AUSTRALIA--_Continued_.
DOMESTIC LIFE.
MARRIAGE -- PURCHASE AND EXCHANGE OF WIVES -- A ROUGH WOOING --
TREATMENT OF THE WIVES -- A BRUTAL HUSBAND -- NARROW ESCAPE -- A
FAITHFUL COMPANION -- AUSTRALIAN MOTHERS -- TREATMENT OF THE NEW-BORN
INFANT -- PRACTICE OF INFANTICIDE -- THE MOTHER AND HER DEAD CHILD.
We will now proceed to the domestic life of the native Australian, if,
indeed, their mode of existence deserves such a name, and will begin
with marriage customs.
Betrothal takes place at a very early age, the girl being often
promised in marriage when she is a mere child, her future husband being
perhaps an old man with two or three wives and a number of children.
Of course the girl is purchased from her father, the price varying
according to the means of the husband. Articles of European make are
now exceedingly valued; and as a rule, a knife, a glass bottle, or some
such article, is considered as a fair price for a wife.
Exchange is often practised, so that a young man who happens to have
a sister to spare will look out for some man who has a daughter
unbetrothed, and will effect an amicable exchange with him, so that
a man who possesses sisters by his father’s death is as sure of a
corresponding number of wives as if he had the means wherewith to buy
them.
Until her intended husband takes her to wife, the betrothed girl lives
with her parents, and during this interval she is not watched with
the strictness which is generally exercised toward betrothed girls
of savages. On the contrary, she is tacitly allowed to have as many
lovers as she chooses, provided that a conventional amount of secrecy
be observed, and her husband, when he marries her, makes no complaint.
After marriage, however, the case is altered, and, if a former lover
were to attempt a continuance of the acquaintance, the husband would
avenge himself by visiting both parties with the severest punishment.
There is no ceremony about marriage, the girl being simply taken to the
hut of her husband, and thenceforth considered as his wife.
In some parts of Australia, when a young man takes a fancy to a girl
he obtains her after a rather curious fashion, which seems a very odd
mode of showing affection. Watching his opportunity when the girl
has strayed apart from her friends, he stuns her with a blow on the
head from his waddy, carries her off, and so makes her his wife. The
father of the girl is naturally offended at the loss of his daughter,
and complains to the elders. The result is almost invariably that
the gallant offender is sentenced to stand the ordeal of spear and
boomerang. Furnished with only his narrow shield, he stands still,
while the aggrieved father and other relatives hurl a certain number of
spears and boomerangs at him. It is very seldom that he allows himself
to be touched, but, when the stipulated number of throws has been made,
he is considered as having expiated his offence, whether he be hit or
not.
Polygamy is of course practised, but to no very great extent. Still,
although a man may never have more than two or three wives at a time,
he has often married a considerable number, either discarding them,
when they are too old to please his taste, or perhaps killing them in a
fit of anger. The last is no uncommon mode of getting rid of a wife,
and no one seems to think that her husband has acted cruelly. Indeed,
the genuine native would not be able to comprehend the possibility of
being cruel to his wife, inasmuch as he recognizes in her no right to
kind treatment. She is as much his chattel as his spear or hut, and he
would no more think himself cruel in beating his wife to death than in
breaking the one or burning the other.
Since white men came to settle in the country the natives have learned
to consider them as beings of another sphere, very powerful, but
unfortunately possessed with some unaccountable prejudices. Finding,
therefore, that breaking a wife’s limb with a club, piercing her with
a spear, or any other mode of expressing dissatisfaction, shocked the
prejudices of the white men, they ceased to mention such practices,
though they did not discontinue them.
Quite recently, a native servant was late in keeping his appointment
with his master, and, on inquiry, it was elicited that he had just
quarrelled with one of his wives, and had speared her through the body.
On being rebuked by his master he turned off the matter with a laugh,
merely remarking that white men had only one wife, whereas he had two,
and did not mind losing one until he could buy another.
Considering and treating the women as mere articles of property, the
men naturally repose no confidence in them, and never condescend to
make them acquainted with their plans. If they intend to make an attack
upon another tribe, or to organize an expedition for robbery, they
carefully conceal it from the weaker sex, thinking that such inferior
animals cannot keep secrets, and might betray them to the objects of
the intended attack.
The utter contempt which is felt by the native Australians for their
women is well illustrated by an adventure which occurred after a
dance which had been got up for the benefit of the white men, on the
understanding that a certain amount of biscuit should be given to the
dancers. When the performance was over, the biscuit was injudiciously
handed to a woman for distribution. A misunderstanding at once took
place. The men, although they would not hesitate to take away the
biscuit by force, would not condescend to ask a woman for it, and
therefore considered that the promised payment had not been made to
them. Some of them, after muttering their discontent, slipped away for
their spears and throwing-sticks, and the whole place was in a turmoil.
Fortunately, in order to amuse the natives, the white visitors, who
had never thought of the offence that they had given, sent up a few
rockets, which frightened the people for a time, and then burned a
blue light. As the brilliant rays pierced the dark recesses of the
forest, they disclosed numbers of armed men among the trees, some alone
and others in groups, but all evidently watching the movements of the
visitors whose conduct had so deeply insulted them. A friendly native
saw their danger at once, and hurried them off to their boats, saying
that spears would soon be thrown.
There was much excuse to be found for them. They had been subjected to
one of the grossest insults that warriors could receive. To them, women
were little better than dogs, and, if there were any food, the warriors
first satisfied their own hunger, and then threw to the women any
fragments that might be left. Therefore, that a woman--a mere household
chattel--should be deputed to distribute food to warriors was a gross,
intolerable, and, as they naturally thought, intentional insult. It
was equivalent to degrading them from their rank as men and warriors,
and making them even of less account than women. No wonder, then, that
their anger was roused, and the only matter of surprise is that an
attack was not immediately made. Australian warriors have their own
ideas of chivalry, and, like the knights of old, feel themselves bound
to resent the smallest aspersion cast upon their honor.
Mr. M’Gillivray, who narrates this anecdote makes a few remarks which
are most valuable, as showing the errors which are too often committed
when dealing with savages, not only those of Australia, but of other
countries.
“I have alluded to this occurrence, trivial as it may appear, not
without an object. It serves as an illustration of the policy of
respecting the known customs of the Australian race, even in apparently
trifling matters, at least during the early period of intercourse with
a tribe, and shows how a little want of judgment in the director of
our party caused the most friendly intentions to be misunderstood, and
might have led to fatal results.
“I must confess that I should have considered any injury sustained on
our side to have been most richly merited. Moreover, I am convinced
that some at least of the collisions which have taken place in
Australia between the first European visitors and the natives of any
given district have originated in causes of offence brought on by the
indiscretion of one or more of the party, and revenged on others who
were innocent.”
Mr. M’Gillivray then proceeds to mention the well-known case of the
night attack on Mr. Leichhardt’s expedition. For no apparent reason,
a violent assault was made on the camp, and Mr. Gilbert was killed.
The reason of this attack did not transpire until long afterward,
when a native attached to the expedition divulged, in a state of
intoxication, the fact that he and a fellow-countryman had grossly
insulted a native woman.
Yet, in spite of this brutal treatment, the women often show a depth
of affectionate feeling which raises them far above the brutal savages
that enslave them. One remarkable instance of this feeling is mentioned
by Mr. Bennett. She had formed an attachment to an escaped convict, who
became a bushranger, and enabled him, by her industry and courage, to
prolong the always precarious life of a bushranger beyond the ordinary
limits.
The chief dangers that beset these ruffians are the necessity for
procuring food, and the watch which is always kept by the police. Her
native skill enabled her to supply him with food, and, while he was
lying concealed, she used to fish, hunt, dig roots, and then to cook
them for him. Her native quickness of eye and ear enabled her to detect
the approach of the police, and, by the instinctive cunning with which
these blacks are gifted, she repeatedly threw the pursuers off the
scent. He was utterly unworthy of the affection which she bestowed
on him, and used to beat her unmercifully, but, undeterred by his
cruelty, she never flagged in her exertions for his welfare; and on one
occasion, while he was actually engaged in ill-treating her, the police
came upon his place of refuge, and must have captured him, had she not
again misled them, and sent them to a spot far from the place where he
was hidden. At last, he ventured out too boldly, during her accidental
absence, was captured, tried and hanged. But up to the last this
faithful creature never deserted him, and, even when he was imprisoned,
she tried to follow him, but was reclaimed by her tribe.
When a native woman is about to become a mother she retires into the
bush, sometimes alone, but generally accompanied by a female friend,
and, owing to the strong constitution of these women, seldom remains in
her retirement more than a day or so. Among the natives of Victoria,
the ceremony attending the birth of a child is rather curious, and
is amusingly described by Mr. Lloyd: “While upon the subject of the
Australian aborigines, I must not omit to describe the very original
_modus operandi_ of the indigenous _sage femme_.
“The unhappy loobra (native woman) retired with her wise woman into
some lone secluded dell, abounding with light sea-sand. A fire was
kindled, and the wretched miam-miam speedily constructed. Then came
the slender repast, comprising a spare morsel of kangaroo or other
meat, supplied with a sparing hand by her stoical coolie (male native),
grilled, and graced with the tendrils of green opiate cow-thistles, or
the succulent roots of the bulbous leaf ‘mernong.’
“The sable attendant soon entered upon her interesting duties. One of
the first was, to light a second fire over a quantity of prepared sand,
that had been carefully divested of all fibrous roots, pebbles, or
coarser matter. The burning coals and faggots were removed from thence,
upon some nice calculation as to the period of the unfortunate little
nigger’s arrival. When the miniature representative of his sable father
beheld the light of day, a hole was scratched in the heated sand, and
the wee russet-brown thing safely deposited therein, in a state of
perfect nudity, and buried to the very chin, so effectually covered
up as to render any objectionable movement on his or her part utterly
impossible.
“So far as any infantine ebullitions of feeling are concerned, the
learned _sages femmes_ appeared to have a thorough knowledge as to the
world-wide method of treating the mewling and puking importunities of
unreasoning nurslings. They knew well that a two-hours’ sojourn in the
desert sand, warm as it might be, would do much to cool the new comer,
and temper it into compliance. At the expiration of that time, having
acquired so much knowledge of earthly troubles, the well-baked juvenile
was considered to be thoroughly done, and thereupon introduced to his
delighted loobra mamma.”
Following the custom of many savage nations, the Australians too often
destroy their children in their first infancy. Among the Muralug tribes
the practice is very common. It has already been mentioned that the
girls live very unrestrainedly before marriage, and the result is, that
a young woman will sometimes have several children before her marriage.
As a general rule, these children are at once killed, unless the father
be desirous of preserving them. This, however, is seldom the case, and
he usually gives the order “Márana teio,” _i. e._ Throw it into the
hole, when the poor little thing is at once buried alive. Even those
children which are born after marriage are not always preserved. In the
first place, a woman will scarcely ever take charge of more than three
children, and many a female child is destroyed where a male would be
allowed to live.
All children who have any bodily defect are sure to be killed, and,
as a general rule, half-caste children are seldom allowed to live.
The mothers are usually ashamed to acknowledge these murders, but in
one case the unnatural parent openly avowed the deed, saying that
the infant was like a waragul, _i. e._ the native dog or dingo. The
fact was that its father was a sailor who had fiery red hair, and his
offspring partook of the same rufous complexion. Of course there are
exceptions to the rule, one of which may be found in the case of the
poor woman who was so faithful to her convict mate. She had a male
child, which was brought up by the tribe to which she belonged, and
they were so fond of him that they refused to give him up when some
benevolent persons tried to obtain possession of him in order to
educate him in civilization.
If, however, the child is allowed to live, the Australian mother is a
very affectionate one, tending her offspring with the greatest care,
and in her own wild way being as loving a parent as can be found in any
part of the world. The engraving No. 2, on the next page, illustrates
this devotion of Australian mothers to their children.
In nothing is this affection better shown than in the case of a child’s
death. Although she might have consigned it when an infant to a living
grave without a pang of remorse, yet, when it dies after having been
nurtured by her, she exhibits a steady sorrow that exhibits the depth
of affection with which she regarded the child. When it dies, she
swathes the body in many wrappers, places it in her net-bul, or native
wallet, and carries it about with her as if it were alive. She never
parts with it for a moment. When she eats she offers food to the dead
corpse, as if it were still alive, and when she lies down to sleep,
she lays her head upon the wallet, which serves her as a pillow. The
progress of decay has no effect upon her, and though the body becomes
so offensive that no one can come near her, she seems unconscious of
it, and never dreams of abandoning the dreadful burden. In process of
time nothing is left but the mere bones, but even these are tended in
the same loving manner, and even after the lapse of years the mother
has been known to bear, in addition to her other burdens, the remains
of her dead child. Even when the child has been from six to seven years
old she will treat it in the same manner, and, with this burden on her
back, will continue to discharge her heavy domestic duties.
[Illustration: (1.) AN AUSTRALIAN FEAST. (See page 763.)]
[Illustration: (2.) AUSTRALIAN MOTHERS. (See page 758.)]