TES .

A ll words marked thus must be pronounced with the a short , as

fa r , cur , mud , plum,English . In allo ther cases I have been very

carefulto O bserve the rule laid down for the use of the vowels , though Ido not think the rule a very good one

, as , for instance, the words indicatedby

“35 cannot be pronounced with the as long , as oo in mood,nor can they

be spelt with any other vowel but a . T o obtain the correct sound of

the words the foregoing must be strictly O bserved . A great many wordswillbe found commencing with the consonants ng ; this is done to pr o

duce a nasal sound . F or instance, the word ngh-r a could not properly

be sounded either as n 1'

1 -r a or gr’

r-ra,but must be the nasal blending of

the two , nyr'

t -r a .

My reason for employing a phonetic orthography willbe obvious .

I wish to explain that while living amongst the natives I never madetheir language or customs a study for any literary or particular purpose,and consequently never made anymemoranda of anything ; it willtherefore be readily understood that in going through this series of question scarefully I find severalminor details that I never thought—and which no

one would ever think—of inquiring into for ordinary purposes of intercourse with them . In question 4 3 there ar e a few words asked for which

T H E IR [MA N N ERS,C U S T O M S


I have forgotten , if I ever hear d‘

them, they ar e therefore omitted ; but I

have added a great many other words and phrases which I thought maybe useful.It may not be uninteresting to state here that their chief characteristic s

ar e treachery , ingratitude, lying, and every species Of deceit and cunning ,

but they ar e -almost strangers to feelings of revenge . They ar e utterlyignorant of anything pertaining to a god or creator , hopeles sly ignorantof a future state, and as hopelessly and totally devoid of any of the

higher attributes of human nature .

They ar e rapidly decreasing in numbers year by year . Mortality goeson , with scarcely any

'

increase to counterbalance the decrease and

evidently the time is not far distant when one of these pitiable creaturesn—whose utter and hopeles s degradation almost leads one to question thej ustice of considering them as responsible beings—willbe a rarity .

In conclusion I beg to say, that had I been still living amonst them Icould have written a much more elaborate and useful description than Ican be r easonbly expected to produce from memory at this distanceof time and place . CHR I S . PRov r s .

N .B .

-I have divided all the native words into syllables , and markedthe accent , thus —C . P .

A DDEN DA .

Vlde question 2 8. In addition to the customs mentioned,I omitted that O f piercing

the nasal isthmus , below the ca1tilage, with a bone sharpened at one end,whi ch is

allowed to '

r emain in the flesh till the wound is healed,when it can he removed

and replaced at pleasure, and is worn as an ornament,the bone used being about thr ee

or four inches long . T hey only wear it occasionally . A nother favorite kind of Ornament with the men is a tuft of feathers or fur tied to the point of the hear d . The

women wear nothing in the shape of ornament at any time.

V ide answer to question 4 1 . S ince writing the foregoing a doubt has remainedon mymind as to the accur acy ofmy answer to this question ,

and I therefore submittedit to a friend of mine in the locality who is intimately acquain ted with the language,&c . and he informs me that the natives have a word whi ch they use for “

un cle”or aunt

,viz .

,

“py

-me,

and a word for “ cousin,

”viz .

,

“ win-ka,

”both O f whi ch

words ar e used alike in either gender . T here is also a distinction between elder brotherand younger brother, and elder sister and younger sister

,thus Elder brother is

“ben-ga-na

,

” “ younger brother” is “mur -r i-a,

” “elder sister is “ kon-ki

,

”and

younger sister is pu-yu

-la With this exception I believe my description issubstantially corr ect .

0 P

102 TH E A B ORI G IN E S O F S O U T H A US TRA L IA

ADDIT IONAL PARTICULARS , BY OTHERCONTRIBUTORS .

T H E PO RT L IN C O L N , V EN U S B A Y, G A W L ER

RA N G ES ,and. F O W L ER

’

S B A Y TRIB E S .

0

PORT L IN CO L N .

1 . M R . A . CO LE ,of Port L incoln .

2 . T he Port L incoln tribe callthemselves the Parnkalla .

3 . They bury their dead without any ceremony .

4 . They believe in an evilspirit called Porkabidni .5 . Their weapon s ar e the spear , wommera , and waddy , or club. They

have no shields .6 . They make lines , mats , and baskets , but not nets .7 . They have no name for their language.

8 . Th ere ar e no articles in their language . T he nouns ar e not

declined , except by suffixes . T he sign of the dual is ’lbelli added as

a postfix . T he pronoun has a distinct declension with dualand plural.T he verb has the indicative mood . T he letters 3

,c,f, v , z ar e not used .

‘

VEN U S B A Y

1 . P.-T . CL O DE , of Venus B ay.

2 . There ar e clas s-names in this tribe, but I cannot ascertain whatthey ar e.

3 . T he father generally gives the female away in marriage , but theirmarriage regulations ar e not known . Children belong to their father

’ stribe.

4 . T he only funeralcustom is to place the body in a sitting position inthe grave, with the knees near the chin . A bush is placed at the feet .N one of the property of the deceased is touched by the survivors .5 . They have the usualweapons , viz . , the waddy , spear , and wommera .

6 . They make nets .7 . They calltheir language Kar tawongulta .

8 . When about ten years old their youths ar e circumcised . O n thatoccasion they ar e not allowed to speak for six weeks . N othing is doneto the females .


104 T H E A B O RI G IN ES O F S O U T H A U S TRA L IA .

N O T E S B Y T H E E D I T O R .

1 . T he information conveyed byCorpor alPr ovis’s paper is satisfactor

as far as it goes . H is remarks 0 11 the language leads one to think thahe underrates it. I cannot obtain a copy , but I have certainly seena grammar and vocabulary of the Parnkalla language, written by theRev C . W . S chumann , in which it is shown to have some degree of

grammaticalcompleteness . Mr . Cole refers to a regular declension of

nouns in singular , dual, and plural.2 . It is evident that all the tribes which roam over the peninsula

between Spencer’ s Gulf and the west coast ar e of the same people. T he

language and customs ar e the same . They ar e a very low race, and

present another example of the degradation of tribes living to the southof a great desert tract of country . There is evidently a great differencebetween them and the N arrinyeri, and even the Dieyerie. In theselatter tribes we find a great deal of organisation of society , while thetribes of the Eyr ia Peninsula ar e far nearer the brute in status . Therear e several points of resemblance between these people and the SwanRiver and King George’ s Sound tribes . They ar e, like those, destituteof the ar t of making fishing nets , having probably lo st it in graduallymigrating over tracts of dry country , where fishing was forgotten , untilthe tribe came to where there were fish, when rude contrivances would beinvented to catch them. It appears

,though , that the forgotten net was

not r e-invented , for savages invent nothing . It is true that Mr . Clode,of Venus B ay, says the tribe theremake nets . If so they ar e an exception to all the tribes to the

‘

west of Spencer’ s Gulf. I think he ismistaken ,

as all the others say that this is not the case . In 1 840 the

Rev . C . W . Schumann published a description of the manners andcustoms of the Parnkalla tribe. This work is now republished byMessrs . E . S . W igg 8c S on in the work on T he N ative Tribes of SouthA ustralia .

” It is not therefore necessary to do more than merely to referto it. Mr . S chumann had peculiar advantages for observing the abori

gines , and he has given a full account of their customs , ceremonies ,legends , etc . H is statements agree with those herein contained to a

great extent , and substantiate what has been advanced concerning the.

low S tatus of these particular tribes .

TH E IR M A N N ERS,CUS T O M S

,A ND L A N G UA GE S . 105

N OTES ON THE PHOTOGRAPHS , ETC ACCOMPANYING

THIS WORK.

The human figures are given for the purpose of enabling the reader to measurethe heads . Both the men and women are good average typical specimens of theN ar ri nyeri . T hey are all taken in a sitting posture. The wrinkled br ow of Wewat

thelar i is a common expression of face amongst a hunting people whose perceptivefaculties ar e ever on the strain . The ages of these natives ar e as follows z—N gimaitponi

,a little over for ty ; Wewat-thelar i, about thir ty ; Waldaninyor i, twenty-four

M imukular i,twenty-one.

The hair of the abor igines is always black . In some persons it is very straight withno curl and in other s partially curly, and again in others a mass of curls . It is neverwoolly . T hey become grey at about the same age as Eur opeans . T hey are a veryhirsute race. Almost allhave long beards and moustaches and the whole body Of themen is covered wi th hair . 0 16. men who have never worn clothes ar e‘

especially hairy.

The women,after they have left off child-bearing, generally havemore or less whiskers .

I have known women wi th whiskers of which many a man would be proud . T heyrecognize this as a sign that they willnot have anymore children, and I think they areThe table of measures willgive some idea of the relative proportions of the natives .

Themeasure by the sideof the figures is six feet high fr omthe ground, except i nthepici

ure of N gunaitponi , where the measure is in feet and inches and parts of an

meThe Pictur e of a Camp of the N ar r inyer i, Lake A lexandr ina

,represents such

dwellings as the natives have now.

'

1he hut is called “manti . ” Before the reeds on theshores of the lake were destroyed by settlers’ cattle, the huts of the aborigines weresuperior to what they are at present . the people age/ messed as they are at ‘thia time.

It would be impossible, on L akeAlexandrina, to p i ce such a camp as existed twentyyears ago . The poles stuck in around the camp e fishing spears

,and also for pro

pelling the canoe . The nets are ordinary fishing nets .

M ats, B askets , N ets , Twine, G ir dles , and N ecklaces - The feather girdle hanging up

at the left-hand corner is made of emu feathers . T hese, which were worn by youngunmarr ied women only

,are called “kainingge.

”S ome of them ar e made of a fringe of

twine and feathers, like the one above the feather-work girdle, or of twine alone. The

twine is all of aboriginal manufacture. The dark object at the upper right handof the pictur e is a head-band of spun human hair . T his is carefully saved when itis cut for mourning in case of death. The net just below the head-band is of nativetwine

,and so also is the one behind the upper basket . Bundles of twine are

also seen hanging against the sheet . S pecimens , also, of native netting in Europeancotton a1e seen hanging. below the baskets and over themat on the

.

r ight hand side.

These show the capacity of the natives for this kind of work . N ett-Ing is theirfor tethey do it perfectly . It is always done with aboriginal netting needles . The s iz e of

mesh is measured with the finger, nothing else. T hey take the stitch over, not underas Europeans do . I think their way is the best . The native baskets are all made ofrushes . The top basket was made b a civilised native for a worka basket. The otherbaskets areof aboriginalshapes . T e mats ar e also of rushes

,and of common kinds .

The necklaces ar e of thr ee kinds . T hat hanging from the tOp of the support is . of

quandong stones . With it, and also below it, ar e two made of shells . U nder the twobaskets

,and lying over the fine white not, is a necklace of shor t pieces of reed strung

together . Allthese are very common .

105 T H E A B O A’ /G]NES O F S O U TH

'

A U S TRA L ZA

Weapons of the N ur r inyer z’

.—T hese consist of the following : F ive heavy black

spear s made ofmiallwood

,some of Ihcm barbed ; they are called “wunde they ar e used

at close qua rters . With them is seen a throe-p ronged fishing-spear, the bone points of

wh ich are lashed on with native twine . The short thin spear is the deadly r eed spear ;it consists of a hard wood point , a foot long, fastened on a strong reed : it is the mostdange

rous weapon which they use, as it can be thrown with precision to such a distanceby the

“ tar alye,”or throwing stick . T wo of these ar e seen hanging by the side of

the three knobbed clubs . T hese clubs ar e of miallwood , and ar e called “plonggethey are supposed to possess power to cause di sease by sorcery, and ar e used in pr actisingmillin . The weapons hanging on the left of the lower large shield are differentkinds of clubs . The crooked one is a ver y effective weapon ,

both for attack and defence. It is called “marpangye. The crescent-shaped weapons are boomerangscalled by the N ar r inyer i , panketye.

The shields are of two kinds . T hose in the middle are made of the bark of the r edgum,

and ar e called "wakkalde. T he nar row shields at the side,aremade ofwood , and

called mur ukanye.

”

THE ABORIGINAL CORROBBERY.

A specimen of the music of a genuine aboriginal cor r obbery, or song, writtendown as it was sung by the aborigines about eighteen years ago

Vivace.

“ N A RR IN Y E R I C O R R O B B E RY .

s “ fer flu la n a r 7 3 ; we wa r

A 1 ) L I B .


T H EIR M A N N ERS ,CU S T O M S , A ND L A N G UA GES . 107

A couple of clar ionets, with aflute, and, for the bass , a drum,would give the best

idea of this cor robbery. O ur music makes it. too melodious, and the harshness of theabor iginalsong is lost . Perhaps the bagpipes might imitate it.

‘

A great dealof conjecture has been made by various persons as to the tr ue characterof the cor robery. S ome have fancied that they saw in it a religious significance: Itmay have in some tribes , but I do not believe that ithas amongst the N arr inyeri . I

think that amongst them itposseses rather a dramatic character, or, perhaps , more of

the nature of the ballet . T he main idea is of a spectacle. T here are a number of

figures allmoving in uniform time, and to a regular cadence. T he measure is intendedeither to express j oy, or warlike passion , or some other feeling. The song whichaccompanies corresponds with the dance. The cor r obbery song given above is intendedto bemerry , and the dance which belonged to it was very graceful. And over this songand dance there is always cast a sort ofmistiness bythe smoke offires in the moonlight,so as to impart a weir dness to it. Very often

,though, great war dances have been held

in Open daylight . I willnow describe a cor r obbery at which I was present .The scene of it was a long low gully amongst the hills . It was a bri ght moonlight

night . T here were present about two hundred natives of allages . In one part of thegully there was a r ow of fires lighted and made to emit a gr eat deal of smoke whichrolled up the gully . O n the same side of the fir es as that which I occupied there wereseated a number of old men and women of various ages with the drums called pianggo,made by rolling up a skin tightly . T hey ar e beaten with the hand or fist

,and keep the

time of the dance. T he beaters accompanied the planggar with the song . O n the otherside of the fires, whi ch were in the middle of the gully, a little to the left of the dr ummers , therewas a moving crowd of naked men—I should think seventy or eighty. T heywere allpainted with white stuff in a grotesquemanner—rings roun d the eyes , spots onthe cheeks , white lines on the ribs, white lines down the legs and arms , so that in the

gloom they looked liked dancing skeletons . Each man had a bunch of gum leavestied to his legs , which made a rustling noise as he stepped . They allbore in th

hands a pair of waddies , called “kanakar ,” which they beat to the same tints as t edrums with a sharp metallic clank . Thi s is called the “tartengk .

” The sound of eightypair s going fur iously together made a. tremendous clangour . O n my side of the firesthere stood with me a crowd of native spectators . T o us the dancers appeared throughthe smoke a tossing crowd of moving heads and arms , the women ’

s voices rose on our

side in shrilltones, the men shouted in hoarse chorus . Just then there was a suddentur n in the song, and from out the moving mass of dancers there dar ted a dozen menr ight into the quivering firelight: imtantly they spread themselves in a rank facing thedrummers and spectators , and with legs spread wide apar t

,arms rapidly beating the

tartengk , heads str etched forwards , they danced with a peculiar kind of jump or stampin exact time, but with great energy . This continued about five minutes . and then thechorus changed, and back they sprang and vanished in the crowd . Then the songwent on a while, and, as it turned , another party leaped out in the same manner

, anddanced as the others did . F ine ! fine said the spectators withmany notes of acclamation . And thus the cor r obbery proceeded untilthey allgot tir ed, and had to stop andr est . The whole scene was of a wild and weir d natur e (scarcely to be conveyed bywords, but far more of a dramatic or spectacular character than any other .The aborigines themselves show some natural talent for drawing . The picturethi s volume, copied from aboriginal dr awings, show this . These contributed by thewn ter are by a woman called Y er tabr ida : she was never in any schoolin her life, andnever received any instruction in drawing.


110 TH E A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U TH A US TRALIA :

A short time after the above appeared in the papers , Dr . Shand , of

Port Elliot , contributed to the discussion ,in the S outh A ustr alian

Register , the following very interesting letter“T H E T EETH or T H E A BORIG IN ES .

“T o T H E ED ITOR .

S ir—Your correspondents on aboriginalmatters appear to have satisfied themselveson the subject of teeth

,and perhaps have perplexed you and your readers with their

very difier ent experience. I do not propose to add to you Museum any additionalskulls , but think I can show that both accounts are correct . In order of dentition and

in differentialcharacters the permanent teeth of the aborigines are similar to those of

their whi te brethr en,the general conformation being more substantial. A pproaching

middle life, the surfaces of the incisors are very much altered in appearance,and can

generally , about forty, be found entirely different from Eur opean races . G radually theincisors become more and more altered in aspect

,and in old age ar e most interesting.

T owards mi ddle life they are not unlike the nippers in the horse, as incisors ar e therecommonly called

,but as the wear continues the surface is not onlyflat, but the relative

measur ements change, and these teeth measure more from before backwards than fromside to side. The resemblance to the horse is fur ther exhibited in the centralbrownmark, as seen in aged horses . I do not believe that any section of the teeth in the

young adult could be shaped to the condition presented in middle life,as the measur e

ment from before backwards is distinctly increased by use. The process I regard as

almost physiological.In the aged , when the teeth ar e well worn

,they are sometimes all—molars

,

incisors , &c .—ou a levelwith the gums , and very similar in aspect ; but long before

that time the incisors would be wellroughly described as not sharp like those of the

Europeans , but flat and not unlike molars .

’ My acquaintance with thi s interestingpeople has been confined to those I have seen in this neighborhood, but I believe Ihave a more extensive aboriginal practice than any other medi cal man in S outhA ustralia . I have cer tainly examined more than a hundred mouths

,and have

frequently dr awn attention to their peculiarity . S ince the recent correspondence on

the subject,I have demonstrated months at all ages to a professional brother . A s

many aborigines who consult me come from the Point Macleay S tation,I cannot

understand Mr . T aplin’

s failure to notice the alteration in the teeth . T he influence ofheredity and the causes of the transformation I willnot now enter, on . but on the mainpoint in dispute I start with Mr. T aplin and finally accord with Mr . Woods .I am

,S ir

,85 0 ,

Port Elliot, A pril2 5 , 1 879 . H EN RY M . S HA N D,M .D.

Professor Tate also , in a lecture delivered by him in A delaide, isreported as follows T he lecturer also referred to the recent discussionas to the form of the incisor teeth of an aboriginal, producing a skullwhich he had procured at Eucla , in support of the position taken up byMr . J . D . Woods , viz .

, that the incisor teeth of the aboriginal, in placeof cutting edges , have a flat grinding surface .

”N ow, allthis furnishes

an amusing instance of the extent to which people, in the course of a

discussion ,willmisunderstand each other .

T he report furnished by the writer to the A borigines’ Department , in

1 874 ,shows that he had notfailed to notice tlze alter a tion in the teeth

as Dr . Shand supposes and however much he may accord with M r .

W oods,his letter certainly does not prove that the incisors ar e like

molar s . A ccording to Dr . Shand , the peculiarity only arises in middlelife ; in early life it does not exist . Certainly Mr . J . D . W oods’ statement would not lead one to infer this . A gain , referring to Profes sorTate’ s as sertion that the incisor teeth of the aboriginal, in place of

cutting edges , have a flat grinding surface,”the writer would , if this


,A N D L A N G UA G E S . 11 1

had been the statement originally published byMr . J . D . Woods , havefound very little in it to disagree with . H e stillmaintains

,as he did

fr om the first , that it is an exaggeration to say that the incisor teeth of

the natives ar e like molar s, and that the very manifest peculiarity in the

teeth of the older aborigines arises from the prognathous form of the

skull and from the habit of chewing fibre and roots . Dr . CarpenterHuman Physiology ,” p . 934 ) says , that in the A ustralian savages a

form of head is prevalent which is most aptly distinguished by the term

prognathous , indicating a prolongation or forward extension of the

j aws .it it if it it 9“ T he upper j aw is lengthened , and

proj ects forwards , giving a similar projection to the alvicolar ridge and

to the teeth ; and the lower j aw has somewhat of the same obliqueproj ection , so that the upper and lower incisor teeth ar e set at an obtuseangle to each other instead of being nearly in parallel planes , as in the

Europeans . ” N ow, the result of such a position of the teeth would bea wearing-out proces s different from that which occurs in people whosefacial angle is greater . T he work of grinding is performed on the

posterior surface of the crown of the teeth where the enamel is thin ;consequently in time it is worn through , and the dentine appears , causingthe centralbrown mark s referred to byDr . Shand , and also the tendernes s of which the natives complain . T he nature of this wearing downprocess is evident when we consider that the sharp cutting edge of the

incisors is “ formed at the expense of the posterior surface ; j and the

enamelI S four times as thick on the anterior part of the crown of the

tooth as it is on the posterior . T he work of chewing then wears thisthin coating of enamel

,and when that is worn through the upper edge

of the front of the tooth also suffers . I have a j aw in my posses sion inwhich this is exactly illustrated . A nd in this can be seen the differencein shape which there is between the molars and the worn down incisors ;and also that the molars have suffered , and ar e also worn fiat by the

attrition of masticating fibrous substances . T he teeth in childhood—asany one can see (and a s core of specimen s could be produced here infive minutes )—ar e like our own ; it is the elderly people who exhibitthe effects of using them . Dr . Shand may callthe process physiologicalif he pleases there it is , and what has been indicated is the cause .

T he originalstatement of Mr . J . D . W oods , and the subsequent oneof Professor Tate, would lead their readers to the erroneous inferencethat the peculiarity in the teeth of the elder aborigines which has beenr eferred to was the condition in which they grew in childhood , and not

the result of after-use. This , as Dr . Shand admits , is not the case . A t

this time any person living at Point Macleay may see teeth of the livingaborigines in allstages . There ar e the shar p new teeth of children , theteeth of men and women just beginning to wear down , and the teeth of

the aged , in ~which there is evidence of the results of attrition . It is tobe observed , likewise, that the teeth of the natives show more frequentsigns of decay , such as the European s suffer from, since the introductionof different kinds of food by the colonists—[En ]

Dr . Er asmus W ilson Anatomy.

112 T H E A B O RI G JN E S or S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

WORDS in“N ARRIJV

’

YERI which RE S EM B L E

WORDS in other L AN G UA GE S .

[ BY T H E ED ITOR . ]

N arr inyer i Words . Meanings .

Enghsh or o

l

t

éi

s

e

gmv

gpéds Wh mh they

M er ippin and lippinNowa1y, tarnoItye

T ongue

Thi s wor d i s found in sever al languages , fr om Mor eton B ay to Encounter B ay, and alwaysmeans bad . wr ong .

lt is r emarkable that we should find this wor d p oti . for a hor se, amongst the Nar r inyer i .When themissionar ies in Tahiti wanted to invent a wor d that the Tahitians should use to1 hor se,they chose the Gr eek wor d hippos , but as the Tahitian had no sibilant they changed it to “hippote.This must have been about 1 800 . And strange to say we find the wor d amongst the Nar r inyer i .H ow di d it come he1 e .

S oon S oon

Enquir ing Enquiring . L atin—Queer ensBecoming many, or much M et/tits

,multiplying

A smallhole PockB ad Wrong

Drenching DrippingPutting, placing T hrowing

lVill W illCutting RippingN egative N o

H e, she, it It

G o G o

Come, come here N igherL o

,thus L ike

T earing RendingWalking S tampingA dog C

’anis (L at) ,

Keleo (Heb. )The mouth O s or is (L atin)A country Rus

A burning coal Cini s,ciner is

Eating T ake inT alking YarningF og Gloaming, gloomung (S axon)S and S tone

L imestone Mor tarBur ying in the earth G round

S econd son BratThe tongueA wordT ellingA spouse N up ta , a wife, nuptialWet Wet

Blood Caro,carni s

,flesh

Doing, being Ens,being

A tooth T oothDriving Pello, I driveA horse H ippos a horse

IResin ofnative cy Pitchpress—(exocarpus)A proper name WillieA proper name William


1 14 T H E A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

as that spoken at Encounter B ay. T hey all belong to the same family of language ;they have the same principles of construction,so that the acqui sition of one is a key to

the whole. I have added a tabular view of the pronoun s which ar e most interesting,as the necessity of their frequent use has caused the greatest similarity to be maintained

LAKE .

The duals and plurals are formed by additions 1n themselves,differing from those of

the A delaide people,but the principle of adding them i s precisely the same, viz .

,to the

root of the word :

Head . Two Heads . Heads .

T he numerals of the Encounter Bay and Pomunda tribes ar e nearly the same, butthey have no resemblance to the A delaide

A DEL A IDE . ENCO UNT ER B A Y . PO M U N DA .

Y ammalaityiN eingengi

M aalda

Kinggar ung or Kukarkar

[Dr . Moorhouse was mi staken 1 1 1 the third personalpronoun of the tribes west of theL ake, and at Pomunda . A t both those places it i s the same as Encounter B ay, viz .

kitye, kengge, kar . It is difficult to say how thi s error arose. Kiyikai or tikai ispr obably hikkai,which means this . Possibly when the natives were asked for theword

for Mu

m—pointing to someone—they would give the word for this, as they ar e so fondof using it as almost equivalent for he.

—ED .

Aborigines’

L ocation,March

S ir .—I have the honor to inform H is Excellency the G overnor that I arrived in town

on Monday the loth, from a visit to the south eastern branch of the Murray . I leftA delaide on the 25thF ebruary

,and arrived at Encounter Bayon the 26th—the follow

ing day.

T H E /R M A N N ERS , C U S T O M S , A N D L A N G U A G E S . 1 15

I,accompanied by the Rev . Mr . Meyer, examined the thr ee sections in thi s district,

and concluded to have section 2 35 enclosed,as previously ordered byH is Excellency, the

one on the lower part of the Inman not being of so good a quality. O n the 1 st of

March we arrived at themouth of the Murray, but, aswewere unable to obtain a boat,

we retur ned to the police station at the G oolwa .

O n the second daywe obtained a whaleboat, manned it with natives , and continuedour journ ey along the Coor ong . O ur party consisted now of nine—four Eur opeans andfive natives . O n arriving a second time at the mouth of the Murray

,we met the

Encounter B aypeople returning fr om an encounter with theM ilmenr oor a or bigMur raytribe. Many were wounded—one had received a spear on the upper part of the chest

,

whi ch produced almost immediate death, another was wounded in the abdomen and diedin four days . T hi s affr ay took place in consequence of the M ilmenr oor a people feelingthemselves aggrieved by those from Encounter B ay conveying the information of the

late mur ders committed upon the Europeans , and they were determined to have retribution . I hoped to arrive there before theengagement took place, that I might see theM ilmenr oora tribe and tellthem it was desirable to lay aside all hostile feelings , bothtowards their neighboring brethren and the Eur opeans .

We saw many scattered groups along the banks of the Coor ong, but we were not ableto speak to any. A s soon as they saw the boat approaching the shore they disappearedamongst the sandhills .

We intended to continue our journey as far as T entu,but on T hursday

, the 4th

ult.

,when encamped on the banks of the river for the night, the natives observed twoflocks of swans flying over us making a noise indicative of fright . T hey gave the

following explanation —,T hose who had seen us come to the shore had gone forward

and communicated with other groups returning from the fight . We wished them to

thr ow aside all suspicion and be composed . T hey said that they would sleep in the

boat,and ifwe slept on shorewe should be surrounded in the night and speared . T hey

persevered in their determination to sleep in the boat,so we accompanied them

,took

her into deep water, and slept there . T hey allwatched till.

the moon went down,and

then one was thought sufficient . O n F ri day we could not persuade them to continuethe j ourney, so we took a homeward direction .

A t 2 pm . we saw several known to be friendly to the Encounter B ay people, butthey were not willing to allow us to approach them . We sent Peter on shore

,as they

were his friends,and with much persuasion he prevailed upon ten males to remain to

speak to us . O ne was a M ilmenr oor a native,and we spoke to him to the following

effect,Peter and Charley acting as interpreters We ar e sorr y to see your countrymen

flee whenever they are approached . We have visited them wishing fully to satisfy all

that the Europeans ar e desir ous of being on friendly terms , and that the G overnmenthas made / a declaration of peace towards them . If any Europeans should again be

unfortunately cast upon their shores,if they would enable them to cross the Murray and

conduct them either to Encounter B ay, or A delaide,they should be supplied with

clothes—and not repeat the atrocities committed upon the passengers of the Maria forthe sake of their garments .

”T he object of our visit was not fully accomplished . The

contest which we hoped to check was over,to the loss of the Encounter Bay people.

We wished also to ascertain what language was spoken in the M ilmenr oor a district, butthemen we saw were so much afraid they could scarcely be induced to speak .

It was desir able to obtain their numericalforce. T his, however, is not practicable atpresent . I have

,&c .

,

M . MOORHOUSE,Protector of Aborigines .

G eorge H all,Esq .

,Private S ecretary .

0

River Murray, 2 05 fr om A delaide, June 30 , 1 842 .

S in—I have_the honor to report to H is Excellency the G overnor the results up to thepresent date of the expedition to capture four of the aborigines implicated in the attacksupon H . Inman

,on the 1 6th of last A pril.I left A delaide on the 3 1 st M ay with a detachment of mounted police, and a number

of gentlemen specially sworn as constables for the occasion . We reached the “Pound,

”

on the Murray,on F riday the 4th of June

,and halted there three days . O n Monday

116 T H E A B O RI G JN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

the 7th we continued our march , and for the first time saw a group of five natives onthe Opposite banks of the river . We encamped within three miles of the place wherethey were seen

,and as they did not follow us

, I sent the two interpreters that hadaccompanied us from A delaide to invite them to the tents . A t daybreak on the 8ththr ee of the str angers came, and I , in conformity with my instructions, agreed withtwo of them to j oin us

,as they might be required for the languagehigher up the river .

A t Deadman ’s Flat,on the loth of June, five more natives crossed the river

,

and,through our A delaide interpreters

,were asked many questions about the

attack upon Mr . Inman,what had become of the sheep and other proper ty

that had been taken away,and the following statement was elicited .

—T hey hadheard fr om other natives that an attack had been made upon Europeans

,that the

natives had taken a large quantity of sheep , provisions , and clothing that one

native was shot dead at the time, and at a subsequent period several others were shotby a party on hO 1 seback . T hey had not seen the sheep themselves

,nor the place of

attack,but they understood from some of their friends that we should reach the place

in six hour s,and from others m two days’ march . O n the 1 4th of June our Murray

natives r efused to accompany us any further ; they had been with us a distance of 5 0

miles,and deputed to act for them others m whose ter ritory we were marching . O n

the I8th— 1 76 miles from A delaide—we met 26 male adults,assembled by one

gof the

interpreters,who had gone in advance two days before . T hey expressed a friendly

feeling towards us , and were particularly anxious to clear themselves from all par ti cipatiou in the attack upon Mr . Inman . “r e crossed L ake Bonney on the 1 9th

,and

M ettelittela Yerta (Thief L and) . In the afternoon of the 20th,when pitching the

tents,fourteen natives were seen

,nine on the distant and five on the near banks of

the river . The latter were approaching our encampment ; but were unfortunatelyrushed upon

,with intent ofmaking them prisoners , by a party in our rear

,who had

been in search of some strayed cattle . T hey at once plunged into the water, and swamto the opposite side. We tried

,thr ough our interpreter

,to entice them over

, promising to supply them with food

,and not injur e them . T hey said they would visi t us in

the morning . T hey did not come according to promi se, so at half-past 8 o’ clock wesent those in advance who had been with us some days to endeavor to Obtain an

interview with others that might be found with the sheep . A t 3 o’ clock we arrived at

the junction of the river with the Murray,and saw a group on the Opposite banks of

the rapid . O ur interpreter inquir ed if they had seen those whom we had sent inadvance

,and they said “no .

” After conversing for twominutes we were leaving them,

when M r . H awker came up from the dr ays , stating that he had seen some natives at

the place we had j ust come from . We immediately returned ; but only saw five on

our side of the river—four that had been sent on in advance,and one of the guiltytribe they had persuaded to approach . T hi s one had many questions put to him

regarding the sheep,H ow many had been killed ? where we should find them ? and

did they shepherd the sheep ? all of which the two following days proved had beenfalsely answered . Thi s individualhad received a ballthr ough hi s thigh , the woun d ofwhich had just healed . We treated him with kindness

,supplied him with food

,and

invited him to sleep with our A delaide boy, a little distance from the tents . The Commi ssioner ot Police promi sed him blankets and clothing if he would point out the guiltyparty

,which he agreed to do, pr omising at the same time to bring allhi s tribe to us in

the morning . O no

the morning of the 2 2md the native was again questioned about thesheep . H e said they were in a nor th eastern direction from the camp

,and r ecom

mended the drays and tents to be taken half a day’ s march forward,and said we should

meet the sheep,a large herd of cattle, and three dr ays , in the possession of Europeans .

H e was questioned over and over again about Europeans being in our advance,and

he invariably answered they were,and had come fr om S ydney . Just before the police

were ordered to march a bullock driver came to the camp,and presented some sheep

bones that had been found on the opposite side of the rapid . T he natives that hadaccompanied us foi sever aldays before

,and the stranger they had brought the previous

evening, appear ed to be much intimidated . T hey wished to leave us,lest they should

be shot ; butwe distinctly told them they should not be shot . T his assurance appearedto allay their 5 1 spense for a time. A little after 8 o’ clock the party marched

,and we


1 18 TH E A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L ZA .

o

The first was evidently given to clear himself and all connected with him,and the

second i s such as is generally obtained from uncivilised people. O ne individualwillatany time implicate another to exonerate himself.

We ar e now on the road home, and have travelled sixty miles fr om L anghorne’ sferry on the Rufus . I have the honor

,&c .

,

M . MOORHOU S E,Protector of Aborigines .

A . M . Munday,Esquire

,Private S ecr etary

0A delaide

,July 1 2th

,1 842 .

S ir—I have the honor to inform H is Excellency the G overner that I arrived inA delaide on the 9th ult.

,f1 om the expedition to the Murray

,and continue my report

from the 3oth of June,the date ofmylast . July lst—We encamped threemiles south

west of L ake Bonney, on the territories O f a tribe who professed to be friendly on our

march up the river . In the evening six male adults came to our encampment . T heywere asked why they dare approach T hey said

,

“ B ecause we have nothing to fear, aswe have not injured the Europeans . O n the following day (2nd) we marched sevenmiles

,and in the evening thr ee strange natives came to us . T hrough the A delaide boy

I conversed with them for an hour,about their country

,means of subsistence

,catching

game, &c .

,and when leaving them for the night they inquir ed if I , or anyof the party,

wished to have their women brought . T hey said all the whi te people they had seen

before had had their women brought for the purpose of sexualintercourse,to whom

the Europeans gave flour,animd food

,and clothing . A t Dead Man ’

s Flat,on the 5th

O f July,one

,O f the guides that left us on the rapid

,made his appearance. Major

O’

H allor an made him a prisoner for hi s clandestine departure from the detachment onthe 22nd of June. H e was made to understand that he would be taken to A delaide,and there kept for a while

,and that if hi s tribe interfered with the overland parties he

might not be allowed to retur n to them . The same was told to allwho visited himafter he’

was taken prisoner . The statements given to me on the 2nd I have everyreason to belive . T he Europeans themselves admit their corr ectness . F ourteenmonths ago the Rev . Mr . T eichelmann and myself were inquiring O f a S ydn ey native

,

who had travelled the overland road twice in two years,and he said it was becomingdangerous for Eur opeans to come overland . H e said the blacks were becomi ng enraged

with the whi tes,for the latter had used the women of the former

,and much abused

them. The abuse,he explained

,consisted in the Eur opeans promi sing the aborigines

food,clothing, and tomahawks for the use of their females but the Eur opeans did not

fulfiltheir promises . After gratifying their passions , the women were turned out latein the evening, or in the night, and instead of the men having their promised r ewai d ,they were laughed at and i idi culed . Mr . Millar’ s statements o 1

supp0 1 t indirectly thoseof the S ydney native. H e said T his i s the third time I have come overland fromS ydney . T he first time I came the natives were of great assistance to my party ; theyhelped to dri ve our cattle for many miles they did not attempt to steal or take anything from us . T he second time they were more bold ; they would pilfer and stealfrom our encampment

,and in the night they several times crossed the Mur1 ay, and

speared the sheep,so that the shepherds were obliged to fir e upon them . I never saw

them attempt to attack the dr ays before this present time.

”Indiscriminate shooting,

according to our present knowledge, does not appear to deter the aborigines on the

Rufus from attacking dr ays containing provisions , clothing, and implements , It

is the Opinion ofmany colonists that this expedition,having refrained from shooting,

has tended to encourage rather than in timidate the aborigines in acts O f aggression and

outrage. T his must CDof necessity remain as an Opinion,as no dir ect proof can be

brought to establish it as a fact . T o confirm thi s I may give the treatments of two

parties attacked at L anghorne’ s F erry before Mr . L anghorne’ s party .

N ineteen months ago the drays of a cattle party were attempted to be taken at thisvery spot by a group of natives . T en men on hor

,seback all supplied with firearms

,

were on the bank s of the river at the time, and repelled the natives at once by fir ingupon them. The natives retreated as soon as they saw one or two of their tribe shot :but they were followed for about fifteen miles by those on horseback, and firing kept upthe whole time . Thirteen months ago a similar encounter took place on the same spot

,

and the natives were routed wi th cons iderable loss .

YH EJR JU A N N ERS,CU S T O JLI S

,A ND L A ZVG UA GES . 1 19

A s they have been victorious in the two last contests with Europeans,there appears at

present no means of preventing further colli sion but strong numerical force in overlandparties . If their force be numerous they would be at once awed

,as they evidently

were when the police force approached .

T he overland parties have not acted judiciously in allowing the native women to be

brought to their encampments . It was an intimacy that encouraged the native at

once to require something at the hands of the Europeans . When he received food or

clothing he was acquiring a taste for food that could not be obtained in hi s savagestate

,and there can be no wonder that when he sees it in the possession of others he

should take it by force, unless there should be sufficient strength to resist . Mr . Millarand allhi s party believe that had they left their dray, with its provisions and clothing,there would not have been a single European wounded .

I have the honor to be,S ir

,Your obedient servant,

M . M ooRH ousE,Protector of Aborigines .

A . M . Munday,Esq . Private S ecretary .

L ake B onney,1 9 miles from A delaide

,S eptember 4

,1 84 1 .

S ir—I have the honor to inform H is Excellency the G overnor that the expedition,consisting of twenty-nine Europeans and three aborigines, sent from A delaide on the

3 1 st of July to meet Mr . Robinson and others on their route from S ydney,is now on its

return,having been effectualin rendering allthe assistance that was necessary to whom

it was designed . I joined the detachment fifty miles from A delaide,on the 4th of

A ugust, and upon reaching the “Pound,” early on the 7th, I had alltheparty assembledto read the instructions given to me by H is Excellency, and to explain to each thenatur e of the expedi tion and the duties they would be expected to perform. T herewere several natives there

,and although within a mile of our tents did not visit us .

O ur natives,however

,visited them

,and on their return in the evening said they had

received some important reports . T heir friends had informed them that allthe nativeshad gone up the river, in consequence of an individualcoming down and recommendingallto congregate and attack a party coming fr om S ydney with bullocks

,sheep

,clothing,

&c . I was at a loss how far to believe the report,but as we travelled along the Mur ray

we noticed a scarcity of native encampments,which led me to give probability to the

story . In passing over a distance of ninety miles we only saw one place where nativeswere living . The number consisted of twenty-four old emaciated men and womensuch as were not able to travel. I inquir ed where the young men were—they repliedhigher up the river . O n the 1 8th we halted for the night thr ee miles to the south ofL ake Bonney

,and our A delaide natives took me

,the S ub-Inspector of Police

,and a

volunteer gentleman ,to a creek two miles di stant from our tent , where we saw 1 05 of

their brethr en . S ome were much intimidated at our approach . S everalwomen placedtheir childr en upon their backs and r an into thewater . A few adults seized their spearsand stood firmly by their huts , whilst two, whom I saw on a former visit

,came to me

and inquir ed if I did not recognize them . T hey show great anxiety to be on fri endlyterms with us

,and said that they could prove to us that they were not guilty of spearing

European property . T hey said there ar e thr ee horses grazing near our habitation whi chwe could spear at any time, but have refrained in order to keep friendly with the whiteman . T hey took us through a belt of scrub and showed us the horses within 4 00 yardsof a hut. O n the 1 9th rose at daybreak

,that we might commence our march at an

early hour . A t 9 o’ clock the cattle were all brought in ,

and at half-past were yokedready for starting . F our of the natives that were seen the night before came to us andstrongly advised us not to go on

,as there were many natives two days march in our

advance,occupied in preparin g shields

,and other implements of war . O ne of those

present had come fr om their encampment two days before, and said they would attackus . T hey were full of wrath (turlabutto) , and would take our provisions and clothing .

I desired him to accompany us,but he would not. Thi s in terview had a bad effect upon

those that accompanied us fr om A delaide ; two of them turned aside from the road,professedly to hunt

,but did not return . F ortunately

,however

,we had a thir d upon one

of the drays whom we did not suffer to escape. We reached T olmcr ’s Flat, twelve

120 TH E A B ORI G IN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

miles to the north -east of L ake Bonney , on the 1 9th , and on the 2oth halted to rest ourcattle. lVe were then in the district of the hostile people, and had the first instance ofaggression that I had witnessed on the Murray . T he party was at drillin themorning,and the sheep that had been brought with us as supplies were permitted to grazewithouta shepherd . A s soon as dr illwas over the shepherd went after his sheep

,and greatly

to his surprise found one with a spear in its side. The native who threw it was seen,

but could not be approached . A fter this we had some difficulty in keeping our A delaideinterpreter with us . A s he went along the river he made many inquiries from those onthe Opposite side . H e frequently asked me how far we were from L ake V ictoria

,

because he was told that we should be attacked there. H e persuaded thr ee to go alongwith us

,whom we supplied abundantly with kangaroo, and suffered to sleep at our

encampment, charging them not to move about in the night, lest the four guards thatwere on duty should shoot them .

Pangki Pangki (our A delaide interpreter) said by allmeans have drillevery day, thatthe strangers may see the superiority of muskets over spears

,shields

,waddies

,&c . O n

the 25th Mr . Shaw had a tree marked at a distance of fifty yards,and had a single

round fired at the mark,allowing three seconds between the firing of each shot . Bangki

Pangki said This pleases me,and the constant fear that possessed me is now gone.

T he three that had been with us for several days were terrified,and proposed going

before us to the L ake to describe the European powers of warfare. I wished them to

do so,and hoped that their statements would be regarded . O n the 2 7th, as we were

only five miles from the L ake,I had the party assembled to repeat my instructions .

Each individual was distinctly told that no firing could be allowed until the SubInspector of Police gave the command . I advised them in cases of attack from the

natives to use every exertion to protect our drays . A t 9 o’ clock we marched

,and in an

hour and a-half saw two gentlemen on horseback (Mr . Robin son and Mr . L evi) , on theOp posite side of the Rufus

,one mile below L anghorne’ s F erry. We saluted them

heartily,and inquir ed if their party were all safe.

1 T hey replied that both theirpersons and their property were un injured

,although they had been attacked on the

previous day by a party of 300 blacks . Mr . Robin son continued,that about midday

,

as theywere driving the sheep and cattle along the road , they observed at a di stance ofabout 1 00 yards a number of blacks . H e suspected that their movements were hostile,and accordingly ordered allthe property tobe collected into as limited a space as possible.

S even men were set to guard the cattle and sheep,and nineteen well armed men—ten

mounted and nine foot—to the front . Whilst they were doing this the natives hadformed themselves into a semi-circular line

,each flank not beingmore than thirty yards

fr om the sheep . The Europeans formed into a single line and commenced firing, andcontinued till they had fired eight rounds each . By this time the natives , not havingapproached sufficiently near to spear the sheep

,had lost five of their number and ten

woun ded . T he par ty being two miles from the Rufus continued their march,and

encamped at L anghorne’ s F erry .

After narrating the previous day’ s adventure Mr . Robinson inquired where he couldcross the herds and drays

,as he was r econnoitr eing the river and intended to cross

immediately . H e had just been up to the L ake, but the Rufus at its junction with theL ake was too broad and too deep

,therefore he should try the F erry .

T he S ub-Inspector O f Police,a volunteer gentleman ,

and myself,rode in advance of

our party along the Rufus as far as the L ake, and greatly to our surprise discovered a

large mob of natives running towards us,each beari ng his implements of war . We

hastened to our party and communicated what we had seen . We had the dr ays placedon the banks of the river

,and formed the constables into a line two deep , in order to

protect them . In half-an -hour after the natives were seen in the scrub about half a

mile from us,intending evidently to commence an attack . I then gave the command

of the party to Mr . Shaw,the S ub-Inspector

,and said he might issue such orders as he

thought necessary for our safety,and the overland proper ty that we had to protect ,

urging him strongly not to allow any firing untilI had spoken to the hostile natives . I

requested Bangki to accompany me in advance,and after proceeding 400 yards from

the F erry the natives that had left us three days before plunged into the water and

came to us . I asked them the result of their interview . T hey answered that the L ake


122 TH E A B ORI GJN E S 0 1 7 S O U TH A U S TRA L IA

A bori gines’

L ocation,S eptember

,1 3

,1 84 1 .

S ir—I have the honor to inform H is Excellency the G overnor ofmy return to townfrom my visit to the Rivers Murray and Rufus . My report of the encounter with the

natives,for warded by Mr. Robinson to H is Excellency, gave a general statement of

facts as they occurred,in consequence of the shor t notice I had to prepare. A more

detailed account may, therefore, be acceptable to the G overnment and the publicin general. I then stated that upon reaching the Pound (the first point where the roadfr om A delaide touches the Murray) I heard of the hostile intentions of the nativesthat allthe young and vigorous had gone up the river ; and my own observations con

firmed the statement . A t L ake B onney, the north-eastern boundary of the territory ofthose living on peaceful term s with Europeans

,I saw where 1 00 natives assembled,

apparently for the purpose of having an interview with us,and warning us of our

danger in approaching L ake V ictoria . T hey all advised us to return to A delaide, asthey knew we should be attacked

,and probably mur dered . O ne of them di stinctly said

that he had just arr ived from visiting the blacks sixty miles higher up the river,and

they informed him that they would attack the next par ty coming overland,and for the

pur pose they were allpreparing warlike implements of every description . H e also in

formed us that our numbers in comparison with the aborigines were so small that thelatter were sure to be victorious . Thi s information completely intimidated our

A delaide natives,two O f whom

,as I reported before

,left us . T he same feeling in a

degree was produced amongst the Europeans ; but they felt it their bounden duty toproceed,as they intended to render assistance to those whose lives were likely to be

placed in imminent danger . Er om L ake Bonney to L ake V ictoria the distance isseventy miles

,the first fifty of whi ch we had three Murr ay natives with us

,and they

said we should be attacked . T hese ar e thr ee that saw the Eur opeans fir e at a markedtree

,and endeavour ed to pacify the L ake V ictoria people after witnessing the use of

fir earms,and European mode of applying them . N otwithstanding the efforts of these

thr ee to persuade the L ake tribes to desist fr om their schemes of attack,they would not

listen . T hey had been successfulin taking sheep from Mr . Inman four monthsbefore

,and allthe clothing and provisions

,besides killing four men of Mr . L anghorne’ sparty two months after

,and were much emboldened in consequence. T hey had made

an attempt at taking the sheep from Messrs . Robin son Phillipson,on the 26th

of A ugust, the very day before they attacked us . A t 1 0 o’ clock on the morning of the

2 7th, when on L ake V ictoria wi th Mr . Shaw and a volunteer gentleman ,we saw

the same people,armed with spears and shields

,rapidly approaching us

,and had

to retreat for the safety of our lives . B eing on horseback,we reached our dr ays in ten

minutes . The natives pur sued us,and when in sight of us again we were with ourpar ty

,consisting of twenty-nine Europeans from A delaide

,and twenty-six from

S ydney . T hi s force did not seem to alter their determination . Encour aged by formersuccess they gradually approached

,dr ew themselves in to a single line, armed with

spears and shields,and their chests and faces ornamented with white chalk

,indicating

war . T heir gradual advance,and the determined manner in which it was made

,

requir ed measures for the safety of the Eur opeans to be adopted . Pacification I

thought the most desir able, and took the interpreter with me in advance,to inquir e into

the cause of such di spositions towards the whi te people. I had little intercour se withthem

,as Pangki Pangki would not expose himself within spear-thr ow of hi s enemies .

I only received the message sent by the three who had been with us two days before,

whi ch was,that the Europeans had food and clothing, and they would take them,

let

they consequences be what they might . H ad I approached without the interpreter Icould have effected no good , as their dialect is so totally different from that spoken inA delaide that I could not have mademyself 1mder stood . It would have been incur ringa risk dispropor tionate to the advantage. A t thi s juncture there was resistance or

certain death before the Eur opeans,and to have withheld the permi ssion to fir e any

longer would have placed their lives in je0par dy, and the liberty taken in self-defence.

T he firing commenced before spears were thr own,on accormt O f the inequality in

numbers between the two par ties . The natives were at least 1 50 strong, while theEuropeans had only thir ty-six that could be spared apart from the sheep

,cattle

,and

drays . S ome natives had two or thr ee spears each,every spear being equal to a

musket,if sufficiently near an object to be thr own ; and to have waited un tilthe natives

were within that di stance would have been to expose the Eur opeans to cer tai n defeat .

'

T H E[R M A N N ERS,C U S T O M S


The natives were thrown into confusion shortly after the firing commenced . O ne hun

dr ed disappeared altogether in the polygonum scrub,and the rest took to the river . Mr .

Robinson was the leader of his party,and in following severalhe had seen on theRufus

he was speared in the arm by one who was concealed in the reeds . Thi s caused him to

examine the reeds,and in doing so he detected a group of thirty concealed there. H e

pointed out the group with their spears,within a few yards of the side of the river

,

where the Eur opeans were passing . T hey were fired upon ,and about ten shot

,and the

r emaining twenty we left there. Whilst the firing was going on the Europeans had tobear in mind that 1 0 0 had gone into the scrub not more than twenty yards from the

river,and whether they had run off altogether, or had concealed themselves there

,was

not known . T hi s caused the firing to be continued longer that it otherwise might havebeen upon those on the river . H ad they escaped they might possibly have reinforcedthose in the scrub

,and surr ounded the Eur opeans in such a mann er as to have either

killed or dr iven them into the river . My position as a magistrate on this occasion I 1

conceived requir ed the strictest impartiality in judging of thi s di stressing scene,and myconviction is that the natives in thi s instance were in fault . T hey were determined

,at

allrisks,to cut O ff every white man

,to be enabled to procur e the property . T he contest

could not have been avoided,and the result to the natives was so serious

,when com

pared to that of the Eur opeans,therewas reason to believe that more lenity would have

been attended with more slaughter, as they would have attacked again . In aecompanying the overland party 1 30 miles down the Murray I had the Opportunity of

witnessing their treatment of those natives that visit their encampment . In the afternoon of the 2 7th, a few hour s after the affr ay

,one of our shepherds applied to the

A delaide native for permi ssion to have intercourse with the wife that had been takenprisoner . T he native asked me if it would be allowed . I replied

,N o

,and

expressed my regret that he did not at once deny the Eur opean . A s soon as I had

answered the native I spoke to the shepherd to the same effect . A t that moment I wasinvited into Mr . Robin son’

s tent to examine his arm and dr ess his wound . I dressedhi s wormd

,and was about twenty minutes with him . Dur ing my absence thi s shepherd

referr ed to had taken the woman out of her hut,much against her will, and effected

hi s pur pose. A nother shepherd,immediately after that

,had intercour se with her

_by

her own fir e. O n the 5th of S eptember another scene,more Open than the above

,

occur r ed . A bout fifty natives,including men

,women

,and childr en

,encamped about

half a mile from us . A s is their wonted practice,the shepherds went to them

,and

agreed for the women ,promising to give their husbands meat and clothing as remu

ner ation . Mr . Phillipson heard of the shepherds being w ith the natives,and in

formed me of what was going on . I accompanied him to the huts,and formd three

of them having intercour se wi th the young females in the presence of severalother Europeans . I threatened them with pun ishmmt ; but they said ther e wasno law against such practices

,and they should not regard any commands from their

employers to that effect . Messrs . Phillipson St Robinson reprimanded their servants ;but they still replied that they would do the same again as soon as oppor tunity pr esented itself. T here were several natives ac companying me from L ake B onney to

A delaide ; but I doubt whether they will reach A delaide, on accormt of the incessantapplication for their wives by the Eur opeans . “Then I left the party I placed a

_sentry

at the native hut during the night, and ordered every person who visited the females tobe taken in charge by the police. T hese breaches ofmoralrectitude on the part of theEuropeans have

,I fear

,been the sour ce of so many disasters to the overland parties .

I inquir ed O f our guides why the people on L ake V ictoria were about to attack us .

Was it to retaliate past insults from the white man ? But they said not ; it was for thesheep and clothing which they so much desired

,and they acquir ed a taste for this food

and clothing from the rewards given to them for the use of their women . F rom the

disposition of the natives manifested on the lake,I am of Opinion that unless there be

a European station there,or the overland par ties come in greater numerical strength ,

scenes of warfare and bloodshed will occur . A number of Europeans stationed in thatdistrict for six or twelve months might be a means of establishing a friendly relationwith them

,or if greater numericalforce be made practicable, I should strongly r ecom

men d the appointment of an individual to accompany each party,invested with power

to punish allbreaches,moralor legal, that may be committed during the journey .

I have,&c .

,

The H on . the ColonialS ecretary . M . MOORHOUS E,Protector of Aborigines .

1 04 T H E A B O RI G JIVE S O F S O U TH A U S T RA L IA :

Wellington ,1 5th June

,1 842 .

S ir —I have the honor to report that on the 8th ultimo,whilst atWellington ,

I

received your instr uctions to proceed with M 11

. Shaw,S ub-Inspector of Police

,and thr ee

constables,to B onney’ s V Vaterhole

,where a European is alleged to have been murdered

by the natives .

We reached the lVaterholes on the 1 1th,and on the [ 2th proceeded in a south

easterly direction as far as the Coorong, a distance of about thir ty miles .

We there found the encampment ofo the three Eur Opeans who were on the road overland to Por t Phillip . O ne hundred yards to the eastward of the encampment we foundpart of a skeleton

,recogni sed by the hair of the head to be that of M cG rath. T he

wild dogs had taken away the arms,collar and blade bones

,and left foot

, gnawed offthe cartilages of the ribs , and completely str ipped the bones that remained

,with the

exception of the skull-cap . The frontal and right temporalbones had been shatteredto pieces during life, as the wormds and extravasated blood fully prove. A fter havingcarefully examined the bones , and especially the fr actured parts about the head

,we

deposited them in a grave, about three feet deep , on the evening of that day, andcommenced our march homewards on the following morning . A thorough search hasbeen made by the police on the eastern side of the Mur ray and L ake for the perpetratorsof thi s melancholy act

,but it has not been successful ; they ar e on the south side of

L ake Albert,where the police cannot approach

,but the natives atWellington havepromised to find out the murderers and bring them to the police station at the crossingplace. In consequence of thi s outrage I have not distributed all the blankets that I

had with me for theWellington natives . I told them that they would be given tothose who might bring in the guilty natives . The four natives implicated in the affairar e wellknown . O ne is a boy who has lived eighteen months with Eur opeans

,and

understands well the use of fir earms . O n the 8th ult. he was heard by two of Mr .M cL eod

’

s shepherds shooting wild ducks and swans on L ake Alexandrina . It is

supposed that the guns and ammunition proved a great source of temptation,and

especially to the boy, who is acquain ted with their application .

I have,&c .

,

The H on . the Col. S ecretary . M . MOORHOUS E,Protector of Aborigines .

[The murderers ofM cG r athwere afterwards taken and punished . T he

natives say that he was murdered after an altercation about the paymentof some men whom he had employed . T he daughter of one of the mur

der er’s is stillliving : the wife of another

,and son (named L oru N ompo) ,

ar e stillliving— and the son’ s children . T he granddaughter and great

granddaughter ofanother of the men implicated ar e also alive . T he spotwhere the murder was committed has ever since been called M cG r ath

’s

Flat ]

L ET TERS of A B ORI G IJV’

E S ED U CA TED

in the M I S S I ON S O II O O L S .

A t the end of thi s volume willbe found a few specimens of the epistolary stylewhi chhas been attained byyoung natives who have been instructed 1n thenative schoolsof thi s colony .

The first i s by John Wilkins , a half caste,who was instr ucted at Point Macleay .

In it he gives to the writer —his employer—air account of the reason for hi s absencefrom work , and an account of his brother’ s death . T his young man is veryintelligent,and has learned rough carpentering, whi ch he follows as his trade. H e i s now about2 6 years of age. H e has been a consistent Christian for ten years .


TH EIR -AIA N N ERS,CU S T O M S


T he natives who can write largely avail themselves of the facilities afforded byletter writing and the post office as a means of communication between distant friends .

I have also heard of love letters between young people who were attached to each other.The remaining letters are contributed by M r s . H olden . The following very interest

ing memorandum,also, is from the pen of that lady :

A gnes B ates was a full native of S outh A ustr aha, a good Chr i stran, fai thfulgirl,and never forgot her friends ; she was baptized , and shortly before her death

,from

consumption ,received, at her own request , the H oly S acrament of the L ord ’ s S upper .

Thi s was only a few days before her death . My husband, the Rev . R. W . H olden,

had, at her desire, placed some money of her wages which she did not then require inthe S avings B ank ; but when her protracted illness prevented her earn ing more, and

when she felt her end dr awing near,she earnestly requested Mr . H olden to see Mr .

Carlin (now deceased) , storekeeper , and pay him from this moneyin the S avings Bank .

I t was only a smalldebt , yet it troubled her . H er wish was carried out, Mr . H olden’

s

attention to it being one of his last official acts in connection with Poonindie. The

Elsie’and Ben ’ mentioned in her letter were her little brother and sister ; to B en

she was particularly attached . B oth childr en ,after a timd came to Poonindie, but

were, like their elder sister, delicate. A fter A gnes’ s death , little B en never showedany cheerfulness , eventually kept hi s room ,

and sank rapidly Elsie,too

,is since dead .

Mary A . Wowinda was a full native ofWest A ustralia,24 years old shemarried

a Sydney native.

“L ouisa Connolly was a half-caste, fromWest A ustraha,1 8 years of age.

V0 CAB UL ARy O F TH E N ARRIJV’

YERI

Above—Kerau Kiath [Murray] .

Abducting—Pettin .

Abundanc e—N gruwar .

Abundant—N gruwar .

Abusing—N gaiyuwun .

A ching—Wir in .

A ccompanying—Wallin .

A dultery—M oruldun .

A dulterer —M oruldamalde.

A fraid—Blukkun .

A fter—U ng.

A gain—Kangulandai, M unganye.

A gain—U nganyi [affix] .

A ged—Yande.

A gent—U rmi [afii x1 , amalde.

A go, long time—Kaldow ,Klauo.

A hl—Y akkai ! T akkanah !A larm—Blukkun .

Alive—T umbe,T umbewallin .

A ll—N gruwar .

Almost—Ngak .

A lone—Knotye'

r ai [affix] , N aityi .Also—Inyin [affix] , InyeA lways—Kaldowamp .

A nger- N graye, N gr aldi,‘

N gr agge.

Angry , to be—N grakkuwallin .

Ankle—T unge, Thunggi [Point M al,

colm] .

Anointing T yetyin .

A nother—Kangulun ,Kityur , Y am,

Y amminye.

Another one —Y amminuwar .

A nt—Pr ilde.

A ncient—Ranwul.A ngling

—Werkin .

Answering- Wer entun .

A nt, bull—Kotbityerowe, N algarmyer i .‘

A nxious for anything—Parpin mewe.

A ny—H ii

,H ii

, onom takuramb ? (H aveyou any food ?)

Any—E iau, H iau, mam? (Any fish? )[MEYER] .

A pertur e—Merke,Perke.

A part—Y inbaikulun ( to go away, apart) .A part

,a place apart—Konkinyer i .

A ppearing—T erpulun .

A rise—Prak-our .

A rising—Pr akkin .

A rm above elbow—T yeleA rm

,lower—Puthawing .

Ar m-pit, or bend of the arm—Ngiakkai .

A rms, to carry in the—Pandin

126 TH E A B O RI G IN ES O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

A r r anging—Y uppun .

A rriving—Puntin, T ainbarilin .

A s—L uk .

A scending—VVangkin , L oru .

A shamed—Kulyulainkin,Kulgulankin .

A shesm Wir ratye, B ruggi .A sking—Reytyunggun ,

Waukim,Kur

r in , Raraityungun [begging] .

A ssembling—Y untuwarr in, T orar in.

A t—Warre.

A ttacking one man simultaneouslyT hr ottun .

A unt -Barno.

A utumn—Marangani [time when starscalled by thi s name appear] .

A var icious— Pulker i, Pilgeruwallin .

A voiding a missile—KOpulun .

Awakening—T umbelin .

Away from here (place of the speaker)Andek [affix] .

Away—Konk [away from anywhere] .

Away,apart—Konkinyer i [by itself] .

Away,to send ; to make away—Konkuwarrin .

Baby —M ilyaliyT inyer i (lit. , offspring)Par tumbe Kelgalle, (lit. ,

caterpillar) .

Back—Yari .B ackbone (spine) -Polgumpi, N giampi.B ack of the neck—N enenggi .B ackside—L ewurmi .

B ad—Wir r angi , B rupe .

B ag—Punauwe

,T ur tauwe

,M er erke .

Bagging (putting in a bag)—Wautyin .

B ald—Kunkundi,T ande.

Ball—Pulyugge.

Bandicoot (spotted) -M ikur r i .

Bandi coot (common brown) —Punhunduleol.

B ark of trees—Y orle.

Barking (as a dog)—Ronggummun .

B ar ter —M unmunde (an equivalent) .Basket—Koye.

B at { vesp er tilioj —L ottheggi, Yarunmundule .

Bathe—Pullun .

B attue of kangaroo—Konkonbah.

B ay—Thalme.

B e off— L oru, N gopour , L oldu .

Beams of the sun—T yelyer ar .

B earing offspri ng , 0 1 1 fruit— Punden .

Bearing in the arms—T uppun ,Pun

den .

W

B earing on the back—L ammin .

1 T he “plangge

” is the native drum—a r ollof skins, r olled up tightly, and beaten by the handas it lies on the gr ound . T he “tar tengk

”ar e two sticks beaten together to keep time in singing .

Beard—Menake.

Beardless- M okare, T olaiB earing childr en—Pindattulun .

Beating—M empin , M arnmin .

Beating the plangge 1 —Plangkumballin .

Beating the tartengkz—T artembar rin

,

T ilalpundun .

Beating time—Winamin .

Beautiful N unker i

Because—Marud (M arud-itye, because) ,H il-amb-uk .

B ecomingfi Wallin [afiix] .Bed—Y oyangi, T udhuki .Before (time) —U ngunai, U ngunel, U n

gul ( as ,“U ngul itye trelin

ngrege”

Before—N gunkura .

Before (in front of)—N gunggur ank .

Begging—Wankin .

Behind— Y ar ewar ,Waiang, Karlowan .

Beholding—Nakkin .

B ehold—T umaquoi, N ak our,T uyulu

war our .

Believing—VVur ruwallin , Wur ruwarrm .

Belly—M ankur i .Below—Morn.

Beneath Mar emuntunt.

Bending one’

s head—M eningkundun .

Bending, bowing, inclining the bodyM eninkulun [neuter] .

Bending—Kertun , L eewun .

B end of a river—N gar te.

Bending [transitive] —M enaikundun .

Between —T arangk .

B esides—A nye [affix] , Karmanye.

Bidding—T aiyin .

Bier—N gar atta .

B ig G rauwe, G r antali .Bird’ s-nest —N gauandi .B ird

,small—Pulyer i .

B it a—Minti .

B iting—N golkun , Wir r awrndun .

B ittern— T arkoor i .Black—H ineman .

Bladder Kaintyamande.

Blade of shoulder m M arkulde.

Blazing T owulun,Kuntun .

Bleating—Wir akulun .

Bless (to thank) —Kau kau .

Blind—T onde.

Blood—Kruwe, Krui (declined—Kruk,Krukald

,Krukangk)

Bloody—Kruwalde.



Close the door—M ur iltp.

Close (near to)—T apangk.

Close in texture,fine—Kur anye.

Clothing (putting on dr ess) —Y uppundelin) .

Clothes—M aiyingar .

loud—T uppathauwe.

Cloudless sky—Wullun .

Club—Plongge, Kanake, M arpanye.

Cobweb—N gilde.

Cohabiting—T yinin.

Cockles—Kuti .Cold—M ur unkun

,Mor tun .

Cold , a—N ruwi .

Cold,making— M or tumindin .

Collecting— T or auwun , T or ar in .

Colors—White,B alpi ; Black , Kinemin ;

Red, Prolin ; G reen, N gthummultm ; r ed ( orange shade) , M ilkurli . 1

Come —A rndu . (N gint our arndu—Do come here. )

Coming—T erpundun , T anbarelin, Pun

tin (coming to) .

Coming (p. p- Pundin .

Coming down— Y orlun .

Coming in sight , coming out O f—T erpulun .

Come here—N gai our .

Come on—Y elellai, E1 ourar .Come down

,he has— L are itye.

Come up, he has—L alde itye.

Commanding —T aiyin .

Concealing— N ampulrm .

Conceal—N ampundelin ,N anampundun .

Constructing—Winmin ,N gar r in .

Conference,a conversation

,a palaver

Y arnirumi .

Continually—Kaldowamp .

Contrary—N gr elggiContrary wind— N gr elggimaiyi.Continuing in one place—T yintin .

Convicted, found guilty—N gomCooking - N am1nin

,M er ammin

,Prem

pun .

Cool—M urunkun .

Coot, a—Kirli .Cockatoo, white—Krante.

Cockatoo,black—Wullaki

,Pillambe.

Copulating—T yinin .

Corner—N gar ti .Cormorant (black) -Y oldi.

Cormorant (black and white) -Pur atte.

1 “B alpi”

str ictlymeans a light color , and “Kinemin a dark color—not absolutelywhite 0 1 1black .

2 “N gar r a” is only addr essed by a mother to her daughter , but a daughter is never spoken

of as “N gar r a .

”

Counting—T umpun .

Coughing—N grengkulun .

Cough—M emerangi, NgrngeranggiCousin—Runde, NguyanowrCovering up—T ur elin .

Coward—T ur i kalkir .

ramp—Plowallin .

Crab—Karlye.

Cranching—Kr ompulun ,Kr ompundun .

Crane (white) —Ragar alti .Crane (blue) —Krowalle.

Crawfish—M eauke.

Cracking lice —T ilpuldun .

Crackling (as fire) —T ilpulun, T aramin .

Creeping—Malkin .

Crook (used for pulling banks ia flowers)—N anowande .

Crooked—Kulkuldi,Kutkuti

,Kuluki .

Cross (ill-tempered) —Kunewallin mewe,T alkiwallin

, N yenunkun ,Nyin

kundun .

Crowd , a—Yunt .Crowd—M ar angane .

C rowding - T okhum, Yuntuwallin .

Crying—Parpin,Nyer in .

Crying out— T aikundun ,Ngangar anden .

Crushing— T ipulun ,Wur runtun .

Curing—N guldun ,Patyuwar r in .

Cured—N guldun ,Ngralli n .

Curls—L amaldar , M aldamaldar .

Cutting—M er ippin , Dr ekin , L ippin .

Cutting pieces out, chipping—Dr ekiu,

T ultun .

Cutting the body— M unggaiyuwun .

Cursing N aiyuwun .

Dancing- N gr ilkulun .

Darkness—Y onguldye, N gende.

Daughter—Pangalarke (eldest) , N garr a .

2

Dawn of day—T r elin ngr eye, T relin

kalatte.

Day—N unggi .

Day, the day after—Kinankurnunk .

Day, to-day—Hikkai nungge.

Day before yesterday Kangulunnungge.

Dead,insensible, fainted—Piruwallin .

Dead, the—G r inkar i , Pornbarni, Pornbornar .

Dead—Pornil, M eralde.

Death , or death-causinn ornur umi .Decayed , withered—Pentin , M ir r ami r il

din .

T H E IR M A N N ER S , CU S T O M S,A ND L A N G UA GE S .

Deaf—Plombatye, N owaiy an kungun .

Deceit Wininaru .

Deceiving—Y elpulun ,Winin .

Deep (water) G auware, Kummun .

Deep water —Parnggi .Deep water, going into—Yorlin .

Descending—Y orlun .

Departing- N ainkuhm .

Delaying—T ortuwallin, G ar alin .

Denying—N anampundun , T yirpin .

Desir ing—Parpin mewe, Duwatyin .

Destroying—N goweyin .

Demented— Pilyaulun .

Devil—B rupe, M elape.

Dew—Pilepi.Dead—Pornir .

Died—Porn il.Diarrhoea—Pr angpin .

Different—M alde.

Digging—Kaltin .

Diminutive— M ur alappe.

Dirt—Pilbe .

Dir ty—Pilbiwallin .

Disappearing—N gokkun .

Discoursing—Y arnimindin .

Displeased—Kunewallin mewe.

Disobedient—Plombatye, Plombe atyewallin .

Dissatisfied—Nyenkulun .

Dissuading from—Kr aiyelin .

Distant—Kummaiyem, Kuarun , or Eu

Disturbing from sleep—Bettulun,Brat

tulun .

Diver (a bird)—M arbangye.

Diving—T irkundun .

Dividing - T hr ettin .

Dividing amongst—T r andar ar in, Pe

r anbin .

Doctor—Kulduke, Wiwir remalde.

Doctoring—Patyuwar r in.

Dog—Kele

,Wanbi .

Dog, wild—T ur iitparni , M erkani,kel.

Down—Morn , L oldu (Down in) .Down (of birds) —Y unde, N gupeDo 1 1

’

t — .T auo

Down—Wald , M unggau .

Dragging—Y ultun ,Y ultuld (p . p . )

Drawing towards—Y ultun .

Dray—Thetther re. (F rom the soundof its motion . )

Drenching— T r ippin ,Y alkin .

Dream—Peker i .Dr eaming

—Pegger alin .

Dripping, or dr opping—T r ippin, Y anmulun .

Dried—M eraldi .

Dry—T yiwi .

129

Dry, becoming—T yiwallin .

Drinking—M uttun , M er endamin .

Drinking all—Y ompun .

Driving—Pildin , Waiyin .

Driving fish—Krildulun .

Driving away—T r angkinDrowning—M irpin .

Dry—T yiwe, T yiwalle.

Dry as dead wood—M eralde.

Drying up—T yiwallin .

Drying—Puttamin .

Duck (black)—N akkare.

Duck (mountain)—Wanye.

Duck (musk) —Pelde.

Duck (female musk)~—T ilmur e.

Duck (chocolate-colored) —Punker r i .Duck, shoveller ( large-billed and blue

winged)—Kalper r i .Duck (variegated whistling)—Korneok .

Duck moulting—N annare.

Dung—Kunar .

Dunging [voiding excrement] —Menantin .

Dust—Mure.

Dying—Pomun , Pornunil.Eagle

—Wulde .

Each one—Y ammiam.

Ear—Plombe .

Earth—Pelepe.

East —G urra .

Eating— Y ayin ,T akkin .

Eating meat and vegetables—T ottumbarrin .

Eating greedily—Kungyuttulun .

Egg—I 'ellatti .

Egg, white of—Wyir r e.

Egg, yolk of—Plor te.

Egg, laying an—Pindattulun .

Ehl—Ke ! KehElbow— Kuke .

Eldest son— Pangali.

Embers—Kene.

Embracing— Blunden .

Emerge—T erpulun .

Empty—Pek , M ar atulde.

Emptying—Pekin .

Emu—Pinyali .Emu feathers—Kunarle.

Emu wren—Puyulle.

Emus,a flock of- Y allar t.

Enclosing with a net—T uldin .

Enough —Kunye , Y ikkowun .

Entering—Y appulun .

ntangling—Y enempin .

Escap ing T ekin .

Evading a missile—Kopulun .

Evening—Wattangger , Wattanger ind,Pangar inda .

130 T IIE A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

Evening, last—Wattanggerau.

Ever—Kaldowamp .

Evergreen—T umbeelluwa .

Excellent—N unkeri .Exchange—M unmunde ( an equiva

lent) .End—Puttheri , Putte.

Enemy—Y enamalde.

Enlivening—T umbewar r in .

Equal—Mani, Manai .

Excrement—Kunar .Extracting—Y unkundun .

Exulting—N angurwaEye—Piili , T ummaki, Wingar i.

Eyebrow —Pitter ar .

Eyelash—Punyuwar .

Eyelid—N gulde.

Face—Petye.

F ag—Dlomar i .

F aint—L ema ruwe.

F air, annual—Kueoh, Kuiyong .

F aith—N glelur umi .F alling

—Pingkin ,Pinggen .

F all, causing to—Pinggen .

alling backwards—N enengkin .

F arm—Kulde.

F ar off—Eu-utyun .

F ast (quickly)— T iwiwar r in .

F astening on—T anpundun .

F at—Bilpuli , Bailpuli .F ather—N gaiy er i , N anghai .F ather and child— Retulengk .

F atherless—Kukathe, Kokate.

F atigued—N guldammulun .

F ear—Wauwauwi .

F earing— Blukkun ,B lukkunel (p . p )

F eathers—Y unde.

F eathers , tuft of—Kalduke.

F eeding—M rmguwun .

F eeling—Plewilin (p . p

F eeling with the hand—Pleppin ,Ple

walauwun .

F ellow, a—Amalde.

F ellow ,a stealing—Petamalde.

F estering—L anyalin .

F etching—Kldeimindin .

F etching fire—Y luppun (picking upfire

F ew—M aftaiar (some) .F iery hot—Klallin .

F ig (H ottentot)— N garningi .F ig, leaves of

—Wityer i [mesembr ianthemmn] .

F ight—Y oyangi .F ighting—M endin .

F ins of a fish—Manar .F inding—Pingyin ,

Pindyin .

F ingers—T urnar.

inger-j oints—T ungge.

F inishing—Pekin ,N guldm

F ire—Kene,B ruge .

F irestick—Kene,T auwangi .

F ire, to kindle— N gungyen .

F ire,to blow—Winkundun

, Kumpun .

F ire signal—Kowandi .

F irm—Pr itye, Pr ityin .

F 1 r st—KangulandarF ist, fighting with—N guldunguldelin .

F ish—Mame.

F ish (Murray cod) -Ponde.

F ish (mud)—Pomeri .F ish (a sort of perch)—T arki.F ish (flat silver )y —T ukker i .F ish (Murr ay Mouth salmon)—M allowe.

F ish (Murray Mouth sprat) —Kungulde.

F ish (butter) —Kungulde.

F ish (bream) —T inuwar r e.

F ish (mullet)—Welappi,Wankeri,Kanmeri .

F ish (a Coor ong)—Kur atye.

F i sh-spear—Punkulde.

F ishing—Werguttulun , N gerin (with a.net) , N gertm (p . p . )

F it of epilepsy—KungenyeriwF ive—Kuk kuk ki, KeyakkrF lame—N gorkulli.F lat—N anarlin .

F lea—T ittadi .

Fleeing—N ginbund

'

Flesh— Ngulde.

Flexible—Kullun , N enggatauwe.

F licking—Pernmin .

Flight, a [a flock of swans]—T andanni .

F lock—Malyar .Flour—N unukke

,N unungki (literally

fruit) .Flowing—Pombulun ,

Raiar alin .

Fly, a—Tyilye .

F ly, causing to —N ganden (scaring) .Flying

—N gar ntin , N gartin .

F ondling— T unkun .

F oliage—M uldi.

F ollowing—War r eyin .

F ood (animal) —N gulde, M am.

F ood (vegetable)~—Ngune.

F ollow me—War i an .

F ollow him—War 1 atyan.

F oolish—Bailpulun .

F oot, on (walking)—N gopuld .

F oot—T urne.

F orbidding to accompany Reytyuwundun .

F oreign—M alde.

F oreigner—Y ammin uwar korn .

F ore-quarter of an animal—T uldi, Dualtuldengk .


132 T H E A B O RI G JN E S O F S O U T II A U S TRA L IA :

H earing—Kungun .

H eart—N gele .

H eat—Walde.

H eaven—lVaiir ri .H eaven ,

to—Waiir r ar .

H eaven,in—Waiir iwar .

H eavy—T alin .

H eavily pressing—Wityungyin .

H eel—Retyinne.

H elping two together—Y untun .

H ence—Andi [affix] , N end [affix] .

H elping one with a load—Kalpar r in .

H er e A kbe,

A lyenik (thi s here) .H ere, put it—H ik abk in oura.

H ere,must be—Kalyan en elour .

H ere, come [imp . ] —N gai ouri .H ere, close bv—A k in ik .

H ere, put it close by thee—Y up our

ityan tapangk .

H ere,this—H ikkai alye.

H ere that—A naiyalye .

H ereafter—Pallai, Yuri .

H iccoughing—T ummun .

H idden,or unknown—N ammuldi .

H iding—N ampulun .

H igh—War r alewar , Warre.

H igh up—Warre.

H ill,hillock —N gurli .

H im—Kin,I tyan .

H ip—Pilpati .

H is—Kinauwe, Kinauwurle.

H is father—Y ikowalle, A rni [affix ]H is mother— N arkowalle, Anikke[affix]H olding— T aldumbar r in ,

M orokkun .

H ole,a large

m Perki .

H ole, a small—Merki.

H oley (fullof holes)— M erkawatyer i

H 0pmg— VVruwallm

H oney—Pinyatowe .

H oneysuckle tree [banksia1—L akkar i .H ot—N iallin

,Walde .

H ouse— Pulge, T aldumande (lit.,firm

house) , Mante.

H ouse (native)—Karutur i, N gawande.

H ow—M engye, Y ar ild .

H ow often— M inyandai .H ow many—M inyai, Munyarai.H owling (as wind)—T .ullun

H owling’

(as dogs) —L okulun .

H ungry—Y eyauwe.

H unger—Ringmail.H unt

,a—Konkonbah.

H unting—T humpun .

H ur ting—Partin .

H usband— N ape, N apalle.

I—N gape, ap .

I will—Elap.

Ibis—T loppere.

I ce—Plomar e.

If—U ngun .

Iguana—T iyauwe.

Iguana (short-tailed)—Munnari, Klare.

Ill—Wir in .

Immediately- H ikkai,H ik

,Karlo.

In—U ngai [affix] .

In that—M unggau .

In ther em M unggow .

Intelligible—N ar r .

Infant—Partumbe,M ilyali,Tyinyer i,

Kelgalli .Informing—Rammim, T ingowrm ; [Eucounter B ay—N goiyulun] .

Into —Angk .

Inside (bowels) —Waltyerar , Mewe.

I sland—Kallakkur e,Karte.

I s—El.It—Kitye, Itye .

It, that is—Anaiyalye .

Itch, the—VV ir r ullummi .

Itching—Kuwulun ,Kirkuwe.

Jealous—Kr aiyelin .

Jornts—TunggarJourney , something to eat on a—Potyanambe.

Joking—Rumalduwallin .

Joking with Words —Winyininyeriwallin .

Judgment ( cormcil of elders) —T endi ,T handi .

Judgment seat—L ewurmi, T endi .

Jumping—T aitpullrm .

Jumping with fear—Pruppun ,F rantin .

Just now—Y ikkigge, H ikkai, Karlo .

Kangaroo—Wangami .

Kangaroo (male)—Pangali .Kangaroo, brush—T ulatyer i .Keeping (guarding)—T upun ,

M ti r ’i ltpun .

Keeping (saving) —Daiyuwun .

Ki cki n 0 1—N gultunKidney Burri .

Killing—M empin ,Pornumindin .

Kissing—Kunden ,M oinpunden .

Knee—T urtangi .Kneeling—Wakkin tur tangk , L uwan

tur tangk .

Knife—Dr ekurmi .Knocking—N gur unguldun .

Knot—T irker i .

Knowing—N glelin .

Knowing [pr . par . ] —N gleleldulun .

Knowing and believing—Wur ruwar r in .

L ake—M ungkule.

L and—Pelepe, Ruwe.

L amenting—Plowallin .

TH EIR M A N N ER S,C U S T O M S


L ame in feet—M untye, T ur Okkul.

L ame,being

— T ur okulun .

L anguage—Kalde

,T unggar ar .

L anguid—M unainpulun .

L arge—G rauwe.

L arger—G rauwe ru .

L ast one—Karlowan atye,N guruku

warrin .

L aughing—Kangkin .

L aughing at—Kanggen .

L ascivious (of a woman) —M aingur wal

L aying down—Y uppun .

L aying eggs—Pindattulun .

L eading—Wer endun ,Y ultun .

L eaf -B aibaiye [EncounterBay]—Mulde,foliage .

L eaking—Pombulun .

L ean (poor)—Y r ottulun .

L eaning upon—T auwin .

L eaving—N emmin .

L eave it [imp . ]—N em .

L eave,taking—N goiyun

L eech—M anninkki .

L eft hand—VV ar r ame .

L egs—T ar rukengk , Kur r engk (shins) .

L iberal—Mutturi .L icking—T impin ,

T imbelin .

L ife—T ump,T umpinyeri (belonging to

life) .L ifting—Pr eppin ,

Blunden (taking)L ight (not heavy) -Kaikai .

L ight (a lamp)—N gorkulle.

L ight (sunlight) —N unkalowe, Kalatte[adjective]

L ight , rays of—T yelyer ar .

L ighting—Klartin .

L ighting a fir e—N gungyen .

L ightning— N alin , N alurmi .

L ight , shady—Moki (cloudy) .L ight (as twilight) —Wattar

,Wattangr i.

L ike—Luk,L un (similar) .

L ike (similar to)—N glalin .

I iiking—Pornun .

L imb of a tree—Kaki .L imestone—Marti .L ifne—B r

—rlpuli .

L ine, a—Pitti .

L ine,fishing

—N unggi .

L ips—M unengk .

L ittle— M uralappi .

L ittle (short)— M enur te.

L ittle bit— N arteol.

L ittle quantity—L akebi .L iver—Kalker r i .L iving—T umbe, T umbelin T umbewal

L ive,making—T umbewar r in, Tumbetin .

L izard— L urki,Kendi .

L ocust,a—N okarugge, N olkaruggr

L oins— N gaiampe.

L oiter ing— N gar alin .

L og, a— N gar ar i .

L ong (tall)—Yu1de , Y ullukke.

L ong time ago— Rande

,Ranwul.

L ong ago—N gulli .

L onging for—Duwatyin ,

Parpin mewe.

L ooking— T uyulawar r in .

L ooking about -N anauwun .

L ook out—N ak our .

L ooking to —Nyer in (lit.,coming to )

[as“N gate nyer in umangk kr epowe —I look to you for bread] .

L oose- Y ankulun .

L oud—T yiwewar .

L ouse— T rrnk er i .

L ouse body—~M er ter ikki,T ulk .

L ouse,nits of a— T ilkinye.

L oved—Kungkungundun past par .]L oving—Kringkungullun ,

Kungkungunder [past ind . Pornun .

L owing (as cattle) —M or allie.

L ungs—Pelber r imunt.

L ying—Y elpulun ,Winin .

L ying down—T antin .

L ying on the back—Kor owalkin .

Magellan Clouds— Pr olggi (lit.

,cr anes) .

Magpie—M uldur i

Maggot—T yilye.

Maid— Y ar tuwe.

M ake haste— M ur runmil,Tyiwewar .

Making haste— M ur r unmellin,T yiwe

warrin .

Making—Winmin , Warrin [affix] .

Making basket— L okkin kaye .

M an— KorneM an

,married—N apowatyer i .

Many— N gruwar , M ultuwallin .

Many,too (too many) * M ultuwallin .

Many, how ? (how many ? ) —M inyai ?M unyar ai ?

Many times— N gur intand .

Marrying—N apwallin .

Mar row— B ailpuli .M ar tia enmenengkur i .

M at -Y allane,Punde

,T ullangapper i .

M atter (pus) —T huldi .M ay [Optative r oot]— U r .

M ay [verbal affix] Inanyura (fornouns) .

M ay [postfix] —U rmi U r ambMate—Wir aki

,Kuldi .

M e—N gan ,A n .

Meeting— T huldun .

Melting [active]— Y alkundun .

Melting [passive]— Y alkulun .

1 34 T H E A B O RI G IN E S O F S O U T H A U S TRA L IA :

Membrane virile—MenaneMenses—Kruwalde .

Messenger—B ri gge.

Midday—G auwel.

Middle—T un te.

Middle one—T ar r inyer i .Might—A nt [postfix] .

Milk— N gumper i .Millin

,one who wants to—M ilildulamalde .

Mine —N ganauwe, A nauwe, A nauwurle.

Miss , a—T eggae.

Miserable—T alkiwallin .

Mist—Dlomar i .Mixing—Y ultuwar r in .

Mocking—Kabbulin ,Kappin .

Moon—Markeri .

Morrow,to (to-morrow)—N grekkald .

Mosquito—Murule.

Mother—N ainkowe.

M other and child—Rattulengk .

Mother-in-law—Kar inye.

Motherless—Kulgutye.

Mountain—N gurle .

Mountain duck—Wanye.

Mouse—Pun deol.

Moustaches—M uninyer i .

Mouth—T ore,T or engk , Y upiambe.

Moving—N gOppun , Ellin .

Moving [active] -Y ilkulun .

Moving [passive] —Y ilkundun .

Much—N gruwar .

Much more—N gr uinyer ar .

Much,too (too much) —M ultuwar r in .

Mucus of the nose—N gruweM ud—M enengi .

Mullet—lV elappe .

Muscle—N gulde .

Mussel— L okur e,T yelokur i .

Mushr oom—\Vanappe.

Musk duck—Pelde.

Must— O ur [amx] .

M y—N ganauwe, A nauwe.

Mysteries— N ammulde.

My word for it—Katyiltarno wininaru.

My word ! (wonder)—Y akkanangkN ails (of the hands) —Perar .N aked—Merate.

N ame—M rtye

N am mg—Krunkun ,Kungullun [part .

N ape of the neck—N enengi .

N arrow—T okor auwe .

N avel-string—Kalduke .

N etting—N girin .

1 “ 0 11 ” is equivalent to “ self ;” as,Ngati ityan on pempani—“I myselfwillgive.

N etting fish N gir tir past tense] ,N girtin [pres pang

N et, fishing—N geri .

N et bag—M er erki, Wullanti

N ear—M ungow .

N ear thee—T apangk .

N ear me—H ik alye, H ik ak,Alyenik .

N eck—Kur e .

N eighbor ing—T auellin .

N eighbour, a—T anel (a neighbouringtribe) .N est birds—N gauande.

N ew-made—M okar i .

N ever—T arnalo .

N ight—N gendi , Y onguldye .

N 1ggardly— T h1r t1

N ipple of the breast—Ni gumper i .

N one—N owaiy,N owary ellin .

N O—T arnoN O [imp . negative]—T auo .

N oise, making a—T ur r ammelin , T urramulun .

N oon—G anwel.N or th -Walkandi .

N ose—Kopi .N ostr ils—N gruri .N ot— T arno

,T auo

,N owaiy [verbal

negative] .

N othi ng—N owary

N ow [affix]— A u .

N ur sing on the knee -Plunden .

O ffended—N yenunkun .

O ffensive in smell—Pentin .

O ften—N gurintand .

O h l— Y akkai

O ld—Yande,Ranwul, Kaldowinyer i ,

Klauoanyer i .

O nce more- Kangulandai .O ne more— Y ammalel.O ne—Y ammalaitye.

O nly—O n ,ai [affixes] .

O n the other side—L are muntunt .

O pening intrans .

—N g 1 r alin .

O pening trans .

—N gr amin .

O pen—N gr amal[imperative] .

O pening (making a hole in)—T happin .

O pening, an—T ari .O possum—Milluri, Piltar i .O possum,

ringtailed—Wonggur i .

O ther—Y am,Y ammin

,Kangulun .

O ur—N gur nauwe .

O ut of sight —T ottung.

O ut of the way—N ent oura .

O utside—N gurukwar .



Rainbow—Kainggr .

Raising up—Pr cppin .

Rap id—T 1wrwar r inRat (bandicoot) Punkunduli

,M aikur r i

Rat (water ) —Rekaldi .Raw—T umbi .Rays of light—T yelyer ar .

Rays of light strearn ing from a cloudM amangke.

Receivi ng Pultin,Puldiin .

Reaching out the hand to r eceivck -Y ar

tin,Y ar tamin .

Ready , to get—A nangkwar r in .

Red—Kur ungulunRed

,becoming—Kurunggulun .

Red ochi e— M ilkurli

Reeds—Pr anggar .

Reeds,a floating mass of—T hulti .

Reeds (young roots)— L intyer i .Reflecting (thinking) —Kungullun .

Refusing—Wenkin

,Petin .

Relating—Rammim,T ingowun .

Rejoicing— T unthun .

Relation—vKurkuru,Kurnkuni .

Remains— N emmur an (things left) , Y ertauwullar .

Remembering—N gullun .

Resembling—N glalin .

Residence,a— Manti

,Pulgi, N gauandi,

T aldumandi .

Resting—Kunden .

Returning N gaiambin .

Return—N gian -

yfi r [imp . ]Ribs— Pr ewar r ar .

Rice— T yilyi .Right— N unkeri , Nunkowar r in .

Right hand N unker i mari,Puru

nunggr .

Ripping —Daraimin .

Rising—m ‘VakkimPr akkin .

Rising (as the sun does)— T Vankin .

River—Kur .

River Murray—Mur rundi .

Robber—Petamalde .

Rock—Marti .

Rolling— M enamenakar in .

Roots of tr ees—M eralki, Kahar .

Roots,edible—T uwaike,Kuntyar i, L intyer i, T yewur e, Kongi, M enokkur i .N unggi , Kandari .torari , M ir r amer ildin .

Rotting— Pultuwar r in .

Rough—Wir r itin .

Round— L ar elar .

1 This wor d means n or th or r alue having been p a id , as“Jesus ungai ar au —“F or Jesus’ sake,

0 11 In Jesus’ wor th .

”

Round about—L aldilald .

Row (a noisy as semblage)—Rar auwe.

Rubbing1 —T yetyi11 (anointing) ,Kilkilyalin

Rubbing with spittle—Kultumbalin .

Running—Kldein .

Running about L ikkaldin .

Running away N ginbundun N ginbu

Ran away —N ginbulir . [ 1Running (flowing)— Yaralin .

Runn ing water—N unkuluthen .

Rushes— Y alkur i,Pilbili .

Rushing (as wind)—T ullunS ake—A rau .

1

S alt T ainki , Paldhar i .

S alt water fi T happatauwi , Y ilgi .

S alutations—T hose leaving say to thosestopping , Kalyan ungune lewin 1

”

those staying say,“N ginte,

”

N gune ngoppun .

”

S amphire—Parowanne.

S and—T uni .

S andfly—N anar inyer i.S aturating—Wur tuwar r in .

atisfied— N yr eppin .

aving T umbetin .

S aving life—Y ultun (plucking out of. )S aving, for the purpose of T umpamb.

S aviour,a—T umbutilamaldi.

S calding—Klallin .

S aying—Y arnin .

S cattering—Wingamin .

S cattering (with intent to cast away)Kilkilyar in .

S colding—N aiyuwun .

S corpion—Katthar ar .

S corching—Kulkun .

S cr aping—T ullun

S cratching—W ir r itin ,Wir rulun .

S cr eeching—T yinkulun .

S creaming—N gir in ,T yinkulun .

S crub, the—B ger aggi .S ea—U lli

,Y arluwar .

S ea-shore—T hammi .

S ea-weed—Pinggi. Wunggi.

S earching for—Wilkun .

S econd—Wyang , Karlowan .

S ecret , in—N umald .

S ecreting— N ampulunS educer—Pruwilamalde.

S eeing— N akkin .

S ee, failing to—Relin .

S eekrng—W’

ilkun , N gur tun .

S electing—T umbelin .

T H E IR [ MA N N ER S,C U S T O M S


Selected (a selected number)—T ampelin .

S eizing—M ur anpun .

S ending—T aiyin ,T ar r aiyin .

S eparately—Ki'

rig , Kingung . (Kingangall—“Bywe too

S eparating combatants —Thr ettinS eparating violently—Thr allin .

S hade,shadow—Pangari, L illir i .

S hading—M elkin .

S haking the head—Pilyaui’rndun .

S haking [active] -Ror algar in .

S haking with cold—N goinkun .

S haking the hand in derision—T ingaundelin .

S hag (black‘) —Yolde .

S hag (white) Puratte.

S hallow -'

T hame .

S hamimg (being ashamed) -Kulyulankin .

Sharing—Per anbin .

S hark—N grakkan i.S harp— Padmur i .S harpeni ng—Padmu rwar rin

,T hultun .

S he Kitye.

S heaoak—Kolgi .S heaoak apples —M unkur ar .

S helter—N angare.

S hell N gipi .S hell, mussel —Y ipi .S hell

,egg

- N gipi .

S hewing— B eyin .

S hield—Wakkalde.

S hield (for warding wadd ies) —MurukShining—Klar tin . anye.

S hivering in pieces -T r ander alin .

S hivering with cold—M ur unkun . N goin

S hip—N gar r araipar i kun .

S hoal,a—Par tyi, or Partch .

S hoe, a—T urninyer iShort~ Kopetikke, M enur te

,Tluiye.

S hortes t— T luyeol.

S hort waddy,a—N unkar deol.

S houlder— M arkulde, M arkulli .S hout Kaidundun .

Shove—Pinpin .

S hore—Thami .S hr ike

,a- T iltiii .

S huttingfl M fir itpiin .

S hut the door—M ur itpal.

S ickness—Wiwir r i .

S ick, being—Wir in .

S ick , the—VViwir aitpir i .S ick , slightly—B lewilin .

S ide—Pr ewir r i .

S ieving—M or okkun .

1 Thi s is a slow-worm . T he name is der ived fr om “wii tii” ( stinging) and tur ar ” ( teeth) . I t is

much dr eaded .

S ilent—T or tuwallin .

S ingeing—N yr inggen

S imilar to—N glalin .

inging—Ringbalin .

S ingle— A 1 [affi x] , Y ammalaitye.

S inking in water— M irpin .

S ister—M ar auwe,M ar anowe (elder sis

S ister, younger— T arti . [ ter ) .

S ister, woman who has lost a - L ugatye.

S itting—L ewin .

S kin drum—Plangge .

S kin of an animal-l—Wankande.

S kin of a bird—T unkur r i .

S kinning—Wur tuu (peeling ) , T r er auS ky—Wai i r r i . wun .

S laying—M empin ,Pornur amb.

S leep—M uwe

S leepy—M uwe watyer i .

S leeping— T antin ,T endukallin .

Sleepless—M uwityiwallin .

S leeping together , two—Pantin .

Slender—Kutver i .

Slow—Mant .S lowly now [imp . ] —Ma r.t urau .

Smallpiece, a—Pulbuye, N ar teolSmall M ur alappe .

Smearing —T yetyin.

Smelling offensi ve—Pentin .

Smelling [active]— Bendin .

Smoke —M uldi,Kare, Kr aiowie.

Smoke, making, to drive flies awayPrumpun .

Smoking tobacco— M uttun,T imbelin .

Smooth~—Y ilkulun .

S nake— Kraiye .

S nake (black)—Kikinummi, N gumundi .

S nake (light brown)—Waiye .

S nake (deaf-ad der) T ityowe .

S nake ( tiger ) Pr anggiwatyer i, (lit.

“ reedS nake (carpet)— Y alakki

S nake ( small)S natching —PintaminSneezing—T yr intyin .

S neeze, makinS noring— Pr olu 1

.

S oaking [neute r —Y alkin .

S oaking [trans ] Y algin .

S o -~L un .

S oft, smooth Mur1angpallan , 1’

oinpalin .

S ome—M altaiar , Malte, M alde.

S on,eldestfi Panggalli .

S on—N gauwir e, B rate, B r auwar ate .

S ong— Ringbalin .

1 38 T H E A B O R I G IN E S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA

S orcerer—\V iwir imalde.

S orcery—Millin ,N gadhungi

S orcery, seeking to practice—Thumpun .

S ore, a—Merke.

S orry—N garpin [G oolwa] , Parpin [M ur

S oul—Pangari . r ay] .S outh Rikkar a .

S ou’ -west—G ur ra .

S ou’-west wind—G urra maiye.

S our—L ukun ,L uw uttulun .

S owing—Wingamin ; Wunmulun [pres .

par ] ,Wingamir [past Wun

mul [pres . inf. ]S ow-thistle—T alga .

S parks of fi1 1e —T undi .S parkling—T ilpulun .

S peaking about—Y arnimindin,Yarni

mindelin .

S peaking—Y ar nin ,M eruwallin .

1

S peakinga for eign language—M ilipulun .

S pear,a—Y arnde, Wunde.

S pear,a long heavy black—Wunde.

S pear, barbed with quartz—M er alkai

pari , M er alde,Yande.

S pear,a reed—Kaike.

S pear,a fishing

—Punkulde.

S pear,a waddy—\Vinpunme.

S pearing—L akkin, Wakkin,Wauwau

S peared—L aggelin . wun .

S peedily—T iwewar r inS pueing Bulkun .

S pider—B rupe.

S pillin g—Yaramin .

S pinning -N gembelin,N ger ilkulun .

S pirit,ev il—B r upe, Pipe, M elape.

S pirit,the—Pangari .

S pitting—Bur tun, T inkundun .

S pittle—Kulde.

S ponge—Pilbar r e.

S plitting— T hr ellin, T r ellin ,T r attin .

S plitting all to pieces T r ander alin,

T r anderar in .

S pread out M ultuwallin .

S preading out—Wiltun,Nenartin .

S preading out a net -Y altamin .

S pring of water— N ar mare, Pr ilpulun .

S pring of the year—Rewur i .S prinkling— Thr ippin .

S queezing—Pantin .

S queezing out disease—T aldauwin .

S queeling—T yinkundun ,

T yinkulun .

S tafi—Kanake.

S tabbing—T olkundun ,Wauwauwun .

S tamping T olkun,G rokumbalin .

1 “Y am in ” always takes the Nominative Pr onoun , not the Causative ; “Y ar inmindin has the

Causative always .

S tanding—T angulun , Y ummun .

S taring at -Krentin,lVild in , Pilkundun .

S taring about—N genyar in .

S taring at each other,two—Willitulun .

S tars—T uldar .

S tarting, startling—Pruppun ,Frantin

,

T urlin .

S teady—M urungur .

S tealing—Pettin .

S tealing upon (c reeping) Malkin .

S teep Perke,Rengbar i .

S tepping—N goppun ,T ow

S tepping Kowundun .

S tepping aside to avoid a missile—KopuS ticks (wood) —Yapar . [ lun .

S tick (notched , and used as a letter)T hr iggi , Mungi .

S tick, a thr owing—T ar alye .

S tick,a woman

’

s—Kanake, Mungerwatyer i .

S tick , with crook , for pulling the ban/753mflower s—N anande.

S tick , fighting club—Kanake.

S ticking in the ground—Ponkundun .

S ticking ou—T anpulun .

S ticking two together T uldunengk .

S tiff—Paipe,Paiapowallin ,

Paiapulumtill [adv .

-Thor tuld ._

S tillbeing [v . 1—T hortuwallimtingy

—T urte, T urtewallinS tinging—Wiitii .S tinking— Pentin .

S tir ring up—Wur alpar in .

S tone— Marte .

S tony place— M r angalle.

S tones,fullof —M r angalle.

S toop —T inkin,T ingiu .

S tomach— Maukuri.S top—Kalyan .

S top there—Kalyalan .

S top talking—M er ild our .

topping—M er ildin T hrungkun [trans ltopping up— M ur ilpun .

S tra ight— T hure.

S traits —T hur ar .

S trange—Mable.

S tranger—Y ammin uwar korn ,M erkani.

S tr aymg—N gap axangk belpulun (I am1

losing myself) .S tretthm o1 out the hands—Wunmullun

,

Wunmun .

S tretching out a skin to dry—Y artin .

S trength—Pr itvururmi .



T humb—N arkale.

T hunder M unte .

T hundering—M untirwallin .

T hus—Luku .

T ickling—T ittimbalin ,T ittimbar r in .

T ieing—M ulbakkin

,l’r emin

,Pringga

rnnnnn .

T imid—Blukkun .

T ime,a long

-Kaldow .

T ime ago, a short Karlo .

T ired—N guldammulun ,L ammelin .

T iring - L a1nn1 elimindin,L ammiliwar

r in,L amxneliwallin .

T o (mto) —Angk .

T o (coming to a place or person)—U ngai .T o-day

— H ikkai mungge .

T o —N g1 ekkald .

T O O fal in~—T un1 utyun .

T ongue—T allangge

'

T oe, greate —N ga1 kalle.

T oes—T urnar .T ogether—Yun t .T ogether, dr awing -Yur tun .

T ogether, being -Y untulun,Y untuwallin

T ogether, bringing—Y u ntuwar r in .

T ogether , putting all—T anpundT op, the

—N glulun .

T opsy-tur vy M ar emun tunt.

T ossed—Pr epar auwun (tossed bywaves) .T ossing

—T hr okkun .

T ortoise —Kinkindele .

T rack,a—Y arluke

,T urnar .

T racking—\ Var tin .

T reading—T owun ,G r okumb

T ree—Yape.

T remblin g N gomkun N goinkelin [pr .

T rousers—Km r inyer engk . [ pa1 . ]T ruly—Katyil.

T ruth —T hur,T y uty ul.

T uft of feathers Kalduke.

T umult Rar auwe.

k ey—T alkinye1 i .

T u1 ning inside out—M enaikuhm .

ove1— N ge1 akowun .

T ur ning round—N ger aggeyelin ,Keyelin

T urning round [activeJ—Karlovmn .

T ur ning round [tr ans j —Keyemindin .

T ur ning aside (fr om fear ) —l'

r ubbelin

T ur tle -Kinkindele,T ur tauwatyer i .

T wilight, evening— Pangar inda .

T wilight, morning—N gr eye.

T wirling roun d—N ger ilkulun .

T wistingfl N gempin ,

Y enempun .

T W O—N inkaienglc, Pullatye .

Two, we—[act ] N am , l'

mom . ] NgeleuwarTwo

, you— N gurle, N gurleuwar , Lom .

1 Used in the south-east .

T wo,they—Kengk , Ronggun .

Twisting—N gempin [pas ] , N gembU ncle [mother’ s sideJ—N goppano .

U ncle [father’ s si Se] —Wanowe .

U ncooked meat—T umbe an ngulde.

U ncovered Merate.

U nderneath M ar emuntunt.

U nder standingfl Kungun .

U nwell—‘V ir in .

U nwittingly doing— Relimindin .

U p above —Kerow .

U p—L oru

,War

,Mari .

U p, get—Prak our .

U p , getting Pr akkin .

U p there Er ouke,N aiy

-warre.

U pside- (lown—L ar emuntunt .

U s N am .

U seless—Yande,Y untuwar r in .

Vain—Plaityingyin .

V alley— Pur ampe.

Vegetable food—N gune.

V eins w Y arngge.

V enus Warte .

V ermin—T ittadi .V ery—Pek .

V ery near—N gake.

V oice T unggare.

V oiding excrement—M enanten .

V omiting—Bulkun ,Bulgen .

W ait a bit—Mant our .

Waiting—N gar alin .

Wait for rne— M antanekin .

Wading—Yomdun .

lVaddy—Kanake, Pur i .

Waddy-spear 1 “T

inpunni .

Walking— N goppun ,T ampin .

Walking soft N yampulun , N yampunWallaby—~Pargi . dun .

VV

anting—M ewultun .

VV arm—Wmtun,M olbangen .

“Tarming— M olbangimindi nWarming one

’

s self—N yr ingkin .

Wa shing—Nyr ippin .

Waste coun try N ger agge.

Water— N guke, B ahr ekar .

Watching— M oerpun .

Way, that ( I went that way)—N gauWave

,a— Ule . [ woke.

Way, out of the-N gint oura.

Way, a—Y arluke .

Way, this—H ikkai ukke.

We—N ginh .

We two— N gele, N yenki .

Weak—PultueXV ear ing

—N golun ,N golamindin .

lVeighty—T alin .


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154 T H E A B O RI G IN ES O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA :

.N'

otes on the Compa r a tive T a ble of S elected Wor d s fr om

flbor igtn a lL a nguages .

1 . T he first eighteen of these languages were compiled some years ago, and a copypresented to the G overnment of S outh A ustralia . S ir James F ergusson,

who was at

that time G overnor,sent this copy to the ColonialO ffice in England . It was laid before

Professor Max Muller,who advised that it should be printed . T hi s was done under the

auspices of the A nthropologicalInstitute. The languages N os . 1 9,20

,2 1

,2 2

,2 3

,24

,

were added from data possessed bythe Institute .

”6 B ut the writer felt that the form inwhich the table was compiled was awkward for reference. T he names of the tribes orlocalities were at the top, and the words of each language in a ver tical column below ;he

,therefore

,has changed the arr angement to the present one

,in whi ch the native

words for anyone English word , present themselves in a verticalcolumn,and the names

of the tribes ar e placed at the side . T hi s arrangement has the advantage that there isno necessity for a large sheet

,as the table can occupy the ordinary pages of the book .

2 . In arranging these languages , some kind of classification was necessary, althoughit was diffi cult to determine what it should be. The writer believes that this continenthas been peopled by the aborigines thr ough several streams of immigr ation ,

fr omdifferent sources . O ne stream probably came from the east coast down the Darling andMur ray ; another across the continent , byway of the great depression ,

fr om the G ulf of

Carpentaria ; and a thir d round by the western coast to Swan River and King G eorge’sS ound . Probably these streams of immigration were not synchr onous . V ery likely thecountry may have been occupied by first comers before others ar ri ved . F or in stance

,

the tribes which came across the continent,probably reached L ake Alexandrina a longtime before the immigrants arr ived down the Darling ; now although it is impossible,

with cert ain ty to follow the track of these streams, yet one could arrange the languages

in accordancewith a theory of their probable cour se. T his determined the arrangementa stream was supposed to star t fr om Moreton B ay, eta the Darling and nor therntributaries of the Mur ray to L ake Alexandr ina . T he languages of the tribes on thatroute ar e placed together, and with these were placed , for compar ison,

some tables ofthe words of the Barcoo T ribes

,and also of some tribes south of the Mur ray . T hen the

tribes from A delaide to Swan River were arranged in a position for comparison . T henthe tribes of the north coast of the continent were placed together, and after them

,those

of the F ar N orth of thi s colony ; and these ar e followed by the abor igines dwelling at

the head of S pencer’ s G ulf and G ulf S t. V in cent,and thence down both sides of the

gulfs to F owler’

s B ay. T hen the tribes of the S outh -Eastern district ar e groupedtogether, and two V ictorian tribes classed with them . T here ar e also added wordsfrom the Eastern Polynesian

,Maori

,Malay

,and Chinese languages . In collecting the

lists of words,persons resident in the same or adjacent tribes have been applied to

,as

it was felt that where testinrony agreed , a tolerable degree of certainty was obtained .

3 . T he writer hopes that thi s method of classifying barbarous languages may be

fur ther pursued . H is idea is that thus,by the similarity of words

,the relationship of

tribes may be ascertained,the resemblance determining that some affini ty is probable.

F or although dissimilarity of language does not render it certain that tribes had no

comrection with each other, yet where we find them using the same words

,it gives a

strong probability of unity of origin . A map might be colored so as to represent thesimilarity of the languages of the inhabitants of a continent by similarity of color .4 . It is found that some terms ar e far ni ore unchangeable than others . ‘V or ds for

parts of thehuman body r emain the same,when other s haveunder gone such an alteration

as to r ender any connection between tribes undiscernible. T hi s fact is abundantlyillustrated in this table . T he words for head

,hand

,tongue, foot, exhibiting similarity

,

T he editor has added wor ds to these languages in this edition fr om author ities in his posses s ion .

TH EIR M A N N ERS,C U S T OM S

,A N D L A N G UA GE S . 1 55

although the people using them ar e separated by great distances . S trange to say, the

word for dog is found to be nearly the same in tribes that ar e scattered over a greatpart of the continent . The root iuelis used in some form in a great many instances ; itis also remarkable that this is so much like the H ebrew Icelee .

5 . T he languages of thi s table can be arr anged into two classes . In one class the

personalpronoun s have some form in the first person of ngap ,ngat, at

,ad

,aged , and

in the other class some polysyllable as ma r r umbah,moolena t. I t is to be regretted

that the li sts of personalpronouns ar e so defective. O nly those who have tried it canunderstand how difficult it is for one not well acquainted with native to obtain a

knowledge of them,especially when they ar e abbreviated

,as thenatives ar e accustomed

to use them . Y ou inquir e of a native the word for I he immediately gives you the

word for thoa,thinking you mean yourself . Y ou then inquire for thoa

,and he gives

you the word for I , thinking you mean him and so great confusion and uncertaintyari ses .

6 . The words of the eastern Polynesian and Malay and Chinese have been added toshow what amount of similarity exists . T he wr iter would have added a WesternPolynesian language, but found such an utter di ssimilarity between the tongues ofvarious islands that it was impossible to select a representative one. T he languages of

Australia may be classed with the Western Polynesian,although there is an admixture

of the T ahitian type. It willbe observed that the thir d personalpronoun is very muchthe same in T ahitian

,Malay

,and N ar r inyer i

T ahi tian O ia

Maori Ia

Malay Iya

N ar r inye Itye (often ian in the objective) .Thr oughout the A ustralian continent two words for water frequently occur ; they

ar e app a and (note. It is remarkable that in the Eastern Polynesian we have similarsounds for water

V ai papeWai

A yer .

V

A nother frequent word for water amongst the Austr alian tribes is kong , hang , hole,

agak . T hese ar e only the variations of the same soun d . T he word is inverted . In

studying Dr . T urner’s Comparative T able of Polynesian L anguages

”one

{ cannothelp remarking the unity of the Eastern Polynesian languages . I slands thousands ofmiles apart

,whose inhabitants have never communicated

,use the same tongue . T he

Babel-like variety of the languages of Melanesia and Western Polyn esia also attractsnotice. And it may also be remarked what ver y little likeness there is between the

Malay language and the languages of Polynesia . It has been fashionable to state thatallthe Polynesian tribes ar e of Malay origin . T his the wr iter never did believe, andhi s conviction to the contrary becomes stronger after twenty year s ’ acquaintance withthe subject . Such a theory is an absurdi ty . T here ar e people scattered over thegreat Pacifi c O cean who ar e di stinguished by the unchangeable character of theirlanguage, possessing a sort oflingualimmutability. A nd yet these people ar e supposedto be descended from the Malays

,whose language is , on the whole, very unlike their s ,

andl

indeed only touches it at two or three points . The idea is indefensible—[En ]

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160 T H E AB ORIGINES O F SOUTH AUSTRALIA .

G EJV'

EflL O G I CflL TflB L E S .

1 . A bor igines belong ing to tile T a r ar or n Clan of the N ar r inyer i T r ibe,inhabiting the sout/zem shor es of L ake A lexandr ina .

1 . Jumbo

3 . John C 1 3 . Louisa Robinson

4 . P oltinyer i ll. N ar aminyer i 1 4 . Fr ed Robi

5 Peth uenunkar 1 2 . Leonar d and Robinson

6 . \Va1daninyer i 1 6 . A r abella

(br other and sister )

3 , 1 0 , and 1 3 , call 1 nanghai, my father .3, 1 0 , and 1 3

,call2 nainkowa

,my mother .

1 and 2 call3,1 0

, and 1 3 , porlean , (A ) my child .

1 and 2 call4 and 1 1 maiyar eli, relation -in -law ; she calls them the same .

1 and 2 call 5 and 7 maiyar ar e, (B) my grandchild or son’

s child .

5 and 7 call 1 and 2 mutthanowe, my father’ s parent .1 calls 8

,and 8 calls 1

,r onggi, my relation-in -law

1 calls 9 tarte,my younger brother .

9 calls 1 gelanowe, my elder brother .3 calls 8 yullundi, my relation-in -law

,or relation by marriage.

8 calls 3 yullundi3 and 4 call 7 and 5 porlean .

1 5 calls 1 ngaityunabe, and 1 calls 1 5 ngentyer i .

1 5 calls 2 bakkanowe, and 2 calls 1 5 bakkari .1 and 2 call 1 2 , 1 5 , and 1 6 maiyarar e.

1 0 calls 3 gelanoWe, my elder brother .3 calls 1 0 tarte

,my younger brother .

1 0 calls 1 3 maranowe, my elder sister, older than myself.

1 2 calls 1 6 tar tean , my younger sister , younger than myself.

3 calls 1 1,and 1 0 calls 4 , ngulbowalle, my brother’ s W ife.

1 0 calls 5 and 7 , and 5 calls 1 0 , waiyatte ( C) .5 and 7 also call 1 0 nanghai, my father (E) .3 calls 1 2 and I6 ng0 ppar i (D) .1 2 and 1 6 call3 ngoppanowe (D) .

1 2 and 1 6 also call 3 nanghai , (E) my father .

5 calls 1 2 and 1 6 tarte,my younger brother .

7 calls 1 2 and 1 6 tarte, my younger brother .

1 2 and 1 6 call7 mar anowe,my elder sister .

1 2 calls 9 nanghari, nephew .

9 calls 1 2 wanowe, uncle.


162 7 7 1 1 5 A B O RI G HVE S O F SOUTH A U S YRA L IA :

M M

THEIR JIA N NERS , G U S T O /ITS , A ND L A N G UA GES . 163

5 and 2 call 1 nanghai, my father .1 4 , 1 5 , and 27 call 2 nanghai, my father ; and also call 4 nainkowa, my mother .

T his willbe understood also of allthe others in the same relationship .

1 calls 5 and 2 porlean ,my child .

1 calls 6,3,and 4

,ngulbowalle, relation bymarriage.

2 calls 5 tar te,my younger brother .

5 calls 2 gelanowe, my elder brother .5 calls 3 and 4

,and 2 calls 6 ngulbowalle, relation bymarriage.

2 and 4 call 1 4 and 1 5 porlean , my child .

2 calls 1 7 yullundi, my son bymarriage, or rather relative, as the term is mutuallvused .

4 calls 1 7 yullundi, or kar inye, relation bymarriage. Thi s name is also mutualorreciprocal.1 5 calls 1 4 gelanowe, my elder brother .1 4 calls 1 5 tarte.

1 5 and 1 4 call2 7 mar anowe, my elder sister .1 4 calls 1 7 r ongge, brother-in -law ; thi s is reciprocal.1 4 calls 1 8 , 1 9 , 20 nanghari and ung, nephew or niece.

1 8,1 9

,20 call 1 4 wanowi

,my uncle.

“

1 8,1 9

,2 0

,call 2 7 nainkowa , mymother .

2 7 calls 1 8 , 1 9 , 20 porlean , my child .

1 8,1 9

,20 call 2 8 maranowi

,my elder sister .

1 5 calls 28 porlean .

4 calls 2 8, 1 8 , 1 9 , 2 0 bakkari, (A ) my grandchild .

2 8,1 8

,1 9

,20 call4 bakkanowe

,my grandmother .

1 8,1 9

,2 0

,28 call 2 ngaityanowe, my grandfather . H e calls them ngaityer i,

grandchild .

1 8,1 9

,2 0

,2 8 call 3 and 6 bakkanowe

,and they callthem bakkari .

1 8,1 9

,2 0

,2 8 call5 ngaityanowe (A ) he calls them ngaityer i .

1 4,1 5

,2 7 call 5 nanghai , my father, or waiyatte.

1 4 calls 2 1 gelanowe, 2 3 tarte, and 25 mar anowe.

1 4 calls 2 2 and 24 ngulbowalle, (B) relation bymarriage.

1 4 calls 26 r onggi , brother-in-law .

1 5 and 2 7 call 2 2 and 24 r inanowe,sister-in-law .

1 8 calls 2 1 and 2 3 wanowe, uncle.

2 1 and 2 3 call 1 8 nanghari, niece .

2 9 calls 2 1 ngoppanowe, (c) or nanghai, my father .2 9 calls 2 3 wanyatte, or nanghai .2 9 calls 1 5 barno she calls him mbari

,aunt and nephew.

29 calls 2 5 barno ; she calls him mbari .2 9 calls 1 6 wanowe, my uncle ; 2 6 calls 29 nanghari, my nephew .

1 8 calls 9 nainkowa,mymother ; she calls her porlean .

1 8 calls 1 3 tarte, my younger brother .2 9 calls 8 waiyatte, (c) or nanghai he calls him the same

,waiyatte

1 8 calls 7 nainkowa, and 1 2 gelanowe 1 2 calls 1 8 tarte.

1 8 calls 8 wanowe he calls her nanghari .2 9 calls 4 mutthanowe, grandmother .4 calls 29 mutthar i

, grandchild .

4 calls 1 6 kar inye, ‘ daughter-in-law,child bymarriage.

1 8 calls 29 nguyanowe, my cousin ; and so also do 1 9 and 20 . T he term 1 s r e

ciprocal.

29 calls 2 maiyanowe, grandfather .2 calls 2 9 m‘

aiyar or e, grandchild .

1 7 calls 30,and 30 calls 1 7 ngauwiruli, wife’ s sister’ s husband .

1 7 calls 1 1 , and 1 1 calls 1 7 ngauwir uli , the same.

3 and 4 call 2 1,2 3

,and 2 5 porlean .

2 7 calls 1 8 , 1 9 , 2 0 , and 1 5 calls 28 either porlean , my child , or ngar ra1 4 calls 3 1 kutyi , sister’ s daughter’ s husband .

1 7 calls 2 7 r onggi .

1 64 THE AB ORIGINES O F SOUTH A U S TRA L IA :

1 7 calls 30 ngauwiruli .

2 calls 2 2 and 24 maiyar eli ; 5 calls them the same.

2 calls 1 6 maiyar eli , son’

s wife.

2 calls 2 6 yullundi .2 7 calls 32 bakkan’

; 3 2 calls 2 7 bakkanowe.

1 4 calls 32 bakkari ; 32 calls 1 4 and 1 5 bakkanowe . (T his calling of 1 4 bakkanoweis notewor thy) .2 9 calls 5 maiyanowe, my father’ s father’ s brother . (D and E) .

N OTES .

(A . ) T he terms of grand relationship ar e determined by the fir st syllables maiy,muth

,bak

,and ngait . 1 . My father’ s father and all his brothers and sisters

,using

the words brothers and sisters extensively,as all nativ t s do

,ar e maiy, maiyanowe,

maiyarar e. M aiyar eli , the mother of the maiy, i . a.

,my son

’

s wife. T his is the

most important relationship,as the increase of the clan depends on it. 2 . My father’ s

mother and her brothers and sisters ar e muth , mutthanowe. 3 . My mother’ s motherand allher brothers and sisters are bak

,bakk anowe

,bakkari . 4 . My mother’ s father

and allhis brothers and sisters ar e ngait, ngaityanowe, ngaityer i .M an i age is carried out according to the following rules 1 . A man must not

marry in hi s clan . It is to be remembered that a man ’

s children belong to his clan .

2 . A man must not marry his blood relation even if belonging to a different clan . F or

instance,James U naipon and Pethuenunkar married two sisters

,Waldaninyer i and

N ymbulda , both belonging to the Rangulinyer i . U naipon belongs to the clanWunyalkundi , and so hi s children do Pethuenunkar belongs to the T ur ar or n

,and so

hi s children do but U naipon’

s childr en must not marry Pethuenunkar ’ s,because their

mothers were sisters,and they all called each of them nainkowa . 3 . A man must not

marr y hi s ngiangiampe. T his is a distinction caused by a ceremony described in page4 1 of thi s work . 4 . A man may marry a woman with the same ngaitye, or totem,

if

she is not a blood relation . S ometimes two clans have the same ngaitye, or totem,

but yet willhave other totems not in common . T his points to a mixture of clans at

some past tim&( C . ) Possibly these words may be derived fr om ngoppun (walking) , and waiyin(following or dr iving) . N goppano, a goer before my father ; waiyatte, a follower ordriver ofmy father .(D . ) My father’ s father’ s sister would be called the same.

Many of the native terms ofkin ship have no equivalent in English indeed,it

might fairly be said most of them . It is remarkable how precisely they designaterelationships for which we have no distinctive name—[ED ]


166

Degr ees of Kinship of theDieyer ie T r ibe (continued) .

Descr iption of Relationship .

M y brothe1 ’ s daughter (F .

My father’ s brother’ s son (M .

My fathe1 ’ s brother’ s son (F .

My fathe1’s brother’ s son

’s wife

My father’ s brother’ s daughter (M . )My father’ s brother’ s daughter (F . )My mother’ s sister’ s son (M .

My mother’ s sister’ s son (F .

My mother’ s sister’s son’

s wife (M .

My mother’ s sistei ’ s son’s wife (F .

My mothei’s sister’ s daughter (M .

My mother’ s sister’ s daughter’ s

mother’ s sister’ s daughter’ shusbandMy father’ sMy father’ s father’s brotherMy father’ s father’ s sisterMy father’ s motherH er brotherH er sisterMy husbandMy wifeMy husband’ s brotherMy sister’ s husband (F . )My wife’ s sister’ s husbandMy wife’ s sisterMy brother’ s wife (M . )My husband’ s fatherMy husband’ s motherMy husband’ s grandfatherMy wife’ s fatherMy wife’ s motherMy wife’ s grandmotherMy son -in -law (MMy son (F . )My daughter-in -law (M . )M y daughter (F . )My stepfatherM y stepmotherMy stepdaughterMy stepsonM y adopted childM y half br other or sisterMy sister’ s husbandM y husband

’s s

s isterMy brothe1 ’ s wife (F .

N iehie or athata

THE AB ORIGINES O F S O U T IJ A USTRALIA :

Tr anslation .

THEIR [lI A A/YVERS,O U S T O IlTS

,A N D L A N G U A G E S . 167

S ystem ofKin ship found amongst the M a r ou r a T r ibe

( I nhabiting the country at the Junction of theRieer Dar ling with the Riva-M ur r ay

and a consider able distance up theDar ling} .

Descr iption ofRelationship .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

M y grandsonMy gr anddaughte

My sister’ s grandson or granddaughterMy elder brotherMy elder sisterMy younger brotherMy younger sisterMy brothersMy sistersMy father’ s brother

,elder or

youn gerM y br other

’

s son

My brother’ s daughterMy father’ s brother’ s wifeMy father’ s sisterMy mother’ s brother’ s wifeMy father’ s sister’ s husbandMy mother’ s brotherMy mother’ s sister

,elder or

y0 1mger .

My mother’ s sister’ s husband .

My brother’ s son ’

s wifeMy brother’ s daughter s husbandMy sister’ s son

,his wife

My sister’ s daughter her husbandMy mother’ s fatherMy mother’ s motherMy daughter’ s childMy father’ s father

,his brother

My father’ s motherM y husbandMy wifeMy wife’ s fatherM ywife

’

s motherM y son -in -law .

My daughter-in -law

My stepfatherMy wife’ s sisterA widowWidowerBrotherless or bereaved ofbrotherO rphanF ather and childMother and child

Native Term .

N gattha

N guiya , or N gulkuya,or N gulkiya

Tr anslation , as near

as possible.

My grandchild

Uncle or nephew, as

the casemaybe. T heterm 1 s r ecipr ocal.

My aunt

My un cleWakiya

ya, and sometimesN gammaur aN gauwiya

M ambu N iece bymarriageY unduwa N ephewbymarriage

1 My nephew or

n guya 1 ni eceN gatthiya My grandfatherKuntya G r andrnother

Wappunya G randchildM atthiya My grandsireKuntya G randmotherM ayleye

N tmggaiyi

Y undhawah

Kuler iY 1mdhawah

DhauwanyahN gulkiya, or Kambia

M ambu [thawaM ambinyuna (if r ecent) , or Put

Y akkiya

Walkinya

Wanbindye

Kumbilinyi

168 T H E A B O RI G IA'

ES O F SOUTH A U S TRA L IA

N OTES O N T H E“M ARO U RA

” KIN S HIP T A BL E .

In allthe above instances a male is supposed to be the speaker,except where it is

evidently not so from the natur e of the case . But, except it be specified to the contrary,the same terms ar e used by females .

1 . The children belong to the father’ s tribe.

2 . The M ar our as ar e exogamous , and cannot marry in their own clan .

3 . A man maymarry his mother’ s brother’ s daughter, but he may not marry hi smother’ s sister’ s daughter, nor his father’ s brother’ s daughter ; they are looked on as

hi s brothers and sisters .

4 . The M arour as have the practice of designating differently the relationshipsaccordingly as they ar e mine, yours , or hers

Kambiya My father .Kambiyanna Your father .Kambiyanni H is father .N gammungiyi My mother .N ga Your mother .Kittha ngammu H is mother .

5 . N ow I think it is evident that we have here a system of kinship differing fromthe T amilian . It 1 s true there ar e points of resemblance

,but only such as might be

expected whe1 e the neighboring systems ar e T amilian . T he difference is in the

following par ticularsA . T he childr en of my b1 others (I being male) a1 e not called by the samename

as my own children . N either i s my father’ s b1 other called by the same

name as my own fathe1 .

B . My mother’ s siste1 is not always , but only under some cir,

cumstances calledby the same name as my own mother .

C . T here 1 3 a di stinctive name for son,daughter, and child ; and also while there

is a distinctive name for my elde1 and younge1 b1 others and sisters,the1 e I S

a collective term for all of them .

A nd it willbe observed that intermarrying between brothers’ childr en and sisters ’childr en is forbidden . (N ote6 . T hese M ar our as are the tribe which descended the Darlin g between the years

1 83 1 and 1 836 . T hey we1 e met byMitchell’ s expedition in the former year,a long

way up the Da1 ling ; and again met in the latter year at i ts junction with the M ur1 ay .

The same individuals met the expedi tion .

7 . T he N ar rmye1 1 have a tradition that they came down the Darling, and thenacross the deser t from the junction to the head of L ake Albert . T hey say theybrought a language of their own with them ,

but that they became mixed with clansalready dwelling on the lakes

,and thei1 language me1 ged in theirs , and their customs

becamemixed . N ow it can easily be seen that where the intruding 1 ace were fewthe T amilian system of the first come1 s would only be slightly altered . But whe1 e

,as

in the case of the Marour as,the intruding tribe was numerous

,they would merge

many of the customs of any tribes already possessing the country in their own . H ence,

whilethe system of kinship of the M ar our as has not been much affected by contactwith the T amilian

,the N ar r inyer i has . T he N ar r inyer i found powerfultribes of the

T amilian race already occupying par t of the country where they intruded .


THEIR IIIA N N ERS,C U S T O TV S , A N D L A N G UA G E S . 169

T he S ystem OfKinship foun d am ongst the M er i t T r ibe

( I nhabiting the country on theRiver M ur r ay, between the N ar r inyer i

and the M ar our a T r ibes} .

Native Term . Tr anslation .

My father F atherM ymotherM y mother’ s elder sister N gakur MotherMy father’ s elder brother’ s wifeMy sonMy daughter Chfld

M y grandsonMy granddaughter G rand relationMy father’ s fatherMy elder’ brotherMy father’ s elder brother’s son . . Maika Elder brotherMy mother’ s elder sister’ s sonMy younger brotherM y mother’ s younger sister’ s

son Panka Younger brotherMy father’ s younger brother’ s

son

My elder sisterMy younger sisterMy father’ s elder brotherMy father’ s younger brotherMy father’ s sisterMy mother’ s brother’ s wifeMy mother’ s brother U ncleMy mother’ s younger sisterMy father’ s younger brother’ s L tmgkia

My mother ’s brother ’ s son Cousin

My elder brother’ s childfNote. Compar e buk

My mother’ s mother 1 kano of theNar r inyer iMy mother’ s mother’ s sisterMy mother’ s father Note—Commen d a

(gem of the N ar r inyerl.

IfIggyfir o

’

qher

zis child N ephew or niece

y us an

My wifeM y wife

’

s father or mother

(My elder brother’ s wife

N OTES .

1 . T here is no alteration in the terminations for my, his , or your parents or relatives ,as there is amongst the N arrinyeri .2 . T hese Meru natives ar e very T amilian in their systemof k1nship

—quite a contrastto their neighbors the M ar our as .

1 70 T fIE A B O RI G IN E S O F SOUTH A U S TRA L IA :

T he S ystem OfKin ship foun d am ongst the Por t L in coln

T r ibes .

Descr iption ofRelationship . Native Term . T r anslation .

M y fatherMy father’ s brother My fatherM y father’ s sister’ s husbandM ymotherMy father’ s brother’ s wifeMy father’ s sisterMy mother’ s sisterMy childMy brother ’ s child Knit-yaMy sister’ s childMy grandchildMy father’ s fatheMy mother’ s father P 0

My mother’ s mother K dnG rand relation . Pr o

My father’ s mother 1 1 uny1 bably reciprocal.

My elder br otherM y younger brotherMy brother’ s daughter’ s husband My brotherA woman’

s husband’ s brotherMy sister’ s daughter’ s husbandMy elder sisterMy younger sister My sisterMy father’ s brother’ s daughterM y father’ s mother’ s brotherM y mother’ s brotherMy mother’ s brother’ s wifeMy father ’ s father’ s sisterMy father’ s brother’ s son

My father’ s brother’ s daughter’ s My brotherhusband

M y brother’ s son’

s wi fe Relation bymarM y sister’ s son ’

s wife r iage

My husbandM y wifeMy wife’ s motherT win s‘

Widow\V idower

O rphan

N gammi My mother

N gammuna My uncle

N gopper ti

N OTES .

1 . It is evident that the Port L incoln T ribes ar e T amilian in their system. T heyare very low in the scale of humani ty

,lower than theRiver Mur ray T ribes .

2 . I obtained all these particulars by direct inquiry fr om natives of the Meru ,

M ar oura,and Port L incoln T ribes . I am sorry that I could not get more complete

lists . O nly those who have tried know how difficult it is to pur sue such inquiriesamong savages . I think

,however, that these lists prove that the T amilian system of

kinship extensively prevails amongst the aborigines . I think it is also proved thatthere has been an intruding people with a different system—[B u ]


172 T H E A B O RJG L VE S O F S O U TH'

A U S TRA L IA :

About twenty-eight years ago Mr . L . H . Morgan ,of Rochester

,N ew York

,dis

covered amongst the Iroquois Indians an elaborate system of kinship wi dely differingfrom our s . S ubsequent extensive enquiries , car ried on by this gentleman under theauspices of the Smithsonian Institution,

Washington ,U . S .

,disclosed the astonishing

fact that this complicated system is in use,not only among the N orth American Indi an

tr ibes,but also among the T amil and T elugu peOples of S outhern India

,who number

some twenty-eight —Rev . L or imer F iswz.

Mr . F ison afterwards found the system prevailing amongst the F ij ians and the

F riendly I slanders , and met with unmistakable traces thereof among the aborigines ofQueensland . T his T amilian system is thus descr ibed by Mr F ison

1 . I being male, the children ofmy brothers ar e my sons and daughters , whlle thechildren ofmy sisters ar e my nephews and nieces ; but the grandchildren ofmy sisters,

as wellas those ofmy brothers , ar e my grandchildr en .

2 . I being female, the childr en ofmy sisters ar e my sons and daughters , while thechildr en of my brothers ar e my nephews and nieces but the gr andchildren of mybrothers

,as wellas those ofmy sisters

,ar e my gr andchildren .

3 . Allmy father’ s brothers ar e my fathers , but allmy father’ s sisters ar e my aunts .

4 . Allmymother’ s sisters ar e my mothers , but all my mother’ s brothers ar e myuncles .

5 . The children ofmy father’ s brothers ar e my brothers and sisters,so also ar e the

childr en ofmymother’s sisters ; but the children of my father’s sisters,and those of

mymother’ s brothers , ar e my cousins .

6 . I beingmale, the childr en ofmymale cousins ar e my nephews andnieces,but the

children of my female cousins ar e my sons and daughters .

[N ou r—T hese relationships ar e reversed in the N orth Ameri can Indian system,and

this is the only important point wherein that system differs from the T amil ]7 . All the brothers of my grandfathers, and those of my grandmothers , ar e my

grandfathers alltheir sisters are my grandmothers .

8 . T here is one term for my elder and another for my younger brother, so also for

my sisters,elder or younger . H ence there is no collective term by whi ch I can indi

cate allmy brothers or all sisters , unless I be either the eldest or the youngest of thefamilMr?F ison adds thi s note It willbe observed that thi s systemmerges the collateral

line in the linealin the third generation—thus the son of my nephew is my grandson .

But the Malayan system,of which the H awaiian may be taken as a type, allows of no

divergence whatever from the linealline. In that system there are no cousins,no

nephews and nieces , no uncles and aunts .

”

L et us then enquire whether the system of kinship amongst the Australian aboriginesagr ees with the T amilian system. In the following page there is a tabulated statement of the words signifying the various degrees of consanguinity and relationshipsamongst the tribes of thi s colony . N ow the reader will see that in some instances thefather’ s brother is called by the same name as the father

,and also that the mother’s

sister is called by the same name as the mother and where thi s is the casewe have therudimentary principles of the T amilian system .

It is to be regr etted that many contributors to these papers wereunable, fr om insufficient knowledge of the aboriginallanguage, to get the particulars desir ed respectingkinship . S ome

,indeed

, go so far as to say that they have no kinship beyond father andmother . O ne very valuable contributor, however , in a note

,expressed a doubt afterwards

whether there might not be more regularity in relationships than he had looked for .

T he tribes in which the T amilian system is most fully seen are the Dieyerie,the

Parnkalla, the N ar r inyer i, the Meru,and the T atiar a . It is also par tially seen in the

M ar our a tribe. But in most of these instances it is not complete there is a foreignelement present . F or instance, Mr . F ison says I

,being male

,the grandchildren of

my sisters,as wellas those ofmy brothers , ar e my grandchildr en ,

and the reverse inthe case of the speaker being female. A gain ,

N o . 7 .

“A ll the brothers of my grandfathers

,&c .

,&c .

” N ow this is not strictly true amongst the N ar r inyer i ; in that tribethe four grand relations have different designations

M aiyanowe My father’ s father M utthanowe My father’ s motherN gaityanowe My mother’ s father B akkano My mother’ s mother .

T H EIR fllA N zVERS,C U S T O ZII S

,A JVD L A N G UA GE S . 1 73

A nd all their severalbrothers and sisters are called by the same name respectively.

But the Dieyerie tribe seems to conform to the rule more closely in the grandrelationship

,as willbe seen by referring to the table.

Many of the Dieyerie expressions ar e strikingly T amilian . T he similarity will beseen by comparing with it the words in '

T amil.

My fatherMy father’s elder brother

My father’ s younger brother T amil

My father’ s brother

My mother

My mother’ s elder sister

My mother’ s younger sister T amil

My mother’ s sister Dieyerie

In fur ther elucidation of the systems of kinship amongst the aborigines , twoG enealogicalT ables follow the T able of Kinship . In these the system is worked out asfar as the N ar r inyer i ar e concerned .

T ables of all the kinship words,including many not in the previous table, of the

Dieyerie,Meru

,M ar our a

, ,and Parnkalla tribes ar e appended .

T here ar e also found amongst some tribes of the A ustralian aborigines what ar e calledby the Rev . W . Ridley

,in hi s work on the Kamilaroi tribes

,

“ class-names .

”I prefer

the term clan -names as being more correct and expressive. Each tribe is dividedinto clans

,according to certain rules of succession in the families composing it. Every

clan is called by a name,and has a symbolor totem . N 0 man must marry a woman of

the same clan,or possessing the same totem as hirnself. T his system of clan -names is

probably co-extensive with the T amilian form of relationship .

O ne is natur ally led to enquire how the T amilian system of kinship originated . A

theory has been suggested that it arose out of polyandry . It has been supposed thatcertain women were the common possession of severalbrothers

,and that

,consequently

,

the childr en which resulted regarded allthe br others as fathers , gind all the sisters as

mothers . But sur ely some cause can be imagined which is less Extravagant than suchan hypothesis . Would it not be more rationalto conclude that in the varying and ex

ceedingly hazardous conditions of savagelife, when childr en were so frequently exposedto the loss of their father or mother

,the very obvious expedient was resor ted to of pr o

viding for the protection of the children in case of the death of their parents by givingthem a right to look up to their father’ s brothers as their second fathers

,and to their

mother’ s sisters as their second mothers,and thus prepar ing by custom for what must

have been a common contingency We actually have in English law such an arrangement, for the guardianship of a man

’

s children devolves at hi s death upon hi s brother ;and the writer has observed amongst the N ar r inyer i that thi s is actually the use to

whi ch the custom is put. If a man dies,hi s next brother regards it as his duty to stand

in the place of a parent to his childr en ; and in the case of girls being left, the right togive them in mar riage is his . A nd if a mother dies and leaves an infant, it is on her

next sister’ s bosom that the child is lovingly cherished , and tenderly cared for .

T hose who put forward the theory above referred to have to account for the non

exi stence of polyandry amongst the natives at the present time. H ow is it that it diedout P Perhaps it willbe affirmed that it act ually exists

,and it willbe pointed out that

amongst the Dieyerie a wife calls her husband’ s brother “ noa ” (husband or spouse) ; andthat a man calls hi s wife’ s sister “noa and that,therefore

,alla man

’

s wife’ s sisters ar e

his wives,and all

‘

a woman’

s husband’ s brothers ar e her husbands . If this be the case,

En takappan

A pir r ie arkanie

En periya takappan ,G reat father

En ser iya takappan ,li ttle father

Apir r ie waukaL ittle fatherEn tayA ndr ie arkan

ie

En periya tayG reat motherEn ser iya tayL ittle motherAndric waukaL ittle mother .

1 74 T H E A B O RJG L ’VE S O F S O U TH A U S TRA L IA .

then in case of polygamy, it must be equivalent to promiscuous intercour se. T histheory also fails to accoun t for other facts amongst the Dieyerie. A ccording to G asona man calls his mother’ s sister’ s son’

s wife noa,he also calls his father’ s sister andr ie

wauka,little mother, and also his mother’ s brother’ s wife. H e likewise calls his

father’ s sister’ s husband apir r ie wauka, little father . A nd why? Because he has a

right to look to them for protection if necessary . But surely we ar e not compelled toinfer the past existence of polyandry bymere words . M ay not the application of theterm noa

,amongst theDieyerie, mean onewho is of thefamily or clan which is marriage

able to a man or a woman ? A s far as the wr iter has observed the natives,dur ing

a residence amongst them of twenty years,he has been forced to conclude that they

have the feelings common to human nature,and

,consequently

,a man likes to have

exclusive right to hi s own wife and family as well as we do . A nd although polygamyprevails,and native ideas ar e not so strict as our s

,he is sur e something very much

better than brutalpromiscuous intercourse of the sexes,such as has been represented by

some writers,is the rule amongst the aborigines . A husband bitterly resents the

adultery of his wife, and severely punishes the crime. A t the same time some mentake the liberty of lending their wives to others ; but while their right to do so is not

disputed by their fellows , yet a very large number never do anything of the kind .

T he wr iter is certain that during the last twenty-five years polyandr y has not ex

isted amongst the N ar r inyer i, and yet the T amilian system fin ds its best example inthat tribe. T he bur den of proof that it ever existed then lies with those who put itforward as the cause of the T amilian system of kinship

,and with them also it must be

left to accoun t for its cessation .

T he writer would here state hi s belief,that many representations which he has seen

,

that there is no such thing as chastity amongst the abor igines , ar e not cor rect . We

cannot expect that heathen savages will be as chaste as civilised Chr istians , but thatthere ar e ideas of propriety in this respect amongst them he is sure. In this he isborne out by the testimony of others

,and notably by that of the Rev . R. W . H olden

(page 1 9 in this volume) . H e agrees with that gentleman that the advent of Eur opeanshas led to greater licentiousness amongst aborigines than there everwas before—[Eu ]


O F T H E

NARR R T R BE

S T R A L IA N B O P QG I N E S .

B y th e la te R E V . G . T A P L IN ,

A b o r ig in e s’ M i s s io n a r y ,

P o in t M c L e ay .

girdaihrPRIN TED BY E . S PILLER, G O VERN MEN T PRINTER, N O RTH -TERRA CE .

“

1 8 8 0 .


T HE GRA M M A R

O F T H E

snguagr s t r swings ? fiflrihe.

TH I S language is spoken by the tribe of aborigines in South A ustraliainhabiting the country on . the shores of Encounter Bay and the L akesA lexandrina , A lbert , and Coor ong, and twenty miles up the RiverMur ray . There ar e some trifling variations of dialect between the clan sthat compose the tribe, but I do not perceive such a difference as wouldbe an impediment to a stranger learning the language.

My obj ect in committing to writing the information which I have

gathered respecting the grammar of this tongue has been to present itin such a form as to enable students of Comparative Philology to use itfor the purpose of rendering a modicum of help towards arriving at

correct conclusions r especting the Philosophy of L anguage. T he com

parison of the grammatical structure of different languages is of the

greatest importance, and the surest guide to the real relationship s of

language and nations . In saying this , I am almost quoting the r emarksof that lamented and eminent laborer in this depar tment of A nthropologicalscience, the late Dr . Bleck , of Cape Town .

A ny one who has ever undertaken to gather up the grammar of

an unwritten and barbarous language, will appreciate the difficultieswhich have to be encountered . Inquiries ar e useles s when addres sedto minds upon whom the idea of grammar never dawned . Expres sionsar e heard having a certain force, and it is only after years of carefulobservation that these expres sions can be analyzed , and their truecharacter discerned ; and this difficulty is increased when , as in the

language . of the N arrinyeri, ellipsis and abbreviations abound . T he

Rev . B . A . E . Meyer , a L utheran Mis sionary , made a brave attemptto master the grammar of this language in 1 84 3 , and with some succes s ;but yet his attempt presents a great number of ludicrous mistakesto one better acquainted with it. I found I had to rely on my own

O bservations if I was to gain any correct knowledge of the language.

(i GRA M M A R O F TH E N A RRIN YERI TRI BE

It is necessary in pursuing such an inquiry to avoid falling into the

mistake of supposing and concluding that there are complications anddifficulties of structure where there ar e none, and refinements and nicedistinctions of signification existing when there is nothing of the kind .

Sentences and expressions , which appear at first to have this character,

afterwards resolve themselves into simple and understood phrases . Ithas severaltimes been my experience to have what appeared strange andunintelligible conglomerations ofwords resolve themselves into plain andforcible expres sions .

I do not presume that in preparing this grammer I have never falleninto anymistakes . I know that I am always discovering something inthe language which I did not know before. A nd ,

indeed , it is the casewith every observant speaker ofhis native tongue that he is continuallyfinding out new capabilities and powers and beauties of expres sion it is

then much more certain that such will be the case in learning a strangeand hitherto unwritten language .

T he aborigines speak their language very correctly , that is , theydislike to hear what they consider irregular expressions . A lthough theydo not understand systematic grammar , they know when one phrase iswrong and another r ight . T he ' principal cause of changes in the

language is the custom of dropping the use of words which may be

contained in the name of some person who dies . This often producesawkward changes , butmore ofwords than of grammar .

In giving names to animals I observe that the name often r esemblesthe voice or note of the animal; but I do not see any traces of imitationof the sounds made bybeasts or birds beyond this .

T he language of the N arrinyeri is lexically very different from the

languages of the neighboring tribes .

It is remarkable that the N arrinyeri (like allother nations) in speakingEnglish speak it according to the idiom of their own language ; theEnglish words ar e arranged accor ding to the aboriginalvernacular .


8 GRA M M A R O F T HE N A RRIN YERI TRI B E

T he dative case is formed by the affixes in the singular of angh andungai. T he former as the signification of to and by, the latter of on

,or

by ; yet the terminations ar e used so interchangeably we can only saythat both ar e forms of the dative ; as , L or a el ap mantangh

—I willgoto the hut , house, or wurley . T angulan itye ngur lungat

—S tands he on

a hill? Potungai n a horse.

T he causative is formed in the singular by the affix z

'

l—evidently anabbreviation of the pronoun hilt (byhim) ; as , Korm

’

lmemp z'

r napangh, or

{ h ang/c nap—T he man struck his wife .

T he ablative is formed by the affix anmant as, N guh (water ) , perk

(well) , anmant (from) -Water from the well. This form of the ablativeis almost confined to places . When it relates to things or persons it isformed by nend as , N gunglcur a (first) , ityan ( it) , pintamz

'

n ( take away) ,ngar r a r z

'

(wood) , umangz’

r z’

nend ( from your ) , pelz’

nend (eye)—First cast thewood out of thine eye . Kt

’

nanyz'

r z

'

enend ( from his ) , p r ewir r enend ( side) ,yar alz

'

n (flows ) , hr ewe (blood) , har eha r (water )—From his side there flowsblood and water .

It is really difficult to sayhow many cases the nouns have, because all

prepositions ar e j oined as affixes to the nouns to which they relate, butonly some of them change their form, according as the noun is in the

singular , dual, or pluralnumber .

T he following is a list of prepositionalaffixes and prepositions , shewingwhere they change in the dualand plur al,

"

and where they do not

SINGUL AR . DUA L PL URA L .

of, at, up on .

1 to, on, in , by, at; sometimes used1 with instr umentatly.

{hy, thr ough, because of ; instru

mentally,or causatively.

fr om,out of .

nenggulund

tof, the form of the genitive ; inl pronominaladjectives

,with.

anmant fr om a place.

N o difference from number

ungunai tunti—ih themiddle.

ungunel infr ont of. loru—up .

ungul morn—down.

maremuntunt—beneath. ambe or .

tar angk—between. ngur ukwar

—outside,without.

tepangk—close to. ngungkura

—befor e.

tuntangk- between two.

I have given these prepositions here because of their close, and , indeed ,peculiarly inseparable relationship to nouns and pronouns .

O F A US TRA L IA N A B ORI GINES .

~ .9

A fter much consider ation , I have come to the conclusion that the following is the declension of a noun

S ingular .

porle, a child .

porlald, of a child .

porlangk to,with

, or'

on

porlungai a child .

porlil, by a child .

porlenend, fr om a child.

porlinda, 0 child .

Dual.

porlengk, two childr en.

porlengal, of two childr en.

porlungengun , to two children.

porlengul, by two childr en.

porlengulund, fr om two childr en.

porlenengulund .

V OCA TIVE perlala , 0 two childr en .

porlar , childr en.

porlan, of childr en.

porlungar , to with, by, or on

childr en .

porlar , by childr en .

porlenend, fr om childr en.

porlannand .

VocA T IvE porluna, 0 Jchildr en .

Sometimes compound substantives ar e formed out of simple nouns bythe addition of inyer i belonging to or of} ; a verb

‘ stem or an adj ective.

T o such words belong peculiar laws of declension . F or instanceKurlinyer i, from hur le (head) , inyer i (belonging to) ; i . e . a hat or headdress . Tur ninyer i, from tur ne ( foot) , and tuyor i (belonging to) ; i . e. a

boot . Kur inyinyer engh, from hur r engh ( the two shins ) , inyer englc

(belonging to two) , i . e. a pair of trousers . N ow in such words as these,the prepositional sign would be affixed to the end of the word , as

Kurlinyer ald , of a hat—Kur r inyer enggal, of a pair of trousers .

Then , again , we have yande or n, from yande (old or useless ) andhorn (a man)—i . e. an old man ; yande imm, from yande (old) and

mimine (a woman) —i . e . an old woman In these cases the S ign of the

declension comes between ; as yant ald or n—of an old man ; yant aldimin—of an old woman .

T he par ticle urmi is added to some stems of verbs to make itmean aninstrument to do the verb with ; as , halt urmi—a spade—a diggingthing ; dr elc urmi (a tomahawk ) , from dr ehin ( cutting or chipping) andurmi ( an instrument) . In such words the case endings ar e added to theend of the whole word .

10 GRA M M A R O F THE NA RRIN YERI TRIBE

T he word amalde is added to the stems of some verbs to make themsignify a person who does that action ; as , p elt amalde, frompettin ( steal)and amaldo ( an agent)—i . e. a thief ; yelpulamalde, fromyelpulun (lying)and amalde (an agent)—i. e. a liar . These words take also the affix atthe end .

Watyer i is a particle used in the sameway, and signifies fullof as ,plonggewatyer i

m—full of, or possessed by sorcery ; tuniwatyer i- full of

sand ; merhewatyer i—fullof holes .

T he particleur umimeans something used for a purpose ; as , tyetyur umi

from tyetyin (anoint ) and ur umi ( a means)—i . e . oil,ointment ; muturumi

(a drink) , frommuttun (drinking) hunhurumi,fromhunhun ( Swallowing) ,

things to swallow—i . e. pills .

T he declension ofwords signifying human r elationships is peculiar .

There ar e different forms of the wor d meaning a relationship , in or derto expres s whether it is mine, your s , or his . F or instance

nanghai—myfather . narkowalli—his mother .

ngaiowe—your father . gelanowe

—my elder br other .

yikowalle hisfather . gelauwe—your elder br other .

nainkowa.—mymother . gelauwalle—his elder br otherninkuwe—your mother .

This wor d nanghai (my father ) is declined thus

nanghai—myfather .

nanghaiyin—ih myfather .

nanghaiyin—of myfather .

nanghaiyinangk—tomyfather .

nanghaiyininda—bymyfather .

nanghaiyinanyir—fr ommyfather .

F OR—nanghaiyinambe or myfather .

N ow, in allthe wor ds signifying relationships , this form of declensionis the same. T he accusative and the genitive ar e alike, and are formedby adding in or an to the nominative ; and every other case is formed byaffixing a case particle or case ending to the accusative or genitive case.

This is the method , whether the word he of my, your , or his relations .

But where the case ending is affixed to the genitive case it is sometimesput between the stem of the word and the case ending ; as , T ar taldanofmyyounger brother .


12 GRA M M A R OF THE NA RRIN YERI TRIB E.

The other cases of pronouns are formed by adding pr oper case endingsto the accusative . T he following ar e the case endings

auweG EN ITIVE .

auwurle

anyir becomes G emt1ve In the case of pronominaladj ectives .

angk Dative to,at

,in

,into, with, on.

anyir fr om as a result .ambe for , instead of, for an obj ect (as

“kak in oura, nakambour ityan put it here that I may see it.

L iterally, for esee it nak amb) .

following is a declension of the word bitye (he)S ingular .

N O M IN A T IV E kitye he.

A CCUS A TIVE kin . him.

G EN ITIVE kanauwe of him.

DA TIVE to him.

CA US A TIVE by him.

FRO M kinanyir ,fr om him. F O R kinambo, for him.

Dual.

N O M IN A T IVE kengk they two.

A CCUSA TIVE keng'

gun them two.

G EN ITIVE keng'

gunauwe of them two.

DA T IvE keng'

gunangk to them two.

CA US A TIVE keng’

gul by them two.

FRO M—keng'gunanyir , fr om them two. F O R—keng'

gunambe,for them two.

N O M IN A T IV E they.

A CCUS A TIVE them.

G EN ITIVE of them.

DA TIVE to them.

CA US A TIVE by them.

F RO M kananyir , fr om them. I F OR kanambe, for them.

The po ssessive or adj ective pronouns , my, his , your , &c . , change theirterminations in forming their cases ; the auwe becomes anyir before thetermination expressing the case. Thus we say hi ,nanyer ald not kinau

weald . This will be best illustrated by the declension of the possessivepronoun s kinauwe (his) , heng

’

gunanwe ( theirs—two) , hanauwe ( their)KIN A UWE (H I S)

kinauwe his (sometimcs kinauwurlekinauwe .

kinanyerald of his .

kinanyerangk ” to his .

kinanyer il” by his .

FRO M—kinanyir enend,from.

his .

Dual.

N O M IN A T IVE keng'

gunauwe their s { two} .

A CCU S A 'I‘IVE keng

’

gunauwe.

G EN IT IvE keng'

gunanyirald of their s ( two) .

DA TIVE keng'

gunanyirangk to their s { two} .

CAUSA TIVE keng’

gunanyeril by their s ( two) .

FRO M- keng gunanyirenend, from their s ( two) .

O F A US TRA L IA N A B ORI G I NES . 13

kanauwe

kanauwe.

kananyir ald of their ,kananyirangk to their ,kananyi ril by their .

FRom—kananyirenend,fr om their .

T he pronoun following a transitive verb would be in the dative or

genitive case ; as , N gate mempir hinanyir angh hurl—I struck his head ;

not kinauwe hur le. A t the same time there ar e many instances in whichthe auwe would be used in an Objective sense ; as , Kil pleppinhenggunauwe piilar s—H e touched the eyes of these two .

T he demonstrative pronouns ar e hihhe ( this one) ,and naiye ( that) .

T he following ar e the ferms of the demonstrative pr onoun hikSINGUL AR . DUA L . PL URA L .

hikkai henggengk harar .hin henggun haran .

h 1 1 banggul harar.Also—H I T Y EKA T Y E ( TH I S ON E) [emphatic] .SINGUL AR . DUA L . PL URA L .

hityekatye hengenekengk harnakar .

hityenekatye.

T he pronoun naiye ( that) has the following formsSINGUL AR . DUA L .

naiye nakah

orneornauwe.

ornangk .

T he interrogative pronouns nyanggi (who ?) and minye (what ?)used in the following forms in the var ious cases

N G'

A N G G’

I'

( WH Ongangg i

—who.

nak—to whom.

nak an angk—to whom (plural) .

nauwe 1 whose or whom.

nauwurll jngand i—bywhom.

namb'

i—for whom.

M IN YE fWH A Tminy ’

i—what.mek—to what.mek—of what.mekimbe—for what (what for}mengye

—by what { how} .

Iminyandai—what times (how often) .

CAU SATIVE minyur ti—what sor t.

minyai munyarai—what number .

minde—what r eason, why.

Lmur eI—withwhat intention .

14 GRA M M AR OF TH E N A RRIN YERI TRI BE

VERB S .

T he verb in native has a close relationship to the adj ective, and atendency to assume the form O f a participle. Thus , Kaz

’

hundun ilityan

is more nearly expressed by the English Calling byhim to him” thanby H e calls him.

”L ewin itye is better expressed by H e is sitting

”

than by H e sits .

T he N arrinyeri language pos sesses the property of being able to formwords out of itself with much facility . N ames ar e generally invented bynatives for European O bj ects

,and words ar e formed to expres s actions

introduced by the colonists . F or instance z—T ami

u

nyun i s“ to shoot ;

and it is compounded of the words tamin (to point) and gun ( the Soundof a gun) .

But we see this tendency to build up words in the language itself inwords built up to express native ideas as

PIL G ERUWA L L IN Being greedy ; from pulker i (greedy) and wallin (being) .KO NRUWARRIN S ending away from honh (apart) , u (expressive of impera

tive) , and war r in (to make) .L A M A T Y ERI Wood for a fir e ; from lammin (carrying on the back) and atyer i

(belonging to—r i . e., that which 1 8 carried on theback) .

AN AN GKWA RRI N “getting ready from anangh, or kanangk, or

ityanangh (the dative of the accusative form of the third personalpronoun kityan, hin, or loan) , and war r in (making) ; literally—makingtowards it.

T he four principal classes of verbs ar e —(l) T he simple verbs ; as ,mompin ( striking) , tahhin (eating) , ngoppun (walking) , lulun ( breaking) ,nampulun (hiding) . ( 2 ) Verbs with the termination wallin,

signifyingexisting ?

’as zunhuu alltn (playing) , yuntuwalli a ( crowding) . ( 3 ) Verbs

with the termination wa r r in ,meaning

“ causing , making ; as nunhu

war r in (doing right) , wir r angwa i r in (doing wrong) , wur tuwar r zn ( saturatingwith water ) . (4 ) Verbs ending in mindin ,

‘

as hldeimindin ( fetching) .

I willnow proceed to give the conjugation of the aboriginal nativetransitive verb

L Ax—( T o S PEAR ) .

IN DICA T IVE moon—Pr esent T ense.

S ingular . Dual.

N gate yan lakkin—I spear him N gelyan lakkin—We

'

two spear himN ginte yan lakkin

—T hou spear est him N gurlyan lakkin—Y e two spear him

Kile yan lakkin—H e spears him. Kenggulyan lakkin—T hey two spear him.

N gurn yan lakkin—We spear himN gun yan lakhin

—Y e spear himKar yan lakkin—T hey spear him.


16 GRA MMA R OF THE N ARRIN YERI TRIBE

O ther F orms of the Futur e.

N ginte el our ityan lak T hou must spear him.

L ak amb el ityan ? Shall I spear him ?T arno lak amb ityan S hall I not spear him ?

Repetitive Tense.

Dual.

Ngati lak unganyi—I spear again N gellak unganyi—We two spear again

N gimte lak unganyi—T hou spearest again N gurllak unganyi—Y ou two Spear againKile lak unganyi—H e Spears again . Kenggullak unganye

—T hey two spearagain .

Plur al.

N gurn lak unganye We spear againN gun lak ,

unganye Y ou spear againKar lak unganye T hey Spear again .

REFLECTIVE M OO D .

S ingular . Dual.

Ngap an angk laggelir—I speared myself N 8919 nangk laggehr W9 twO spearedourselves

N ginte nangk laggehr—T hou spear edst N gurle nangk laggelir—Y e two spearedthyself yourselvesKitye nangk laggehr r -H e speared hrm Kenggenangk laggelir—T hey two speared

self. themselves .

Plur al.

N guru an angk laggelir We speared our selvesN gun en angk laggelir Y e speared yourselvesKan en angk laggelir T hey spear ed themselves .

RECIPROCA L M OOD .

N gele nangk laggel amb L et uS two spear h each other .IM PERA TIVE M OOD .

S ingular . Dual.

L ak our inde—Do thou spear N geloura lakkin—L et us two spearIloura. lak—L et him spear N gurlour lakkin-v L et you two spear

Kenggulour lakkin—L et them two spear .

Ngurn our lakkin L et us SpearN gun our lakkin DO you spearKar our lakkin L et them spear .

OPT A TIVE M O O D (“ M A YS ingular . Dual.

Ngati in anyura lakkin—I may spearhim N gelIn anyura lakkin—We twomayspear

kkin h himN ginte m an

yura la T on mayest

N gurlm anyura lakkin -Y e twomaySpearSpear him him

Kile in anyuralakkin—H emay spear him. Kenggulin anyura lakkin—T hey twomay

spear him.

N gurn in anyur a lakkin We may spear himN gun in anyura lakking Y e may spear himKur in anyura lakkin T hey may Spear him.

OF A US TRA L I A N'

A B ORI G I IVES . 1 7

O PT A T IvE COUL D O R WOUL DS ingular . Dual.

L ak ilde atte ityan—I would spear him L akllde 1 1891 Ityan—WetWO WO UM 513a

Lak 1 1d 1ude Ityan—T hou wouldest spear

L ak 1 1de ngurl ityan—Y e two would

0spear him [ Sp

L ak 1 1d ile 1 tyan —Hewould spear him. L ak ilde engul ityan—They two would

Plur al.

L ak ilde ngum ityan—We would Spear him

L ak ilde ungun ityan—Y e would Spear himL ak ilde ar ityan

—T hey would spear him.

PROH IBITIVE M OOD .

L ak E—S pear not. T auo ityan lak ityan—Don’t spear him.

M US TL aggel el our ap

-I must SpearL aggel elour ind

—T hou must spearL aggelelour itye

—H e must spear.&c . ,

&c .

IN FIN ITIVE M O OD (PRESEN T) .L ak—S pear [the idea absolute]L ak ur amb—F or the purpose of spearing [of an instrument or weapon] .

PARTICIPL ES .

L aggelin—S pearing. L aggelir

—S peared .

PA S S IVE.

S ingular . Dual.N gan lakkir

—I am speared L am lakhir—We two are spear edN gum lakkir—T hou art Speared L om lahkir—Y ou two are spearedKin lakhir—H e is speared . Kenggun lakhir—T hey two are spearedi .

N am lakkir—We are SpearedN om lakhir—Y e ar e spearedKan lakhir—T hey are speared .

1 .—I chose the word lakkin for the paradigm of a native verb because

it contains allthe inflections which I know of. The word lakhin means ,primar ily , piercing as

,N gate lakhin itye.

Iaoye—I pierce a basket

make a basket by the piercing through and through of the rushesas it is woven or sewn together) . But the word is mostly used for castinga

_

spear—darting ; and , from that, a iming anymissile or throwing a stone

at any person is lakkin .

2 .—Although I have given an “ indicative mood , yet the peculiarity

of the participialcharacter of the native verb must not be lost sight of.

There must necessarily be in every language a form of expres sing theverb, equivalent to our indicative form—and this I have endeavored to»

give ; that Is , the inflection of the verb, with theaccompanying pronouns—both causative and obj ective—which conveys the indicative thought .

1 8 GRA M M A R O F TH E N A RRIN YERI TRI B E

B ut yet it must not be Supposed that the words N gate ilyan lakkin, forinstance, mean By him it spearing ; although that is the nearest to itin English . Y et the word lohlein does not mean spearing,

”but

, as the

aborigines say in broken English , Spear em .

” They say , I Spear emit kangaroo this is the native idiom. In exhibiting the indicativemoodI have supposed the speaker to say,

“ I Spear him ; but of course Imight have put it,

“ I spear thee,”o r I spear you ,

” and so on . In thatcase the O bj ective form of the second personalpronoun would have to beused—as N gate um lakhin , I spear thee or , N gate onom lah/tin,

Ispear you ; —and so on , through allthe tenses .

3 .—T he transitive verbs ar e distinguished from the intransitive by the

former using the causative case of the pronoun ; whereas the latter usesthe simple nominative. This will be seen in the following conjugationof the verb

N G A I T CO M E .)

IN DICA TIVE M OOD—Pr esent T ense.

S ingular . Dual.N gaun ap

—I come N gaiin ngel—We two come

N gaiin inda—T hou comest N gaiin ung'

url—Y e two comeNgaiin ityo—H e comes . N gaiin engk

—T hey two come.

Plur al.

N gai in ung'

ur n—We comeN gaiin ung

'

une—Y ou comeN gaiin ar—T hey come.

Past T ense.

S ingular . Dual.Puntir ap—I came Puntir ang

'

el—We two camePuntir inde—T hou camest Puntir ung

'

url—Y ou two camePuntir itye—H e came. Puntir engk—T hey two came.

Plur al.

Puntir arn—We camePun tir ung

'

une—Y ou camePuntir ar —T hey came.

F utur e T ense.

S ingular . Dual.N gar el ap

—I willcome N gai el ang’

el—We two willcomeN gar el Inda—T hou wilt come N gai el ung

'

url—Y ou two willcomeN gar el itye

—H e willcome. N gai el engk—T hey two willcome.

Plur al.

N gai el arm- We will comeN gai cl ung

'

one—Y ou willcomeN gai el ar

—T hey willcome.

IM PERA TIVE M OODKoh

.

Come Come here.

N gar war Do come


20 GRA M M A R O F T H E N A RRIN YERI TRI B E

abstract verb should be found perfectly developed in a barbor ous tongue .

T he use of this word ellin , and also of enm'

n ,is very difficult to under

stand . Elappears to mean intention , for or towards , whether that intention be for doing ,

wishing for , or being ellin expresses the intentionsatisfied . F or instance, take the following table of the words

5Ellin—DoingEllir—Done

t Ellani—About to doElfin—H avingElfin—B eingBlli r—H as been

Ennin—DoingEn—Do Ennani -Willdo

Ennir —Done.

T he following native sentences furnish instances of this z—Eu algun ,

Do with it” do it.

’L ula ap a tye ellir , Thus I it did ,

” I didso .

” N ga ti yamennani, I willdo it.

”N gate gem ellani

,[ willdo it,

By me it willbe done. Kungitye ellir , Enough , he has bee“n”

H e is dead .

8 .—T he stem of the word war r in is commonly used as the Sign of the

imperative and interrogative . T he stem war is used and pronouncednearly like the English word our .

”T he following ar e S pecimens of its

use : Ki mg wa r ,“ Do hear . N ak our

, Do see .

”N gai war , Do

come. N ginia wa r a . or ngim‘aur a ,

“ Do thou” (a phrase meaningG et out of the N gint our , or wa r , Do thou” Do thou

do it.

”M am our

,Do slowly .

”M ur r umil our , and mur rwzmour ,

Make haste—Do hasten .

”Y ellculwar , o r our

,

“ Do move.

”M int

aur a,Do to me thou” ( it is equivalent to Give me a Kalil: in

aur a , Put it here .

”Y ang our i .

? Where do you go ?

Rl—I wish to do

9 .—ln expressions which mean going and coming , it is very common

for the words go”and come” to be omitted . T he following ar e in

stances of thi s practice

L oldu eli tye U p willhe i . e. ,

“H e will8°L or u elitya

M ar e elilye Down willhe i . e., H e willcome.

L or a elapL oldu elap

U p W1 11 I , i . e.,I w1llgo

I aldcm em U p it ; i .e.,F etch it.

L ar a itye Down he ; i . e .

,

“H e has come.

M om an Down him i . e .

,H e has gone down .

M om 0 1 ap Down willI ; i . e.

,I willgo down .

”

L o'r u means up , moru means down ; loldu also means up, and mar e

down .

1 0 .—T he stem or root of verbs very often consist of one or two vowel

sounds and two or three consonantal sounds . Thus p et is the stem of

the word pettin (to steal) ; mor ok is the stem of the verb mor oklmn (tofetch ) . I have said “ very often” —l might have said “ always

,

” but

that I do not feelquite certain ; but this r ule is very common .

O F A US TRA L IA N A B ORI G IN ES . 21

ADJEC T IVES .

Some adjectives in the native language ar e declined like nouns ; and

some of them have such a verbalform as to S how they ar e clo sely relatedto verbs . N unker i (good)

'

and wir r augi (bad) ar e examples of the formerclass ; talin (heavy) , balp in (wh ite) , lcinemin (dirty) , kiup in ( sweet) , p r it

yin ( strong) , are examples of the latter clas s . Sometimes an adjective isused in both forms—as balpe and balp in,

both ofwhich signify white.

”

T he following is the declension of the word

N UNKER I ( G O OD) .

S ingular

nunkeri, good [noun understood] .nunggurald, of good .

nunggurungai, to good .

nunggur il, by good .

Dual.

nungger engk, two good.

nungger engul, of two good .

nunggerungengul, to two good .

nungger engul, by good .

Plur al.

nunker ar , good .

nunger an ,of good .

nungger ungar , to good .

nungger ar , by good .

The following is the declension of the adj ective

N onvwan (A L L) .

N O M IN A 'r rvE ngruwar , all.

G EN ITIVE ngruntungar , of all.

DA TIVE ngruntungar , to all.

A CCUSA TIVE ngruwar , all.

V O CA T IV E ngrfiwfin , 0 all

CA U S A T IVE ngruntar , by all.

FROM—ngruntenend, fr om all WITH—ngruntungar , with all.

A dj ectives have no degrees of comparison : the only approach to suchis found in the wor d mur alappi ( small) , mur alapp eol(ver y small) . 0 lis

the common diminutive particle for adj ectives and substantives .

T he natives only count to three Y ammalai or yommalaitye, one

uinggenglc or ningkaiengk, two ; ueppalda r , three.

”N guulcur is

“ first there ar e no words for second ” or third .

”A ll numbers

above three are expressed by Ngr uwar (many) . Some adjectives are

formed from adverbs ; as laa r loinyer i, or kar loange'i—e-from lca rlo (to-day)

and inyer i (belonging) , and meaning“now klauoanger i, or kaldow

anyer F—from lcaldow (a long time) and inger i (belonging to) , and meaning

old ; and lconlcz'

nger i (by itself, alone) .

22 GRA M M A R O F TH E N A RRIN YERI TRIBE

ADVERB S .

T he various adverbs willbe found in a vocabulary of the language. Ionly wish here to refer to some words of this clas s in which a nice distinction in meaning is observed .

A DVERBS or T IM E .

Karlo—T o-day. Y un—By-and-by.

(Karloanyer i—N ew. ) Palli- While, by-and-by.

H ik—N ow. Rauwul—A long th e ago.

Watanggrau—Yesterday . Kaldau—A long time.

N gr ekkald—T o-morrow. N gur intand

—Uften .

A DVERBS or N EG A T I O N .

T arno—N o, not. T arno el—Don’ t do.

T am alo—N o more. T ar nalin—N ot yet.T arnalo—N ever . N owaiy

—N one.

T auo—Don’ t (imperative) . N owaiy ellin—N o more of

anything) .A DVERBS or PL A CE .

Yangi—Where (interrogative) . Y angalli—Where is he

Y arnd—O i where ? Whence Kiuau—Where (relative) .Yauo—Y ak—Where to 9 A iau—Bywhere.

[Instances—M auti Iciuau tantani ap , The wurley where 1 Shallsleep .

Y ale alinda tantani Where willyou sleep ?”Ngur luug aiau, By where the hill

Ku-un—F ar off. [A s, N gap tangulun ku-uu, I stand far off. ” N ginte

tangulun ku-u/n,“ T hou standest far off.

” Kitge tangulun lcu-u,H e stands far off.

” Kengk tangulun [cu-u,“ T hey two stand

far off. Ka r tangulun lcuar -uu, T hey stand farAkbe—H ere. O ndu O ver there.

A lyikke—H ere. Y arnd inde —Whence thou ?

Alyenik—T hi s here place. Yauo ande —Whi ther thou

Alye—H ere.

A DVERBS or T IM E .

Yaral—When ? (Interrogative) . U ngunuk—When . (Relative) .

T he word wunge ( then) is c ommonly joined , as an affix , to pronounasWunyap

—T bon I . Wunyitve—T hen he.

Wunyatte—T hen byme, i . e.

,T hen Wunyinde

—T hen thou .

I (casuative) . Wunyungune—Then you.

Wunyil—T hen by him, i . e.

,T hen Wunyar—T hen they.

he (casuative) . Wunyel—T hen will.

T he words uls , ulclce, lulc, and lun , which have the meaning of s imilar ityso ,

” thus ,”

way” may be illustrated by the following examples

L uk, S o . L uu

,T hus . Ulclfe

,

“Way.

L uk u, or lam w S o,thus H e did it thus . L uk itya yar izin Thus

he speaks .

L un ellin S o being, L ike.

”L ula ugge L ike this one.

B ile/ca t ulclce T his way.

”T his road .

”

H ilambuk F or this way (equivalent to “.because

L uu u/c T hus .

”N go uk ap I go so.


2 4 GRA M M A R O F TH E N ARRIN YERI TRI BE .

VII .T he Sign of a transitive verb is a noun or pronoun in the causative ;

and of an intransitive verb a noun or pronoun in the nominative—Kilityan dr elcin, H e cuts it : Ifitge tangulun, H e stands .”

VIII .Demonstrative pronouns agree with the nouns which they point to in

number and case—as , H zlclca i kor n,

“ This man ;”H ar nalcar kor nar ,

These men O r nanglc nunkungai, In that day Om anglc kogungai,In that basket .

IX .

T he distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs , where thesame English word expresses both , must be carefully observed . Thuslulun (breaking) is intransitive, luwun (breaking) is transitive ; ngr anglcin(burning) is intransitive, lcullcun (burning) is transitive.

X .

T he word “where” { Iciuau/ , which is only used r elatively , must becarefully distinguished from gangi (where) , which is only used interrogatively. A lso the word ungunulc, or ungun, which mean when ”—usedrelatively—must be distinguished from gar al, which means when ” inthe interrogative sense.

X I

A lthough the stem of the verb maybe said to be the infinitive present ,yet the particle ur amb (meaning

“ for the purpose of”

) is always usedwhen a verb is governed in the infinitive by another verb —as , Kilp emp ir inanglc lcaltumi lcaltur amb an tuni, By him was a giving to him a

S pade for the purpose of digging the ground H e gave him a spadeto dig the ground . Pemp ir ilan angleuaklcar i takur amb, H e gave me

a duck to eat.”





26 INDEX .

PAGEDiever ieTr ibe, Funer alRites of the 7 1

Kinship Degr ees in 1 56 , 1 65

L aw ofMur der . . 69

Felony 70

Legends of the . 73

Mar r iage Customs of 67

67

Peace Festivalof the 74Peace T r eaty of 68

Rain-making in the. 76

Totems of 67

Tr aditions of 67 , 73

Weapons of the 73

Language, N otes on Gr ammar of 82

Pr onouns , Declension 86

D iseases of the Dieyer ie T r ibeDoctor s of theDieyer ie Tr ibeD r awing, Native Talent forHunting Par ty 4

“Hunting S cene 40

- “A n Encampment 56

“N ative War r ior s 72

A W'

ar Dance” £8 . 1 06

Hunting Kangar oo” 1 24

Gr oup of 1 40

Gr oup of War r ior s ” 1 68

Duke of A r gyll, Extr act fr om Wor k 9

Effects of Clanship 1 1

Ethnology of the A ustr alian A borigines 8

Expedition to Lake Eyr e 83

Explanatory Notes on the Photogr aphs 1 05

Ex pedition to the Rufus River 1 22

Extr acts fr om wr itings of SamuelGason 67

Facsimiles of Letter s wr itten by A bor igines [at end of c ol. )Fisher

,Charles , A swer s by

F ison, Rev . Lor imer , on Kin shipFr onti spiece—Photogr aph of an A bor igi

nalEncampmentFlinder s Range T r ibe, T heFuner alRites of the Diever ie T r ibe

Nar r inyer i Tr ibeGason ,Samuel, A nswer s by—Extr acts fr omWr itings 0Giles , Chr istopher , A nswer s byGenealogi calTable—N o . 1

No . 2

Goolwa Clan of the N ar r inyer i T r ibeG r ammar of Dieyer ieLanguage,

M oor undee LanguageNar r inyer i LanguageGuichen B ay Tr ibe, Degr ees ofKinship . .

Hack ,Bedfor d , A nswer s by

Holden, Rev . B . W . A nswer s by

PAGE

o o o o o o o o o

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

o o o o o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o


o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

of [a t end of r ol. ]List of Q uestion, A nswer s to the

Lor d’s Pr ayer in Language of theDarlingT r ibeLower Mur r ay Abor igines , D iseases ofManhood—Initiatory Cer emonies in the

M ar our a T r ibe 20 , 27

M ar our a T r ibe,T he

Funer alRites of the 1 8

Kinshi p Degr ees 1 58 , 1 67Legends of the 1 8,2 7

Mar r iage Customs of the 1 7

MedicalT r eatment of the 1 9“N ora llie,

” G od of the. 2 7

Mar r iage Customs of the 90

M ar our a Tr ibe-Nar r inyer i Tr ibe

Homann ,Rev . E . , Notes on the Dieyer ieLanguage by 86

Humphr ies , Police-tr ooper , A nswer s by 5 7

Illustr ations , List of the v .

Immor tality, Abor iginalbelief in 26

Introduction 1

Kinship Degr ees in Antaker r inya T r ibe 1 56

Bor der Town Tr ibe 1 59

Dieyer ie T r ibe 1 56 1 65

Guichen B ay Tr ibe 1 59

M ar our a Tr ibe 1 58, 1 67

Meru T r ibe 1 58 1 69

M oorundee Tr ibe 1 58

MtRemarkable Tribe 1 57

N ar rinyer i T r ibe 1 59

N imbalda Tribe 1 57Peake Tub e 1 56

Pt . L iJcoln Tr ibe, 1 5 7 , 1 70T itni e Tr ibe 1 58

Kinship , Compar ative Table of 1 56

Rev . Lorimer F ison on 1 72

Systems,Notes on the 1 71

Tamilian System of 1 73

Lake Eyr e Tr ibes , Notes on the 83

83

Language of theWester n Distr ict Tr ibesWor ds in the

Languages , A ustr alian A bor iginal—Compar ative Table of 1 42

L ar r akeeyah T r ibe, T he 92

Lawson ,R . , A nswer s by 58

L aw of Felony, Dieyer ie Tr ibe 70

Mur der , Dieyer ie Tr ibe 69

Legend of a Migr ation to the South-east 60

Legends of the Dieyer ie Tr ibe 73

M ar our a Tr ibe 1 8, 27Nar ri nyer i Tr ibe 38,5 1

N imbalda Tr ibe 88

Letter s wr itten byA bor igines , Notes on 1 24

PAGE .

Mar r iage Customs ofWestm. Dist . Tr ibes 93

Mats, Nets , etc . ,Manufactur ed by the

A bon'

gines—Photogr aph of

M cG r ath, Mur der ofMeanings ofWor ds in the Table of L an

guages, A uthor ities for 1 53

Measur ements of A bor iginalA dults 53

MedicalTr eatment of the M ar our a T r ibe 1 9

Antaker r inya Tr ibe 92

Meru Tr ibe, Kinship Degr ees of 1 58 1 69

Migr ation t0 ‘the South, Legend of a 60

M ilmenr oor a Tr ibe, T he 34

M imukulari ,” Por tr ait of 96

M oorhouse, M . , Extr act from wr itings ofon the M oorundee Tr ibe 31

Letter of on A bor igines 1 1 3

M oor undee Tr ibe, T he 30

Dr . Moorhouse on 3 ]

Language, Gr ammar of the

Mor iar ty, Police-tr ooper , A nswer s 33 50

Mount Remarkable Tr ibe, 64 ,

Kinship Degr ees 1 57

Mur der of M cG r ath 1 24

Mur r ay and Darling Junction T r ibesVocabulary of the 20

M ur doo of the Dieyer ie Tr ibe 67

Music of a Cor r obbery 1 06

Nar r inyer i Tr ibe, The 33

Color of the 5 7

Demigods of the 38

Doctor s of the 50

Funer alRites of the 3 7

Goolwa Clan of the 50

Gr ammar of the 1 77

Kinshi p Degr ees of 1 59

Legends of the 38, 5 1Manhood,Initiation to 4 1

Mar r iage Customs of 35

Ngiangiampe of the 4 1

Number of the 42

Nur under e,G od 38Photogr aph ofWeapons 32

Sor cery among the 36

Totems of the 34

Weapons of 39

Wor ds r esembling wor ds inother Languages

Nar acoor te and S outh-east-coast Tr ibes ”Ngiangiampe of the Nar r inyer i Tr ibeNgunaitponi ,

” Por tr ait ofN imbalda Tr ibe, T he

Legends of theNoble,Police-trooper , A nswer s by

“Nor allie,” G od of the M ar our a

Notes on the Kinship Systems

Compar ative Table of L anguages

Number of the Nar r inyer i Tribe

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

O O O O O O0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

O O O O O O O O O0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mur r ay and DarlingJunction Tr ibeNar r inyer i Tr ibe

Wadinor e, G . ,A nswer s

VValdaninyer i ,” Por trait of

Wallar oo Tr ibe, T he

Weapons, Native—Photogr aph of

PAGENur ses, A bor iginalWomen as 48

O r iginalCountry of the A bor igines 1 2

O verland Corner Tr ibe, T he 28

Padthaway Tr ibe, The 58Peace Tr eaty of the Dieyer ie Tr ibe 68

Festivalof the Dieyer ie Tr ibe 74Peake Tr ibe, Kinship Degr ees of the 1 56Photogr aphs, ExplanatoryNotes on the 1 05

of Native Men 48 80

Manufactures 64

Population , A bor iginal—Decr ease of 43Por t Lincoln Tr ibes Kinship Degr ees 1 57 1 7Pr eface vii .Pr imevalM an,Extr act fromWork on 9Pr ovi s , Cor por al, A nswer s by 93

Q uestions on Abor iginalFolklor e, List of 5

Rain-mak ing in the Dieyer ie Tr ibe 76

Rangulinyer i Clan of the Nar r inyer iGenealogy of

Recor ds , Early, of theA bor igines Depar t-f1 1 3

Richar ds , Police-tr ooper , A nswer s by 93 1 02

Rufus River , Expedition to the 1 22

Shaw, Corpor al, A nswer s by 28

Singleton , Chi ef Ranger , Answer s by 59

Smith, Henry Q uincy, A nswer s by 87

Sor cery among the Nar r inyer i Tr ibe 36

South-eastern and T atiar a Tr ibes 57

South-east-coast and Nar acoor te Tr ibes 59

Status of the A bor igines 8

Stur t, Dr .

,A nswer s by 92

Tamilian System of Kinship 1 73

1 73

Taplin, Rev . G eo . , A nswer s by 34

T ar ar orn Clan of the Nar r inyer i—G enealogy of

T atiar a and Bor der Town Tr ibes Ki nship Degr ees of 1 59

and South-east Tr ibes 5 7Teeth Extr action among the Dieyer ie 8 1

of the Abor igines 1 09

T itnie Tr ibe, T he 1 58

T olmer,A . , Answer s by 59Totems of the N ar r inyer i Tr ibe 34

Dieyer ie Tr ibe 67

Tr adi tions of the Dieyer ie Tr ibe 67, 73

3 1

Vocabulary of the Cooper ’s Cr eek Tr ibe 20

63

28

Weapons of the Nar r inyer i Tri beWestern Distn'

ct Tr ibesWestern Distri ct Tr ibes , T he

Marr iage Cus

toms oi

A dj ectives, their Declension ,etc .

Compar ison,no Degr ees of

Numer al, how expr essedA dverbs of Time

NegationPlaceContents

,Table of

G r ammar of the Nar r inyer i Tr ibe .

Letter s us ed in the Nar r inyer i Languagetheir Pr onunciation .

Nouns , their Declension , Cases, etcPr opositionalA fiix es , etc . , toPronoun s, Per sonal, Declens ion , etc . ,Possessive or A dj ective—Terminations ofDemonstr ative, Forms of

Inter r ogative, Forms of.

IN DE X .

PAGE39

9 1

95

93

WesternD istr ict Tr ibes—Manhood, Initi

Weapons of the“Wewat-thelar i,

” Portr ait of

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Letter s wr itten by A bor igines educated at the Mission Schools , Facsimiles of

Pr inted by E . S P I L L ER , A cting Govern ment Pr inter , N orth-ter r ace, A delaide.

PAGE

97

95

48

Relationships (human ) , Peculiar Deelension signifyingSyntacticalNotes .

Verbs—Four pr incipalClasses ofTr ansitive

,Conj ugation of

Notes onA uxiliary, T heClasses of, T he—H ow di stinguishedChange of, fr om Intr ansitive to Tr an

S itive

Intr ansitive—H ow di stinguishedImper ative and Inter i ‘ogativew S ign ofO mis sion of come and go in cer tain

expr essionsStem or Root of

,Formation of

T he Par adigm selectedT he IndicativeMood—its equivalent

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