THE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL
[Illustration: THE BUFFALO HUNTERS’ TRIUMPH
H. BASEDOW, _pinx._]
THE
AUSTRALIAN
ABORIGINAL
BY
HERBERT BASEDOW
M.A., M.D., PH.D., B.SC., F.G.S., ETC.
SOMETIME CHIEF MEDICAL INSPECTOR AND CHIEF PROTECTOR OF ABORIGINES
IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY; SPECIAL ABORIGINES’ COMMISSIONER
FOR THE FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS; LOCAL CORRESPONDENT
ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF GREAT
BRITAIN AND IRELAND; HONORARY FELLOW ANTHROPOLOGICAL
SOCIETY OF GÖTTINGEN, ETC.
_With 146 Illustrations_
ADELAIDE:
F. W. PREECE AND SONS
1925
Registered by the Postmaster-General for
transmission through the post as a book.
Wholly set up and printed in Australia
at THE HASSELL PRESS, Adelaide.
TO THE MEMORY OF MY MOTHER
ANNA CLARA HELENE BASEDOW
PREFACE
For some years past it had been my intention to write a progressive
series of treatises on the Australian aboriginal, embodying observations
as they were being made. As time wore on, however, my procrastination
amassed so great a fund and so great a variety of notes that my original
plan became impossible. The delay was not altogether through any fault
of mine, but through a run of fortunate happenings which allowed me to
spend the better part of every year in the great unbounded spaces of
central and northern Australia, to live among the uncontaminated tribes,
and to study Australian anthropology at the fountain head. It was through
my repeated and prolonged absences from the city (and civilization in
general) that I could not attend to the publication of any lengthy
scientific papers.
Apart from my private and professional journeys, the following are some
of the better known expeditions I have accompanied or led:
The Government North-West Expedition,
Government Expedition of Geological Exploration in the Northern
Territory,
Cruise of the s.s. “White Star” under His Excellency Sir George
Le Hunte, Governor of South Australia,
Mineralogical Survey of the Flinders Ranges,
Sir Joseph Verco’s Deep Sea Dredging Expeditions,
Exploration of Melville and Bathurst Islands,
Expedition in Search of Munition Minerals in the Northern
Kimberleys of Western Australia, officially subsidized by the
Premier (Hon. John Scaddan, M.P.),
Expedition in Search of Munition Minerals in Central Australia,
Three South Australian Medical Relief Expeditions among the
Aborigines,
Expedition in Search of Reported Remains of Leichhardt, under
auspices of S.A. Geographical Society,
Commonwealth Medical Survey of Aborigines in the Northern
Territory,
Mararoa Geological Expedition from Darwin to Northern
Kimberleys,
Viceregal Expedition to Central Australia, under His
Excellency, Sir Tom Bridges, Governor of South Australia,
Commonwealth Railways Commissioner’s Journey from Mildura to
Port Augusta, under Hon. P. G. Stewart and N. G. Bell, Esq.,
Expedition through the Interior of Australia, under His
Excellency, the Earl of Stradbroke, Governor of Victoria.
During the terms that I held official positions, firstly as a State
Geologist, and secondly as Chief Medical Officer and Chief Protector of
Aborigines for the Commonwealth Government in the Northern Territory,
opportunities were afforded me of continuing my investigations among
the indigenous population of Australia; especially fruitful were my
researches when, as a Special Aborigines’ Commissioner, I medically
overhauled the tribes of South Australia and of the southern region of
the Northern Territory.
In a more private capacity the southern districts and goldfields of
Western Australia, the coastal and south-western districts of Queensland,
and the north-western areas of New South Wales were traversed. Quite
recently, too, a professional excursion to Java considerably enriched my
knowledge of Melanesian ethnography and helped to explain the existence
of several cults in the northern districts of Australia which border on
the Indian Ocean.
On the other hand, not long before the war I continued study abroad
and was privileged to be associated with the late Professor Hermann
Klaatsch, under whose admirable guidance my researches were conducted in
the Anatomical School of the University of Breslau. It will be apparent,
therefore, why many of the results enumerated in the chapters dealing
with the racial characteristics of the Australian aboriginal are based
upon the doctrines of this eminent authority. In London Sir Arthur Keith
courteously placed the whole of the valuable collections of Australian
skulls and skeletons in the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of
Surgeons at my disposal; while Captain T. A. Joyce, in an equally
generous way, facilitated my investigations in the anthropological
galleries of the British Museum; I am taking advantage of this
opportunity of expressing my sincere gratitude to these two gentlemen. I
also desire to thank the Directors of the National and University Museums
which I visited in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Holland, who so
willingly responded to my enquiries and brought me into personal contact
with any matters I was especially interested in.
While engaged upon one of my later commissions in central Australia, my
duties took me to the Hermannsburg Mission Station on the Finke River,
where for a fortnight I enjoyed the companionship of the Rev. Carl
Strehlow and received every assistance in my researches among the western
groups of the Arunndta tribe. Through the recent pathetic and heroic
death of Strehlow, Science has lost an indefatigable and conscientious
worker, and the aborigines a staunch and faithful friend.
In the present volume I have endeavoured to sift my subject matter in
such a way as to keep the text in a suitable sequence and to make it of
general interest. The principal difficulty has been to delete matter
in order to keep down the bulk of the book. The latter remark applies
equally well to the selection of illustrations; it was with a heavy heart
that I found myself obliged to reduce the number of plates, all of which
illustrated interesting points referred to in the text. Nevertheless, I
feel that I am greatly indebted to the publisher, Mr. F. W. Preece, for
allowing me to include so many more illustrations than he had originally
counted upon.
Now that the manuscript is in the hands of the printer, I feel that there
are several chapters I should like to have done more justice to; those,
for instance, dealing with tribal organizations, initiation ceremonies,
religious ideas, and art might have been considerably expanded if it had
not been for the want of space. In those on religious ideas and art,
I realize that I am launching in new directions so far as Australian
anthropology is concerned, but I trust that the evidence which I have
produced will be sufficient to prove that I did not arrive at the results
too hastily, or, indeed, without deliberation and substantiation.
Phallic worship had long been suspected in Australia, and some of our
foremost authorities, such as the late R. Etheridge, Jun., were inclined
to explain the occurrence of certain stones and other objects in the
tribal areas of Australia (present or past) on that hypothesis. I came
upon the evidence accidentally in 1916 in the form of a stone phallus
erected in the ground at Success Strait in the far north-western corner
of Australia. The stone was surrounded by a cleared cirque where much
blood had been spilt at a recent ceremony. A few weeks later I for the
first time witnessed an actual performance on the shores of Cambridge
Gulf at which wooden phallus were produced. Since then I have been
able to trace the existence of phallic worship of some form or other
in several districts of central and northern Australia, an outline of
which appears in a subsequent chapter. I trust that the facts I have
been able to collect may help to illumine the somewhat doubtful question
of how an aboriginal looks upon the process of procreation. Phallicism
is closely related to such forms of Nature worship as are practised in
order to make any species of animal or plant proliferate, or, for that
matter, to bring down a shower of rain in times of drought. The phallus
might gradually merge into a tjuringa. The painted “_Ngadanji_” and
“_Ilbarinam_” tjuringas of the Arunndta tribe are regarded as images
of the reproductive organ of a spirit which can generate life; in that
sense they might be classed as phallus. I find that ancestor worship is
generally indulged in; it is difficult at times to distinguish between an
original spirit ancestor and a deity, but a Supreme Spirit or Deity is
believed to exist and to rule over all creation.
With regard to totemism, I have shown the beliefs in a manner slightly
different from those hitherto recorded. The mystical relationship between
individual and object is traced to a mythical semi-human forerunner which
was common to both and is now a spirit. The Arunndta call the spirit
“_Knaninja_.” The animal or plant relative of an individual is what has
been commonly called the “totem” in Australian ethnology, while the
symbolic representation of this object, which becomes the crest of the
individual, corresponds to the “_kobong_” first described by Sir George
Grey. Emblematic representations of both the “totemic” object and of the
Knaninja are embodied in the tjuringa of the individual.
The essay on art, it will be observed, has been written on evolutional
lines with respect to both technique and design. It will be understood
that the material upon which the conclusions are based was collected
in many parts of Australia and during many years of travel. The cults
in question are in many cases distributed all over the continent, but
occasionally are quite local. As an instance of the latter kind, I
mention the famous drawings recorded by Sir George Grey, some of which
I was fortunate in being able to locate and study on the Glenelg River
in the far north-west. I might mention that, with very few exceptions,
the designs appearing in the book as text figures are actual tracings
reduced by photography to a size in keeping with the dimensions of the
page. There is no doubt that primitive art in Australia is a fascinating
study which has not received the attention it merits; and unfortunately
it is rather late in the day to think of making a start. The system of
conventionalism derived from the numerous pictographs and carvings is
the basis of all characters and messages one finds on sticks, stones,
and persons; it is the only key to an understanding of sacred tjuringa
symbols. We have for too long looked upon aboriginal designs as
meaningless, and upon aboriginal art production as being idle concoctions
out of nothing which were invented just to make a thing “look pretty.”
This is anything but the true position. An aboriginal artist knows no
such thing as a design without motive or origin; to him the shortest
line or the smallest circle conveys a thought. In the chapter dealing
with stone implements, I have, among other things, described a new type
of scraper which was used by the now extinct Adelaide tribe for trimming
skins of animals.
The article on language is not intended to be at all comprehensive; my
main object was to give a general idea of the construction, together with
a few examples of the idiomatic uses, of the aboriginal tongue. I hope at
a later date to be able to present a complete account of the Arunndta and
Aluridja dialects, including the syntactical rules and grammatical forms.
I have to offer an apology to any authors who may claim priority to some
of the facts which I mention in this book. I have written this account
of the Australian aboriginal without attempting to consult previous
literature, for the simple reason that, had I started looking up all
necessary references, the volume might never have been completed. My time
at headquarters has been so limited during the last fifteen years that,
in the absence of a library near at hand, it was impossible for me to
adopt any other method than to write up my observations at first-hand
and run the risk of a certain amount of trespass. Nevertheless, I trust
that the authors so affected will realize that there was no slight
intended and will treat my transgression in the spirit of independent
corroboration.
Our knowledge of Australian ethnology is so meagre that every man who has
had first-hand experience among the tribes should consider it his bounden
duty to place on record any facts he possesses, however trivial they may
be. Every year the number of people who have seen the unsophisticated
savage is dwindling. When I look back to the time of my first meeting
with the tribes of central Australia, just twenty years ago, and compare
the conditions of then and now, I shudder to think how quickly the
romance of aboriginal affairs, together with all the scientific treasures
it encompassed, has vanished, and is now irretrievably lost to the world.
The rising generation will not have the advantage of men of even our
time. Bones, stone artefacts, and wooden implements will remain in our
museums for ever, but the habits, laws, beliefs, and legends are doomed
to rapid extinction.
I do not claim to be an initiated member of any tribe. To be candid, I
several times tried to qualify by impressive exhibitions of surgical
skill and exaggerated munificence, but, although I gained the confidence
and goodwill of the old men, I was informed that I could only be accepted
provided I passed through the different grades of initiation and
submitted to the attendant mutilations in the orthodox way. The medicine
men, however, usually claimed me as a “_Kata_” or colleague, and allowed
me to witness most of their rituals and sacred ceremonies, which they
carefully explained to me. In this way I was able, also, to secure a very
great series of photographs depicting intimate scenes from aboriginal
life, many of which are unique. The only photographs illustrating this
book which were not taken by me are those reproduced in Plates XLVIII and
XLIX; for these I am indebted to the late Mr. Nicholas Holtze.
I could not allow this opportunity to pass without making brief reference
to the causes of the early extinction which is threatening these
inoffensive, useful, and scientifically important people. We have only to
cast our eyes in the direction of any wave of settlement to behold the
disastrous effects our occupation of the land has had on the natives.
Take, for instance, the Lake Eyre region, which embraces the Dieri,
Yantowannta, Ngameni, and Yauroworka tribes. Official reports show that
only forty years ago the population was so dense that the white settlers
asked for greater police protection; the four tribes mentioned numbered
many thousands. During a recent survey on behalf of the Government,
I could barely muster three hundred wretched and decrepit souls in
this region, who, literally speaking, were waiting for a lingering
death to relieve them of their misery. We content ourselves by saying
that civilization is the cause of the increased mortality, no doubt a
plausible but very vague explanation. As a result of my investigations,
I venture the opinion that the factor which has wrought the greatest
havoc among the tribes is disease. The principal scourges are syphilis,
pulmonary tuberculosis, and trachoma. Unless we realize the obligations
which rest on our shoulders and give our natives a medical protection
similar to the successful measures adopted by the United States, Canada,
and New Zealand, they will continue to vanish and soon be classed as an
extinct race.
H. BASEDOW.
Kent Town, South Australia, 2nd November, 1924.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I INTRODUCTION TO AN AUSTRALIAN TRIBE 1
II RACIAL CHARACTERISTICS 5
III THE BREAST AND ABDOMEN 18
IV THE FACE AND ITS SKELETON 22
V THE MOUTH 31
VI THE SKULL AND BRAIN 34
VII COLOUR OF ABORIGINAL’S SKIN 40
VIII THE HAIR 46
IX LIKELY ORIGIN OF THE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL 52
X AN ABORIGINAL’S BIRTH 61
XI CHILDHOOD 69
XII THE DAY’S MARCH 91
XIII CAMP LIFE 100
XIV HUNTING 120
XV VEGETABLE DIET 148
XVI BEVERAGES 153
XVII PITJURI 155
XVIII NAVIGATION 158
XIX DUELS 165
XX WARFARE 183
XXI SPEARS 190
XXII SPEAR-THROWERS 199
XXIII BURIAL AND MOURNING CUSTOMS 203
XXIV TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS 216
XXV TRIBAL ADMINISTRATION 225
XXVI INITIATION 230
XXVII RELIGIOUS IDEAS 257
XXVIII ABORIGINAL ART 297
XXIX STONE IMPLEMENTS 359
XXX MUSIC AND DANCE 371
XXXI LANGUAGE 386
LIST OF PLATES
FRONTISPIECE (IN COLOUR)—THE BUFFALO HUNTERS’ TRIUMPH
PLATE OPPOSITE PAGE
I Wordaman natives on the march 4
II Comparison of European with Aboriginal figure 12
III 1. Colossal brow-ridge, Arunndta man. 2. Supra-orbital
prominence, deep notch at root of nose, prognathism,
and female beard 16
IV 1. Aluridja woman. 2. Wongapitcha warrior, so-called
Semitic type 32
V Wordaman man, profile and full-face 36
VI 1. Wongapitcha woman, wearing “_ungwaina_” (nose-stick)
and fur-string bandeau. 2. Wongapitcha woman, wearing
bloodwood seed pendants called “_dindula_” 44
VII 1. Old Yantowannta man, showing a strong growth of hair
covering the body. 2. Old Yantowannta man, showing
peculiar method of wearing the beard 48
VIII Old Kai-Kai, the leading medicine man of the western
Arunndta 64
IX 1. Men of Kolaia tribe, Cambridge Gulf, wearing the hair
tied at the back around a pad of emu feathers. 2.
Wongapitcha men wearing ornamental wooden hair-pins 68
X 1. A juvenile “blonde,” Aluridja tribe. 2. Ponga-Ponga
gin carrying pet opossum on her head while on the march 76
XI Rocking a child to sleep, Sunday Island 80
XII Juvenile Types. 1. Full-face, female, Wongkanguru
tribe. 2. Profile, female, Aluridja tribe 96
XIII 1. The game of “_gorri_,” Humbert River, Northern
Territory. 2. A “_Kutturu_” duel, Aluridja tribe 100
XIV 1. Arunndta boy practising with toy shield and
boomerang. 2. Wordaman warrior, holding prevalent
north-western type of spear-thrower and wearing
pubic fur tassel 108
XV 1. Framework of hut in course of construction, Cooper’s
Creek, S.W. Queensland. 2. Hut decked with porcupine
grass, Arltunga district 112
XVI 1. Wongapitcha women carrying dogs across their backs.
2. Kolaia man standing in the characteristic
bird-like attitude, Cambridge Gulf 128
XVII Female wood-carriers, Aluridja tribe 132
XVIII Two handfuls of witchedy grubs 140
XIX 1. Aluridja tree-climber. 2. Wordaman tree-climber 144
XX Kangaroo hunters, Aluridja tribe 160
XXI 1. Arunndta girl digging “_Yelka_.” 2. Arunndta gin
cleaning “_Yelka_” in bark pitchi 164
XXII 1. Sunday Islander making fire by the twirling process
during a ceremonial. 2. “_Kaloa_” or mangrove raft,
Worora tribe, Glenelg River district 172
XXIII Aluridja men “pointing” the bone 176
XXIV A “boned” man, Minning tribe 192
XXV 1. Dieri grave, Lake Eyre district. 2. Yantowannta grave,
Innamincka district 196
XXVI 1. Aluridja widow. 2. Yantowannta widow 204
XXVII Tooth-rapping ceremony, Wongapitcha tribe 208
XXVIII 1. Tooth-rapping ceremony. 2. Sunday Islander, who has
had the two upper medium incisors removed during
his initiation 224
XXIX 1. Old men introducing a dance during an initiation
ceremony, Kukata tribe. 2. Circumcision ceremony,
Kukata tribe 228
XXX Circumcision of a Wogait boy 236
XXXI Melville Islander, full-face and profile 240
XXXII An episode of the great fire ceremony, Kolaia tribe 256
XXXIII Ceremonial venesection, Arunndta tribe. 1. The median
basilic vein is being slit. 2. The blood which is
spurting from the incision is being collected on
a shield 260
XXXIV The “_Tjilbakuta_” of the great emu ceremony, Arunndta
tribe 268
XXXV Flashlight photograph of “_Illiya Tjuringa_” or great
emu ceremony, Arunndta tribe 272
XXXVI 1. An ordinary performer in the Ladjia or yam ceremony,
wearing the “_tdela_” head-gear. 2. The impersonator
of the “_Kuta Knaninja_” in the Ladjia or yam ceremony 288
XXXVII The sacred “_Etominja_,” Arunndta tribe 292
XXXVIII 1. Singing to the presiding spirit or Knaninja of the
old women or “_Arrekutja Tjuringa_.” 2. Ceremonial
head-gear (“_Tjilba Purra_”) of phallic significance 300
XXXIX A disenchanted area, Victoria River district 304
XL 1. Rock-carving of human form, Port Hedland. 2.
Rock-carvings of lizard, pubic tassel, and owl,
Flinders Ranges 320
XLI 1. Rock-carvings (including platypus design), Flinders
Ranges. 2. Rock-carvings, Flinders Ranges 324
XLII 1. Rock-carvings, Flinders Ranges. 2. Emu design carved
into the butt of a boabab tree, King Sound 332
XLIII 1. Carved boabab nut, King Sound. 2. “_Wanningi_” from
north-western Australia. 3. Slate scrapers used by
the extinct Adelaide tribe for trimming skins 336
XLIV 1. Hand marks in cave, Port George IV, Worora tribe.
2. Foot marks in cave, Port George IV, Worora tribe 344
XLV 1. Cave drawings, Forrest River, north-western Australia.
2. Decorating the body with pipe-clay, Humbert River,
Northern Territory 352
XLVI Wordaman native with his body and head decorated in
imitation of skeleton and skull, Victoria River,
Northern Territory 356
XLVII 1. Cave drawings (kangaroo, etc.), Forrest River,
north-western Australia. 2. Cave drawing of
kangaroo, Forrest River, north-western Australia 360
XLVIII Rock-drawings of archer fish (_Toxotes_), Katherine
River, Northern Territory 364
XLIX Ochre-drawings, Katherine River 368
L 1. Cave drawing of camel, north of Musgrave Ranges,
central Australia. 2. Cave drawing of human figure,
Glenelg River, north-western Australia 376
LI 1. Ochre-drawings of mythic semi-human creatures,
Forrest River, north-western Australia. 2. Sacred
“_Utnguringita_” or witchedy grub drawings, Emily
Gap, MacDonnell Ranges 384
LII Aluridja man rendering a musical accompaniment with
boomerangs 388
LIII Wordaman youth playing on the “drone pipe” or “bamboo
trumpet” 392
LIV 1. Making “vegetable down” by pounding grass between
two stones, Humbert River, Northern Territory.
2. Worora native making a stone spear-head, Northern
Kimberleys, Western Australia 396
LV 1. Wongapitcha man shaping a spear-thrower with an adze.
2. Aluridja man scraping a boomerang with a sharp
stone flake 400
LIST OF FIGURES IN THE TEXT
No. PAGE
1. Map of Australia showing geographical distribution of tribes 4
2. Peculiar “hand-like” feet of Berringin tribesman 11
3. Berringin women netting fish 130
4. Two Arunndta carvings of scenes in a dagger-duel 172
5. Types of spears 191
6. Sacred sun-design of the “_Ilpalinja_” ceremony 266
7. Stone phallus, Northern Kimberleys, Western Australia 284
8. Ochre drawing of “_Kukadja_” men, north of Wickham River,
Northern Territory 286
9. Charcoal drawing of a Kukadja man named “_Mongarrapungja_”
dancing at a sacred fire with an ancestral female, Pigeon
Hole, Victoria River 293
10. Rock carvings at Port Hedland 300
11. Rock carvings at Port Hedland 301
12. Rock carvings at Port Hedland 301
13. Sketch of reconstructed manus of _Diprotodon_ compared with
tracing of carving of supposed _Diprotodon_ track at Yunta 307
14. Carved grave posts of Melville and Bathurst Islanders 310
15. Ochre drawing, Glenelg River, Western Australia 312
16. Carved crocodile design on boabab nut, Derby district,
Western Australia 313
17. “_Dangorra_,” the great emu in the southern sky 315
18. Boomerang with a number of emu designs carved upon it,
Pidunga tribe, Broome 317
19. Charcoal sketch of crows, Pigeon Hole, Victoria River 319
20. Pipe-clay cave-drawings of dancing figures, Humbert River,
Northern Territory 320
21. Charcoal drawing of hopping kangaroos, Pigeon Hole, Victoria
River 321
22. Bark-drawing depicting an eagle-hawk clawing and tearing the
carcass of a wallaby, Port Darwin 323
23. Pipe-clay drawing of man and dogs, Humbert River 324
24. Charcoal sketch of native hunting buffalo, Pigeon Hole,
Victoria River 325
25. Charcoal sketch of native spearing kangaroo, Pigeon Hole,
Victoria River 326
26. Carving depicting a quarrel between a man and his gin,
Arunndta tribe 328
27. Ochre-drawing of spear-boomerang duel, Arunndta tribe 330
28. Charcoal sketch of ceremonial dance, Pigeon Hole, Victoria
River 332
29. Remarkable cave drawing, Glenelg River, N.W. Australia 333
30. Pictograph of lizard, natural and conventional form 334
31. Normal, conventional, and emblematic representations of turtle 335
32. Normal, conventional, and emblematic representations of frog 335
33. Normal, conventional, and emblematic representations of echidna 336
34. Conventionalized “_Ladjia_” or yam tjuringa pattern 337
35. A dog track 338
36. A kangaroo track 338
37. A rabbit track 339
38. Emu tracks 339
39. Pictographic representation of nesting emu 340
40. A lizard track 340
41. A snake or snake track 341
42. Human foot-prints and trail 342
43. “A man is tracking a rabbit.” Simple example of pictography 344
44. Pictographic representation of emu hunt 344
45. Flying fox pattern 345
46. Conventional representation of hopping kangaroo 346
47. Crossed boomerangs, the symbolic representation of a fight 347
48. Witchedy grub tjuringa, Arunndta tribe 348
49. Symbolic pictograph of kangaroo tjuringa, Arunndta tribe 349
50. Symbolic pictograph of caterpillar tjuringa, Arunndta tribe 350
51. Symbolic drawing of “native-pear totem,” Arunndta tribe 351
52. Ochre drawing and tree-carving of man with shield, Humbert
River 352
53. Human chain-pattern 353
54. Camps consisting of a man and his wife, and of eight men 353
55. Anthropomorphous designs, carved on spear-throwers 354
56. Anthropomorphous design, carved on pearl-shell, Sunday Island 355
57. Sign language of Arunndta tribe 391
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION TO AN AUSTRALIAN TRIBE
The lonely bush of Australia—The silence is broken—A
mysterious call-note—A human figure in the distance—Coo-ee!—A
voluntary but cautious escort—The official approach and
salutation—Friendship established—Tribal introductions.
Let us imagine that we are travelling with a caravan over a lonely tract
of ground, in a remote district of the Australian bush, which has not
been contaminated by any disturbing influence of our civilization. In
consequence of the serenity and the deserted aspect of the scene around
us, we would be wondering whether the place holds any mortal creatures
but our party. We might even have resigned ourselves to the inevitable
desolation.
Suddenly the spell is broken by a faint sound falling upon our ears—a
long-drawn, shrill, yet melodious note—then all is silent again.
What could it have been? We are in doubt as to whether this was the call
of a bird or animal, or a phenomenon unknown to us; being so far away
from any centre of industry, a locomotive or factory whistle is quite
out of the question. Eagerly we wait for a possible repetition of the
singular sound.
Soon, indeed, it comes again; and, with the attentiveness our expectation
has solicited, we now recognize the human character of the note.
Presently it is repeated, then again, and yet again. But where does it
come from? So far we know not.
In the meantime we continue forging through the sand, and, being now on
the alert, we in due course espy, in the direction whence the sound is
coming, but a considerable distance off, a slim, dark figure gliding
from the cover of a rock to that of a bush. Presently it again shows
itself a short distance on; and our attention is further attracted by the
appearance of one or two other dark bodies running from cover to cover in
a line parallel to our course.
The calling is continued at frequent intervals; and, as near as we can
represent it by our alphabet, it sounds like the word “Coy!” with the “y”
specially emphasized and spun out. One has no difficulty in recognizing
in this call-note, which is met with all over Australia, the derivation
of the familiar “Coo-ee!”
It is, of course, assumed that we in no way betray a feeling of
uneasiness or give these dusky fellows the impression that we are
preparing for hostilities. Having satisfied themselves in respect of
this, and after manoeuvring for a considerable time in the manner
described, our uninvited escort become more trusting, even daring. They
run or walk for longer distances away from cover and gradually bring
their line of travelling closer in to ours. When eventually they realize
that we seem more like friend than foe, they drop behind our caravan,
and, at a measured distance, in our trail. Whenever we move, they move,
and when we stop, they stop. If any of our party go towards them, they
turn to the side and cleverly disappear into the bush (Plate I).
When we have arrived at the end of our day’s journey and camp, they pull
up short and squat for a while; although it may not appear so to the
inexperienced traveller, they are taking stock of all our doings.
Before very long, two men stand up and beckon to a small boy among their
party, who immediately jumps to his feet and walks to a place in front
of his elders. Each of the men now holds one of his hands upon the lad’s
shoulder, and, in that position, the little group moves towards our camp.
In the hands not so used, both men are now seen to be carrying small
branches of _Cassia_ bush, which they occasionally lift towards us. Thus
they walk to within fifty or sixty paces of our encampment and again
squat on the ground, arranging themselves in the same order as they
walked in. It is apparent they want us to approach them; and we do so.
Statuary could not be more rigid than the persons we behold, upon
arriving at the little group. They sit silently, with downcast eyes, and
it is not until we address them that they rise to their feet. The old
men, for such we now recognize them to be, start a meek conversation,
nervously pushing the boy towards us. We are informed that this is an
uninitiated boy, a child in fact, a piccaninny in the tribal relationship
of son to the speakers. We are implored not to hurt this innocent being,
and to extend that friendship to themselves and to all the members of
the tribe. It is pointed out that they are unarmed and that this is the
guarantee of their goodly intentions towards us, the unknown wanderers.
The men now advance and pat us on the chest, and instinctively we return
the compliment—for such it is intended to be—which is akin to any
ordinary European method of salutation. The bonds of friendship have
thus been sealed, and the men continue to jabber profusely on the more
intricate tribal relationships existing between themselves and the rest
of their party.
When the genealogical explanations have been concluded, the men turn
towards their company, who are still squatting in the distance, and call
aloud to them to come along: “_Pitchai, ngalla pitchai, waipella tami
pu!_” which in the Wongapitcha dialect stands for “Come along, the white
fellow is good.” The invitation is quickly responded to, and ere many
minutes have passed the whole group has arrived, which includes other men
as well as women and children. The new arrivals, without hesitation, and
with seeming confidence, join in the conversation.
So this is our introduction to the aboriginal, the primitive hunting man
of Australia, and his family!
[Illustration: Fig. 1. Map of Australia showing geographical distribution
of tribes.]
[Illustration: _PLATE I_
Wordaman natives on the march.
“... they drop behind our caravan, and, at a measured distance, in our
trail.”]