Rediscovering Indigenous Languages

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B 505: Lecture on the Aborigines of Australia and papers on Wirradhurrei dialect, 1837-1840

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of this outrage , a few of the Mudgee tribe [words crossed out] some months after, went across to [Crossed out: Wellington] the McQuaries and, after having watched some McQ. Blacks for a few days one morning suddenly surprised two or three of them when bathing in a deep water hole not many miles below Wellington, and these threw their spears & other weapons at them till they sunk in the water. This caused great consternation among the neighbouring Wellington tribe. They came to Mudgee and remained in this neighbourhood for some months, night after night apprehending to be suddenly surprised by the [indecipherable], & [indecipherable] tribes. Repeatedly they encamped just below my garden and gave me more than once a [indecipherable] in the evening, to leave my ketchen door & the back door of my house open that they might take refuge on my prmises should the enemy come, telling me at he same time they would call me up when they were attacked. Several of them have been my former scholars, and were personally perfectly innocent in the whole affair. However the enemy never came & they returned after a while to Wellington

Last edit over 1 year ago by shayes
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But, two or three years after, one of their young men of the Wellington tribe was killed near Burrendong in a clandestine manner by one of the McQuarie Blacks, & as far as I could ascertain the affair did not end there, until another victim fell of the McQuarie tribe. Thus these Blacks, whom some Europeans have at times pronounced such a happy race of beings are in continual fear. I have never known them perfectly quiet for many months together. Often they are alarmed without any just cause, mainly by false rumours of the movements of an unfriendly tribe. You will understand that these acts of retaliation assume a sort of [indecipherable] character and involve the [indecipherable] of a tribe, tribe against tribe, demanding satisfaction. Should any [word crossed out] individual kill a Black of his own, or a friendly tribe from private spite & malice, or personally in a passion the affair would be viewed as wilful murder and the guilty party would have little chance to escape with his life. Without a regular trial after a little inquiring

Last edit over 1 year ago by shayes
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the murderer would be most summarily dealt with & put to death [word crossed out] judge jury & & executioners [word crossed out] all consisting of the same [word crossed out] men. I now proceed to describe to you the condition and treatment of the fair sex, if that term might be applied to to these poor Aboriginal females. Their degradation and slavish dependence can hardly be painted in too strong colours. From their childhood up to old age they are entirely subject to the arbitrary will & caprise of the men. Often they are betrothed by their parents at a tender age, it may be to a man [word crossed out] then in the prime of life who is perhaps already possessed of a wife. [words crossed out] Polygamy, I would here remark is quite common among these Aborigines, and is not only a source of much dispute, but an occasion of rendering the condition of the woman so degrading, as I shall presently show. Whether a girl be betrothed in her infancy or not, or supposing her intended husband dies before she becomes marriageable, in no case is the woman consulted. she has not the choice of refusing an offer

Last edit over 1 year ago by shayes
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nor to delay the time of becoming the wife of him who is destined for her. No regard is paid to any affections or attachments on her part. [words crossed out] In most cases the young woman obtains an elderly man and it may be he's one or two rivals to contend with. Should her parents as their natural guardians die [word crossed out] before she is of an age to marry, it may happen that her intended husband puts her under the guardianship of the wife, or one of the wives he possesses. These early betrothals are made sometimes for a consideration or by intrigue, it may be threats, [word crossed out] also at a later age similar schemes are had recourse to. To these come in addition as great auxilliary certain claims depending on a [words crossed out] ficticious relationship of which I shall speak afterwards. I must tell you at the same time (a [indecipherable] who may not be aware of it) that it is not an infrequent occurrence for a number of men, especially young men, to suprise the camp of a distant, perhaps unfriendly tribe and carry away a number of[word crossed out] young women, no matter whether married or unmarried, [words crossed out] & to [crossed out: appropriate them to themselves] divide their spoil when returned in safety to them

Last edit over 1 year ago by shayes
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own tribe. You may imagine that they cannot always make sure of retaining their spoil, they may have to fight for [crossed out: their booty] the same and after all loose it again & as a reprisal they may lose some women of their own tribe. In fact to steal a woman is almost the only kind of theft heard of among the Aborigines. The only sort of property they value is a woman and to describe a poor man amongst them implies as much as he is without a wife. But this is not all; the wife is literally treated like a man's property or something with which he can traffic as he pleases. The husband can [word crossed out] give his wife to another man for a continuance or merely for a time. I [words crssed out] do not feel at liberty to make any further remarks on this particular subject. The evil consequences can easily be guessed at. Still it must not be supposed that [word crsed out] an indiscriminate intercorse between the sexes exists only if no sort of conjugal fidelity were observed. The husband is indeed supreme ruler over his wife or wives, but he is jealous if any wife dare to commit herself [crossed out: with another man][indecipherable] another man take undue liberties with her [word crossed out] the punishment may be no less than death to both parties, if there are any aggravating

Last edit over 1 year ago by shayes
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circumstances attending it, or if the men of the tribe feel inclined to sanction to spurn an act of the offended husband. More frequently the offender has to stand the test of a duel or rather an unequal combat. It may be several of the tribe have to throw their weapons at them & he is only allowed a shield to defend himsel. This he may do dexterously [indecipherable] as to escape with his life or even unhurt. The shield you [words crossed out] will bear in mind is but a piece of wood not many inches in diameter in the middle with painted ends almost shaped so as to appear three sides & has a handle on the back at the middle. Speaking of the woman's degraded condition I might enlarge on her severe dependence on the whims of her husband & the drudgery she must perform on his behalf. Has he returned home succesful from his hunting with an oppossum for instance, after the wife has probably washed it for him in thanks, (sometimes he will condescend to do it himself) he takes the washed animal in his two hands tears away with his teeth the best part, and his poor wife must feel much obliged if he throws over to her the bones for her to pick [words crossed out] Then again

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if they move from one camp to another, some times several miles, the woman has perhaps to carry a baby in her oppossum cloak on the back, [original text struck out] is incumbered besides with some wooden vessels and may have to carry for her load some of his heavier weapons, as it is rather against his dignity to be encumbered with much more than a spear & the light Boomerang. I confess then things often sensed my indignation, I administered many severe lectures to the men about their cruelty to the women, it was their [indecipherable] [indecipherable] of men who would have felt so inclined to act with more kindness and they have made up their minds to break [crossed out: down] through the restraints of old [crossed out:habits] customs, some refused to make occasional exceptions particularly when fond of their wives for with all the [crossed out: unnatural] arbitrarypp easy treatment to which the women are subject, [text struck out] [ text struck out] you may occasionally observe mutual affection [indecipherable] seen some couples, nor are parental affections uncommon [text struck out] among them.

But before I have done with this part of my subject - the condition of the women, I must briefly mention a singular fact which has a strong bearing on the question of marriage [indecipherable] gives too often a plea either for polygamy or else, for very unequal matches as to age

Last edit over 1 year ago by shayes
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Whilst natural relationship is strictly regarded, so that no near relations can marry each other, there exists a ficticious idea of relationship, according to which certain unions are prohitited, however desirable otherwise and a woman may be claimed by a most objectionable suitor. The origin, meaning & intent of this trulu absurd & imaginary relationship I never could ascertain, nor can the Blacks themselves give any other account of it, but that isn't so, and has been handed down to them by their ancestors. Whether it be a remnant of the Indian cast system, only now absurd, or of a clanship which might have existed among the original families, from whom the present Blacks are descended or whatever it be, can merely be a conjecture, but so much I know it is far more objectionable and more injurious to the improvement & civilization of the Aborigines than the Indian cast system. This unnatural affinity is carried in the following manner: every black man or woman, bears the name, a surname I may call it ( as they have individual names besides) of an animal. Thus Bandar - Kangaroo, Willie - the Oppussum, Gunmar, - Kangaroo rat, Warralong - a Brown Snake

Last edit over 1 year ago by shayes
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and Buduambang - a wild Duck, these & many others are names applied to the Aborigines,and thereby a relationship is supposed to be produced, not in the [words crossed out] slightest degree owing to any resemblance of certain animals, but altogether arbitrary. Thus the Kangaroo is related to the [indecipherable] an eagle hawk & so forth & two names descending from the mother alternately succeed each other so that the grand child bears always the name of the grandmother. The Oppussum for instance is mother to the Kangaroo rat & the Kangaroo rat again [indecipherable] the Oppossum. Some of their names consitute the nearest relationship so that they call each other brothers, others produce a kind of relationship & they are called by them little brothers or little sisters, that is, related in a less degree. Such a relationship may exist where there is not the slightest natural relationship to be [found?] for some generations. But as to inter marriages between such imaginary relatives they are looked upon just as unseemly as if the nearest relatives

Last edit over 1 year ago by shayes
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brother & sister married each other. To illustrate this I will now relate to you a story (one of two instances that I might relate) when I acted somewhat in the capacity of matchmaker & tried to induce some young people to break through this absurd custom, for even they could not help perceiving its absurdity. We had a young woman who was [crossed out: nearly as well civilized as] almost as civilized and as well insructed as the generality of servants, as a servant she was most useful and could favourably compare with Europeans, her habits were [crossed out: very clean] distinguished too, by clean linen and she had attained so a considerable amount of religious knowledge. Being marriageable at the time I speak of I was informed that she was destined to become the wife of one of the most savage men we had in the Neighbourhood who at the same time acted always in a very treacherous manner against our efforts to civilize & christianize the Aborigines. I knew the girl would be miserable with such a man and all our instruction would be lost. I ascertained from her that she disliked the fellow, but had no choice left to refuse. I further ascertained that between her & a young man, partially civilized, there existed some reciprocal feelings

Last edit over 1 year ago by shayes
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