NATIVES OF THE BUSH.
In most instances in which a country is taken possession of, and its
original inhabitants are removed, enslaved, or exterminated, the party
thus violently seizing upon the rights of others is considered the
superior and more civilized nation of the two. The very means by which
this advantage is gained are, usually, boldness, and worldly talent,
without which a conquest or successful invasion is impossible; and
these, when prosperous, are qualities which awaken very powerfully the
admiration and attention of men. So that, while earthly prosperity and
excellence are combining to cast a splendour around the actions of the
successful nation, adversity and inferiority do usually join in
blackening the cloud which hangs over the character of that which is
unfortunate. It is not for us to defend these judgments of the world, as
though they were, in any case, altogether righteous judgments, but this
we may safely affirm, in the particular instance of Australia, that,
upon the whole, it is a gain to the cause of truth and virtue for
Christian England to possess those wilds, which lately were occupied by
miserable natives; and, while we own that it is wrong to do evil that
good may come, yet may we, likewise, confess with thankfulness the
Divine mercy and wisdom which have so often brought good out of the
evil committed by our countrymen in these distant lands. It must be
confessed, too, that, whatever may be the amount of iniquity wantonly
committed among the natives of the other portions of the globe, for
which Europe is responsible, still, the Europeans, upon the whole,
stand higher than the inhabitants of the remaining portions, and, of
course, in proportion, very much higher than the most degraded and
least-improved race of savages, the Australian natives. True, indeed,
these despised Australians may, hereafter, rise up in judgment against
Europeans to condemn them; and when that which has been given to each
race of men shall be again required of them, those that have received
the most may frequently be found to have profited the least by the gifts
of Divine Providence. Still, without pretending to pass judgment upon
any, whether nations or individual persons,--without affecting, either,
to close our eyes against the miserable vices by which the Christian
name has been disgraced, and our country's glory sullied, among distant
and barbarous nations, we may with safety speak of the inhabitants of
those heathen lands in terms that are suitable to their degraded state.
In describing their darkened and almost brutal condition, we are but
describing things as they really exist;[36] it changes not the actual
fact to prove that, in many more respects than would at first sight
appear, the behaviour of men of our own _enlightened_ nation is scarcely
less darkened or less brutal than theirs. Nay, the Australian savage, in
his natural state, may be a far higher and nobler character than the
British convict sometimes is in his degraded state; and, nevertheless,
it may be correct to class the nation of the former among barbarians,
and that of the latter among civilized people. But in forming our
judgment respecting the real character of the natives of the Bush we
must beware lest we try them by our own standard,--a standard by which
it is unjust to measure them, since they have never known it, nor ever
had the means of reaching it.[37] Every wise man will make all possible
allowance for the effect of many generations of ignorance and
degradation upon the human soul, and when this has been fairly done, the
truly wise man, the humble Christian, whilst he reads of the deplorable
condition to which the human soul may be reduced, (as it is shown in the
instance before us,) will feel disposed to ask himself, "Who made thee
to differ from others? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive?"
[36] One crime, in which the inhabitants of the neighbouring islands of
New Zealand notoriously indulge, has been charged also upon the people
of New Holland; but, since no mention of their _cannibalism_ is made by
those British travellers who have seen most of the habits of the
natives, it is hoped that the charge is an unfounded one. See, however,
M. Martin's New South Wales, pp. 151-2, and the instance of _Gome Boak_,
in Collins' History of New South Wales, p. 285; and Sturt's Expeditions
in Australia, vol. ii. p. 222.
[37] Nay, our fellow-countrymen in the Australian colonies, can, by no
means, endure a strict trial, even by their own rule of right. Take,
for instance, the following very common case:--The kangaroo disappears
from cattle-runs, and is also killed by stockmen, merely for the sake of
the skin; but no mercy is shown to the natives who may help themselves
to a bullock or a sheep. They do not, it is true, breed and feed the
kangaroos as our people rear and fatten cattle, but, at least, the wild
animals are bred and fed upon their land, and consequently belong to
them.
The native population of Australia is very peculiar in many respects,
not exactly resembling any other known race of human beings in the
world. They are more nearly akin to the Africans than to any others, and
they have, accordingly, been sometimes called _the Eastern Negroes_,
having the same thick lips, high cheek-bones, sunken eyes, and legs
without calves, which distinguish the native of Africa; but, with the
exception of Van Diemen's Land, and the adjoining coasts, the woolly
hair of the negro is not to be found among them, nor is the nose usually
so flat, or the forehead so low. They are seldom very tall, but
generally well made; and their bodily activity is most surprising; nor
is their courage at all to be despised. The Australian native has always
been pointed out as being the lowest specimen of human nature, and,
since, in every scale of degrees, one must be lowest, this is probably
correct enough; yet we are by no means to give too hasty credit to the
accounts of their condition, which have been given by those whose
interest it may have been to represent them in as unfavourable a light
as possible, or whose opportunities of judging have been few and scanty,
compared with their hasty willingness to pass judgment upon them. Men,
more or less busily engaged in killing and taking possession, are not
likely to make a very favourable report of those poor creatures into
whose inheritance they have come; mere self-defence would tempt them to
try to lessen the greatness of their crimes, by asserting the victims of
these to be scarcely deserving of a better fate, and, in the present
instance, the actual condition of the native population would be very
favourable to excuses of this kind. Or, even without this evil intention
of excusing wrong by slandering those that suffer it, many men, with but
few means of understanding their character, may have spoken decidedly
respecting the Australian natives, and that, too, in language even
harsher than their degraded state would justify. Disgusting and horrid
many of their habits and customs undoubtedly are, yet they appear even
more so at first sight, and to one only imperfectly acquainted with
them; especially when (which often happens) not the slightest allowance
is made for the peculiar situation of the savage, but he is taken at
once from the midst of his naked barbarity, and tried by the rules of
refinement and civilization. Recently, indeed, public attention and pity
have been more turned towards the unhappy race of natives, and many
traits have been discovered in their character which would not dishonour
more enlightened nations. The degraded position of those who are in the
midst of the white population affords no just criterion of their merits.
Their quickness of apprehension is often surprising, and nothing,
however new and strange, seems to puzzle or astonish them; so that they
follow closely the advice of the ancient poet:
"Wonder at nought:--the only rule I know
To make man happy, and to keep him so."
"They are never awkward," says Major Mitchell, who was well qualified
to speak from experience; "on the contrary, in manners, and general
intelligence, they appear superior to any class of white rustics that
I have seen. Their powers of mimicry seem extraordinary, and their
shrewdness shines even through the medium of imperfect language, and
renders them, in general, very agreeable companions." We may, therefore,
if our inquiry be accompanied by humility and justice, be able to form a
fair and impartial opinion respecting these people; and the result of an
inquiry of this sort must be, in every well-regulated soul, not merely a
feeling of thankfulness (still less of self-sufficiency,) that we are
far removed from the savage state, but, likewise, a sense of shame,
that, with many of our fellow-countrymen, their superior advantages
have been productive of little or no fruit.
One very remarkable distinction of the natives of the Bush is, the
entire absence of clothing, unless the cloak, made of opossum-skin, worn
by some tribes, can deserve to be thought an exception. Their climate
being, generally speaking, a dry one, and exposure to the air, even at
night, being much less hurtful than in most other countries, this habit
of going without clothing, after the fashion of a brute beast, is by no
means so dangerous in Australia as it would be elsewhere. But, while
they can dispense with _clothes_, like most other savages, they are
extremely fond of _ornaments_,--at least, of what they esteem to be
such: these are teeth of kangaroos, or men, jaw-bones of a fish,
feathers, tails of dogs, pieces of wood, &c., fastened on different
parts of the head, by a sort of gum; while scars, and marks of various
kinds, are made upon the breast, arms, and back; or, upon certain
occasions, as going to war, or mourning for a friend, the body is
streaked over with white and yellow paint, according to the taste of the
party concerned. In two very distant parts of Australia, namely, the
gulf of Carpentaria, and the eastern coast of St. Vincent's Gulf, the
natives practise the rite of circumcision--a remarkable agreement, when
we consider that they are about 1200 miles apart, and have no means of
communication with each other. It is no uncommon custom, either, for the
natives to pierce their noses, and to place a bone or reed through the
opening, which is reckoned a great ornament. But there is another
custom, almost peculiar to Australia, which, from its singularity,
may deserve to be noticed at some length. Among many of the native
tribes,[38] it is usual for the males to have a front tooth, or
sometimes _two_, struck out at the time of their arriving at manhood,
and this ceremony is performed in a most solemn and impressive manner.
The following account of it, from the pen of an eye-witness, may be not
unacceptable to the reader: Lieutenant Collins, the historian of the
infant colony of New South Wales, was present during the whole of this
curious operation, and thus describes the accompanying ceremonies
practised by the natives of that part of Australia:--For seven days
previous to the commencement of the solemnity, the people continued to
assemble, and the evenings were spent in dancing, for which they adorned
themselves in their best manner, namely, by painting themselves white,
and especially by drawing white circles round their eyes. When the field
was prepared, and the youths who were to be enrolled among men were all
placed together upon one side of it, the business began with a loud
shout, and a clattering of shields and spears, from the armed party,
whose office it was to seize the patients about to undergo the
extraordinary operation. This was done one by one, until the whole
number, fifteen, were brought forward, and placed in the midst of the
armed body of men; then each youth was made to sit down, holding his
head downwards, with his hands clasped, and his legs crossed under him,
in which painful posture it was said they were to remain all night,
without looking up or taking any refreshment whatever.[39] The
Carrahdis, or persons who were to perform the operation, now began some
of their strange mummeries. Each one of these, in his turn, appeared to
suffer most extreme agony, and put himself into every posture that pain
could occasion, until, at length, a bone was brought forward, which was
intended to be used in the ensuing ceremony; and the poor youths were
led to believe that the more pain these Carrahdis suffered in obtaining
the bone, the less would be theirs in losing a tooth. The following day
began with the ceremony of the fifteen operators running round upon
their hands and feet, in imitation of the dogs of that country, and
throwing upon the boys, as they passed, sand and dirt with their hands
and feet. The youths were perfectly still and silent, and it was
understood that this ceremony gave them power over the dog, and endowed
them with whatever good qualities that animal might possess.
[38] Speaking of a tribe which he found upon the banks of the Darling,
Mitchell says, "The men retained all their front teeth, and had no
scarifications on their bodies, two most unfashionable peculiarities
among the aborigines." (MITCHELL'S _Three Expeditions_, vol. i. p. 261.)
The same intelligent traveller accounts for the custom of knocking out
the teeth, by supposing it a typical sacrifice, probably derived from
early sacrificial rites. The cutting off the last joint of the little
finger of females, (he adds,) seems a custom of the same kind. It is a
curious observation, that the more ferocious among the natives on the
Darling were those tribes that had _not_ lost their front teeth.--Vol.
ii. p. 345, and vol. i. p. 304.
[39] This was not the fact, however, for Lieut. Collins found them in
a different place, when he went to the spot early in the next morning.
The next part that was performed, was the offering of a sham kangaroo,
made of grass, to the fifteen lads, who were still seated as before. One
man brought the kangaroo, and a second carried some brushwood, besides
having one or two flowering shrubs stuck through his nose, and both
seemed to stagger under the weight of their burdens. Stalking and
limping, they at last reached the feet of the youthful hunters, and
placed before them the prize of the chase, after which they went away,
as though entirely wearied out. By this rite was given the power of
killing the kangaroo, and the brushwood, most likely, was meant to
represent its common haunt. In about an hour's space, the chief actors
returned from a valley to which they had retired, bringing with them
long tails of grass, which were fitted to the girdle. By the help of
this addition, they imitated a herd of kangaroos, one man beating time
to them with a club on a shield, and two others, armed, followed them
and affected to steal unnoticed upon them to spear them. As soon as
these pretended kangaroos had passed the objects of their visit, they
instantly got rid of their artificial tails, each man caught up a lad,
and, placing him upon his shoulders, carried him off in triumph to the
last scene of this strange exhibition.
After walking a short distance, the men put down their burdens, placing
them in a cluster, each boy with his head upon his breast, and his hands
clasped together. In a few minutes, after a greater degree of mystery
and preparation than had been before observed, the youthful band was
brought forward to a place where a number of human beings were seen
lying with their faces to the ground, as if they were dead, and in front
of these was a man seated on a stump of a tree, bearing another man upon
his shoulders, both having their arms extended, while two men, in a like
attitude, were seen also behind the group of prostrate figures. These
first two men made most hideous faces for a few minutes, and then the
lads were led over the bodies lying on the ground, which moved and
writhed, as though in great agony; after which the same strange grimaces
were repeated by the two men who were placed on the further side of the
apparently dead bodies. All the information that could be gained of the
meaning of this, was, that it would make them brave men; that they would
see well and fight well. Then followed a sort of martial exercise with
spear and shield, in the presence of the future warriors, to signify to
them what was to be one great business of their lives--the use of the
spear; and, when this was finished, the preparations for striking out
the tooth commenced. The first subject of this barbarous operation was
chosen, and seated upon the shoulders of a native, who himself sat down
upon the grass; and then the bone was produced, which had cost so much
apparent pain to procure the evening before, and which was made very
sharp and fine at one end, for the purpose of lancing the gum. But for
some such precaution, it would have been impossible to have knocked out
the tooth, without breaking the jaw-bone. A stick was then cut with much
ceremony out of some hard wood, and when the gum of the patient was
properly prepared, the smallest end of the stick was applied to the top
of the tooth, while the operator stood ready with a large stone, as
though about to drive the tooth down the throat of the youth. Here a
certain attention to the number three, which had been before shown, was
again noticed, for no stroke was actually made, until three attempts to
hit the stick had taken place; and, notwithstanding repeated blows, so
firmly was the tooth of the first boy fixed in his gum, that it was full
ten minutes before it was forced out. The sufferer was then removed, his
gum was closed, and he was dressed out in a new style, with a girdle, in
which was stuck a wooden sword, and with a bandage round his head, while
his left hand was placed over his mouth, and he was not allowed to
speak, nor, during that day, to eat. In this manner were all the others
treated, except one only, who could not endure the pain of more than one
blow with the stone, and, breaking away from his tormentors, he managed
to make his escape. During the whole operation a hideous noise was kept
up around the patients, with whom, generally, it seemed to be a point of
honour to endure this pain without a single murmur. Having once gone
through this strange ceremony, they were henceforth admitted into the
company and privileges of the class of men.
And as the commencement of manhood in this way, requires no small
exercise of courage and endurance of pain, so the remainder of the life
of an Australian savage is usually abundant in trials calling for the
like qualities, and demanding both bravery and patience. Whatever may
be the particular evils of civilized society, and however some wild
imaginations may be tempted by these to regard with regret or envy the
enjoyments of savage life, after all it must be confessed, these
enjoyments are, at best, very scanty and very uncertain, whilst the
miseries attendant upon such a state are of a nature continually to try
the patience and weary the spirit of him who has to endure them. Without
dwelling just at present upon the natural wants and sufferings to which
savage men are perpetually exposed in the wilderness of Australia, it is
deplorable to think of how many evils these thinly-scattered tribes are
the cause to each other; enormous and sad is the amount of suffering,
which, even in those lonely and unfrequented regions, human beings are
constantly bringing upon their brethren or neighbours. War, which seems
almost a necessary evil, an unavoidable scourge to man's fallen race, in
all ages and in every country, wears its most deadly aspect, and shows
its fiercest spirit among the petty tribes, and in the personal
encounters of savages like those of whom we are treating. Various causes
of misunderstanding will, of course, arise among them from time to time,
and every trifling quarrel is continued and inflamed by their amazing
and persevering efforts to revenge themselves, which appears to be with
them considered a matter of duty. The shedding of blood is always
followed by punishment, and only those who are _jee-dyte_, or
unconnected with the family of the guilty person, can consider
themselves in safety from this evil spirit of revenge. Little children
of seven or eight years old, if, while playing, they hear that some
murder has taken place, can in a moment tell whether or not they
are _jee-dyte_, and even at this tender age, take their measures
accordingly. An example of this unsparing visitation of offences
occurred not long after the settlement of New South Wales had commenced.
A native had been murdered, and his widow, being obliged to revenge his
death, chanced to meet with a little girl distantly related to the
murderer, upon whom she instantly poured forth her fury, beating her
cruelly about the head with a club and pointed stone, until at length
she caused the child's death. When this was mentioned before the other
natives, they appeared to look upon it as a right and necessary act, nor
was the woman punished by the child's relatives, possibly because it was
looked upon as a just requital.
When a native has received any injury, whether real or fancied, he is
very apt to work himself up into a tremendous passion, and for this
purpose certain war-songs, especially if they are chanted by women, seem
amazingly powerful. Indeed, it is stated, on good authority, that four
or five mischievously-inclined old women can soon stir up forty or
fifty men to any deed of blood, by means of their chants, which are
accompanied by tears and groans, until the men are excited into a
perfect state of frenzy. The men also have their war-songs, which they
sing as they walk rapidly backwards and forwards, quivering their
spears, in order to work themselves up into a passion. The following
very common one may serve for a specimen, both of the manner and matter
of this rude, yet, to them, soul-stirring poetry:--
Yu-do dauna, Spear his forehead,
Nan-do dauna, Spear his breast,
Myeree dauna, Spear his liver,
Goor-doo dauna, Spear his heart,
Boon-gal-la dauna, Spear his loins,
Gonog-o dauna, Spear his shoulder,
Dow-al dauna, Spear his thigh,
Nar-ra dauna, Spear his ribs,
&c. &c. &c. &c. &c. &c.
And thus it is that a native, when he feels afraid, sings himself into
courage, or, if he is already in a bold mood, he heaps fuel upon the
flame of his anger, and adds strength to his fury. The deadly feeling of
hatred and revenge extends itself to their public, as well as to their
private, quarrels, and sometimes shows itself in a very fierce and
unexpected manner. In the valley of the Wollombi, between Sydney and
Hunter's River, some years ago, three boys of a certain tribe had been
persuaded to reside in the families of three of the British settlers
there. These were marked out for vengeance by the natives belonging to
a tribe in a state of warfare with them, about 100 of whom travelled
between 20 and 30 miles during one night--a thing almost unheard of
among the natives--and reached the neighbourhood of the settlers on the
Wollombi very early on the ensuing morning. Two or three of them were
sent to each of the houses to entice the boys out, but these, it
appeared, somewhat suspected the intentions of their enemies. However,
they were at length persuaded to join the native dance, when suddenly a
circle was formed round them, and they were speedily beaten to death
with _waddies_ or clubs. Immediately after which deed, the troop of
natives returned back again to their own neighbourhood. A European
happened to pass by, just as the boys were dying, but being alone and
unarmed, his interference might have been dangerous to himself, without
proving of any the slightest advantage to the unfortunate sufferers.
Another instance of that cowardly cruelty, which will take every
possible advantage of a helpless age and sex occurred many years before
this, when the colony of New South Wales was quite in its infancy. The
father and mother of a little native girl, aged about seven years, had
belonged to a party by whom many robberies had been committed on the
banks of the river Hawkesbury, but an armed troop of Europeans was sent
in pursuit of these robbers, and when a meeting took place, the child's
parents were among those that fell, while she accompanied the victorious
party to the British settlement. Here she behaved herself with
propriety, being a well-disposed child, she was a favourite at
Government-house, where she resided under the protection of the
governor. This circumstance, and the fact of her belonging to a
different tribe from their own, awakened the jealousy of some of the
natives, who belonged to the neighbourhood of Sydney, and she was
consequently put to death in the most cruel manner. Her body was found
in the woods, speared in several places, and with both the arms cut off.
The murderers of the poor child escaped.
But, while we justly condemn and pity the cruel and cowardly acts of
this description, which, unhappily, too often figure among the deeds of
the natives of the Australian Bush, we are by no means to suppose them
wanting in all feeling of kindness and humanity, still less would it be
correct to consider them deficient in true courage. Every allowance
ought to be made for the disadvantages of savage life, for the complete
ignorance of these people, for the difficulty which they frequently have
in procuring necessary food, and for the consequent cheapness in which
life is held among them; and when these and other like arguments are
duly weighed, we may learn not to abominate less the crimes of savages,
but to pity more the unhappy beings who commit them. Indeed, if we go
somewhat further, we may take shame to ourselves and to all civilized
nations, in many of whose practices a counterpart may be found for the
worst sins of the uncultivated, uncivilized heathens.
Within the last few years many crimes have been recorded in our
newspapers, which, though committed in those large English towns,
by some conceived to be centres of civilization, refinement, and
enlightenment, might rival in horror and atrocity the very darkest
deeds of savages.
Many proofs that the disposition of the native Australians is naturally
brave and courageous (however cowardly some of their barbarities may
appear,) could easily be brought forward; but none can be a stronger
proof of this than the coolness and self-possession which they have so
frequently exhibited upon meeting with Europeans, and encountering their
fire-arms for the first time. An example of this occurred in Western
Australia, when Captain Grey's party were on their return home towards
the British settlement of Perth. They were winding their way along on
the summit of a limestone hill not very far from the coast, which formed
a terrace about half a mile in width, with rich grass and beautiful
clumps of trees to adorn it; and while, on the side towards the land,
another terrace arose exactly like it, on the opposite side they
overlooked a bay surrounded by verdant and extensive flats. Their
enjoyment of the lovely scenery of this spot was soon disturbed by the
appearance of a large body of the natives on the high ground to the east
of them; and, although these strangers boldly advanced to within 200
yards of them, all endeavours to bring about an amicable meeting proved
in vain, for the savages shouted to their companions, and these again to
others yet more remote, until the calls were lost in the distance, while
fresh parties of natives came trooping in from all directions. The
question was, how to get rid of these people without bloodshed; and
when an attempt to move quietly forward had been disappointed, by the
Australians hastening on to occupy a thick piece of bush, through which
the English party must pass, at last, Captain Grey, advancing towards
them with his gun cocked and pointed, drove them a little before him,
after which, to complete their dispersion, he intended to fire over
their heads. But, to his mortification and their delight, the gun missed
fire, upon which the natives, taking fresh courage, turned round to make
faces at him and to imitate the snapping of the gun. The second barrel
was then fired over their heads, at which they were alarmed, and made a
rapid retreat, halting, however, upon a rising ground about 300 yards
off, and preparing in earnest for action, when they perceived that they
had suffered no loss. But since they had thus learned to despise the
weapons of European warfare, prompt action was needful to prevent fatal
consequences on both sides. The captain, accordingly, took his rifle
from the man who was carrying it, and directing it at a heap of
closely-matted dead bushes, about two or three yards from the main body
of the enemy, he drove the ball right through it; the dry rotten boughs
crackled and flew in all directions, and the poor savages, confounded at
this new and unfair mode of fighting, hastily dispersed, without any
loss of life having been sustained by either party.[40]
[40] A less serious but even more effectual method of dispersing the
natives, when they became troublesome, and would not quit the settlers'
camp at night, is mentioned by Mitchell. At a given signal, one of the
Englishmen suddenly sallied forth wearing a gilt mask, and holding in
his hand a blue light with which he fired a rocket. Two men concealed
bellowed hideously through speaking-trumpets, while all the others
shouted and discharged their fire-arms into the air. The man in the
mask marched solemnly towards the astonished natives, who were seen
through the gloom but for an instant, as they made their escape and
disappeared for ever.--MITCHELL'S _Expeditions_, vol. ii. p. 290.
On another occasion, not long after this encounter, and in the same
neighbourhood, the party of English explorers fell in with a native
carrying his spear and a handful of fish; he was lost in thought, and
they were close to him before he saw them, but, when he did so, he took
no notice of them. Without even quickening his pace, he continued in his
own course, which crossed their path, and, as he evidently wished to
avoid all communication, the men were ordered to take no notice of him,
and so they passed one another. He must have been a very brave fellow,
observes the captain, to act thus coolly, when an array so strange to
him met his eye. In like manner, when Major Mitchell was riding upon the
banks of the Gwydir, he fell in with a tall native, covered with
pipe-clay, who, although he could never have seen a horse before,
nevertheless, put himself in a posture of defiance, and did not retreat,
until the traveller galloped at him to prevent his attack.
In a different part of New Holland, on the eastern coast, when Flinders
was exploring Pumice-stone River, near Moreton Bay, he was by no means
successful in striking the natives with awe and astonishment. A hawk
having presented itself to view, he thought this afforded a good
opportunity of showing his new friends, the inhabitants of the Bush, a
specimen of the effect and certainty of his fire-arms. He made them
understand what he intended, and they were so far alarmed as to seem to
be on the point of running into the woods, but a plan of detaining them
was discovered, for the seamen placed themselves in front of the
savages, forming a kind of defence; in which situation they anxiously
watched the British officer, while he fired at the bird. What must have
been his feelings at the moment!--the hawk, uninjured, flew away![41]
[41] On a similar occasion, near the Darling, where the inhabitants are
remarkable for their thievish habits, when a crow was shot, in order to
scare them by its sudden death, the only result was, that, before the
bird had reached the ground, one of them rushed forward at the top of
his speed to seize it!--See MITCHELL'S _Expeditions_, vol. i. p. 265.
It is, certainly, no easy task to awaken in the soul of the completely
savage man any great interest or concern in the ways and habits of
civilized life. The fallen nature, of which all mankind are common
partakers, renders it, unfortunately, easy to copy what is evil;
and, accordingly, the drunkenness, the deceitfulness, and general
licentiousness of depraved Europeans find many admirers and imitators
among the simple children of the Australian wilderness; but when
anything good, or decent, or even merely useful, is to be taught them,
then do they appear dull and inapt scholars indeed. Living, as they do,
in a peculiar world, as it were, of their own, they feel little or no
pleasure at hearing of what is going on elsewhere, and it has been
observed by one who had mixed very much with their various tribes, and
had gained considerable knowledge of their language, that, while they
cared not for stories respecting man in his civilized state, anything at
all bearing upon savage life was eagerly listened to and well received.
Once, having described to them some circumstances respecting England and
its inhabitants, the traveller took occasion, from the mention of the
length of days there in summer, to speak of those lands near the North
Pole, where, in summer, the sun never sets, while it never rises for
some weeks during the winter. The natives agreed that this must be
another sun, and not the one seen by them; but, when the conversation
turned upon the people of those northern regions, and the small
Laplander, clothed in skins of the seal, instead of the kangaroo, was
described to them, they were exceedingly delighted; and this picture of
half-savage life, so different from their own, threw quite into the
shade all the other stories they had heard. It is, indeed, really
laughable to find with what cool contempt some of these natives, who
have never had any intercourse with Europeans, treat our comforts, our
tastes, and pursuits. We may contemn and pity them, but they seem to
have very much the same feelings for us. We are horrified at the
greediness with which they devour grubs, and many of them are shocked at
our oyster-eating propensities! A remarkable instance of this occurred
to Captain Flinders in 1798, when he was exploring the eastern coast of
New Holland, and surveying Two-fold Bay. While measuring a base line
upon the beach, the English sailors heard the screams of three native
women, who took up their children and ran off in great alarm. Soon after
this a man made his appearance, armed only with a _waddie_, or wooden
scimetar, but approaching them apparently with careless confidence. The
explorers made much of him, and gave him some biscuit; in return for
which he presented them with a piece of gristly fat, probably of whale.
This was tasted by Captain Flinders, but he was forced to watch for an
opportunity of getting rid of it while the eyes of the donor were not
upon him. But the savage himself was, curiously enough, doing precisely
the same thing with the biscuit, the taste of which was, perhaps, no
more agreeable to him than that of the whale to the Englishman. The
commencement of the trigonometrical operations necessary for surveying
the bay was beheld by the Australian with indifference, if not with
contempt; and he quitted the strangers, apparently satisfied that from
people who could thus seriously occupy themselves there was no great
danger to be feared.
But, whatever may be urged respecting the variety of tastes and the
want of a settled and uniform standard of appeal respecting them;
however it may be argued the rich and luscious fat of a noble whale may
intrinsically surpass the lean and mouldy flavour of dry sea-biscuit;
nevertheless, in many other matters of greater importance, it must be
confessed that the manners and habits of the natives of the Bush are
extremely wretched and evil. And the Christian European, while he dares
not _despise_ them, cannot do otherwise than _pity_ them. The fact has
been already noticed, that these miserable children of nature scarcely
ever wear anything deserving of the name of clothing; and, in many parts
of New Holland, their huts, usually constructed by the women, and
composed of little better materials than bark, or wood, and boughs,[42]
reeds, or clay, scarcely merit the title of human habitations. But it is
not so much in their outward state, as in their moral and social habits,
that this race of men are most pitiable and degraded. One subject which
has been frequently observed to mark the difference not so much between
civilized and uncivilized men, as that between Christians and heathens,
must especially be noticed. Cruel as is _the treatment of women_ in many
other parts of the globe, the inhabitants of Australia seem to go beyond
all other barbarians in this respect. From the best and wisest people of
christian Europe down to the vilest and most degraded tribes of heathen
Australia, a regular scale might be formed of the general mode of
behaviour to the weaker sex among these various nations; and, mostly, it
would be found that the general superiority or inferiority of each
nation is not untruly indicated by the kindness or cruelty with which
their females are usually treated.
[42] See Nehemiah viii. 14, 15.
From their earliest infancy the female children are engaged or betrothed
to a future husband, and in case of his death, they belong to his heir.
But this arrangement is frequently prevented by the horrid practice,
common among these barbarians, of stealing their wives, and taking them
away by main force. Indeed, it seems a rule for the women to follow the
conquering party, as a matter of course; so that on the return of an
expedition into the interior of New Holland, the friendly and
neighbouring natives, being informed that some of the distant and
hostile people had been shot, only observed, "Stupid white fellows! why
did you not bring away the gins?"
Polygamy is not uncommonly practised; and an old man, especially, among
other privileges, may have as many _gins_, or wives, as he can keep, or
maintain. Indeed, the maintenance of a wife is not expensive, since they
are expected to work; and all the most laborious tasks, including that
of supplying a great part of the necessary food for the family, are
performed by them.[43] Hence, they are watched with very jealous care,
being valuable possessions; but, in spite of all precautions, they are
frequently carried off, and that in the most inhuman manner. The _lover_
steals upon the encampment by night, and, discovering where the object
of his affection is, he frequently beats her on the head till she
becomes senseless, and then drags her off through the bushes, as a tiger
would its prey![44] This, of course, is an undertaking attended with
considerable danger; for if the intruder is caught, he will be speared
through the leg, or even killed, by the angry husband or relatives. Thus
many quarrels arise, in which brothers or friends are generally ready
enough to bear a part. But--unlike the courteous and christian customs
of our own country--the poor female, whether innocent or guilty, it
matters not, has no one to take her part; the established rule with
regard to women among these brutal creatures being, "If I beat your
mother, then you beat mine; if I beat your wife, then you beat mine,"
&c. &c. The consequence of these ferocious habits is evident enough in
the appearance of most of the young women, who have any good looks or
personal comeliness to boast of. The number of violent blows upon the
head, or of rude wounds inflicted by the spear, form so many miserable
trophies of victories dearly won by these Australian beauties, and the
early life of one of these unhappy beings is generally a continued
series of captivities to different masters, of wanderings in strange
families, of rapid flights, of bad treatment from other females, amongst
whom she is brought a stranger by her captor; and rarely is a form of
unusual grace and elegance seen, but it is marked and scarred by the
furrows of old wounds; while many females thus wander several hundreds
of miles from the home of their infancy, without any corresponding ties
of affection being formed to recompense them for those so rudely torn
asunder. As may be well imagined, a marriage thus roughly commenced
is not very smooth in its continuance; and the most cruel
punishments--violent beating, throwing spears or burning brands,
&c.--are frequently inflicted upon the weaker party, without any
sufficient provocation having been given. It is evident, that treatment
of this kind, together with the immensely long journeys which they are
compelled to take, always accompanying their husbands on every
excursion, must be very injurious to the constitution and healthiness of
the weaker sex. And to these trials must be added the constant carrying
of those children that are yet unable to travel, the perpetual search
for food, and preparation of it when it is obtained, besides many other
laborious offices performed by the women, all which being reckoned up
together, will form a life of toil and misery, which we may hope is
endured by no other human beings beside the females of Australia. Nor is
such treatment without its ill effect upon the tempers and dispositions
of the female sex. The ferocity of the women, when it is excited,
exceeds that of the men; they deal dreadful blows at one another with
their long sticks, and, if ever the husband is about to spear in the
leg, or beat, one of his wives, the others are certain to set on her,
and treat her with great inhumanity.
[43] The men frequently indulge a great degree of indolence at the
expense of the women, who are compelled to sit in their canoe, exposed
to the fervour of a mid-day sun, hour after hour, chanting their little
song, and inviting the fish beneath them to take their bait; for without
a sufficient quantity to make a meal for their tyrants, who are lying
asleep at their ease, they would meet but a rude reception on their
landing.--COLLINS' _Account of Colony of New South Wales_, p. 387.
[44] Playing at "stealing a wife" is a common game with the Australian
children.
One custom, which to Europeans seems extremely remarkable, is that of
the family name of the _mother_, and not of the _father_, becoming the
surname of the children of either sex. And another, connected with this,
forbids a man from marrying with a woman of his own family name. Each
family has for its crest or sign, or _kobong_, as they call it, some
animal or vegetable; and a certain mysterious connexion is supposed to
exist between a family and its _kobong_; so that a member of the family
will never kill an animal of the same species with his _kobong_, should
he find it asleep; indeed, he always kills it reluctantly, and never
without affording it a chance of escape.[45] This arises from the family
belief that some one individual of the species is their nearest friend,
to kill whom would be a great crime, and is to be carefully avoided.
And, in like manner, a native having a vegetable for a _kobong_ may not
gather it under certain circumstances, and at a particular period of
the year. It is said that they occasionally exchange surnames with
their friends, a custom which is supposed to have prevailed among the
Jews; and they have another practice resembling the same people, which
is, that when a husband dies, his brother takes the wife.[46] Among
beings who hold life so cheaply, it cannot be a matter of surprise that
the destruction of infants should be occasionally practised, more
especially in cases where the child is born with any natural deformity:
nor is it an excuse for these barbarians that the polished nations of
ancient Greece and Italy habitually committed the like atrocities, or
even greater,--considering it in their own choice to rear up their
offspring or not, exactly as it suited their convenience. In fact,
we may learn from this and many other instances, that it is not
_civilisation_ alone, but yet more than that, _Christianity_, by which
the difference between the European and the Australian is produced:--
"In vain are arts pursued, or taste refin'd,
Unless Religion purifies the mind."
[45] These facts may account for the statement mentioned by Collins, of
a native throwing himself in the way of a man who was about to shoot a
crow, whence it was supposed that the bird was an object of worship,
which notion is, however, contradicted by the common practice of eating
crows, of which birds the natives are very fond.--See COLLINS' _Account
of the Colony of New South Wales_, p. 355.
Two young natives, to whom Mr. Oxley had given a tomahawk, discovered
the _broad arrow_, with which it was marked on both sides, and
which exactly resembles the print made by the foot of an emu. Probably
the youths thought it a _kobong_, for they frequently pointed to
it and to the emu skins which the party had with them.--See OXLEY'S
_Journal_, p. 172.
[46] The command in Deut. xxv. only extended to the case of eldest sons
dying without children.
Respecting the languages spoken in different parts of New Holland, it is
doubtful whether they have all a common root or not, but the opinion of
Captain Grey, who was not unqualified to judge, is in favour of their
kindred origin. In so vast an extent of country, among wandering tribes,
that hold little or no communication with each other, great differences
in language were to be expected, and are found to exist. If three men
from the east, the west, and the north of England meet together, they
occasionally puzzle one another by their various dialects; what, then,
must be expected by way of variety in a country between two and three
thousand miles across, without much communication, and totally
differing, at its extreme points, in climate and in animal and vegetable
productions? For new objects new names were, of necessity, invented; but
the resemblance between words signifying objects common everywhere, as,
for instance, the parts of the human body, is said to be remarkable. The
Australian languages are stated to be soft and melodious in their sound,
and their songs, though rude and wild, have amazing power over the
feelings of the soul. _Noise_ would appear to have great charms in
savage ears, and, sometimes, from the high key in which our English
songs are occasionally pitched, it would seem to have charms also for
"ears polite." But an elegant and refined European song would only be
laughed at and mimicked by the musical blacks, some few of whom are not,
however, quite insensible to the sweets of civilised melody. Warrup, a
native servant, was once present when "God save the Queen" was sung in
chorus, and it so affected him, that he burst into tears. He certainly
could not have understood the words, much less could he have entered
into the noble and loyal spirit, of our National Anthem: it must,
therefore, have been the music, and, perhaps, the excitement prevailing
around him, which affected him.
[Illustration: OPOSSUM HUNTING.]