Of the Aborigines inhabiting the Great Lacustrine and Riverine Depression of the Lower Murray, Lower Murrumbidgee, Lower Lachlan, and Lower Darling.

By PETER BEveridge.

[Read before the Royal Society of N.S. W., 6 June, 1883.]

IN commencing this paper, I may premise that the whole of the information herein set down has been gained by my own observation; and, moreover, the greater portion of it was obtained before the aborigines became sophisticated by contact with Europeans and their ways. My opportunities of observing the aborigines and their habits extend to a period of twenty-three years, that is to say, from 1845 until 1868.

The tribes herein treated of inhabit the Great Lacustrine and Riverine system of rivers and creeks which the Lower Murray takes from Moama to Wentworth. They comprise the Boora Boora, the Baraba Baraba, the Watty Watty, the Waiky Waiky, the Litchy Litchy, the Darty Darty, and the Yairy Yairy tribes. Each tribal name being the negative of the dialect spoken, and when I say that these dialects are as distinct from each other as are their negatives, philologists can readily imagine what an insurmountable task it would be to endeavour to reduce these dialects to a written language, with the view to its universal application. To obviate the difficulties which would naturally arise from the diversity of dialects, in their tribal and commercial communications (even the Australian tribes have commercial relations with each other), each tribe possesses a Ngalla Wattow or postman, who can speak and understand the dialects of all the tribes within a radius of 150 miles. The persons of these officials are held sacred, even by tribes which are at feud with their own; they therefore negotiate all matters of barter and tribal policy— as a consequence they are kept pretty constantly on the move. Singular to say, these Ngalla Wattows are, without exception, all more or less imbecile or silly, still they perform their respective functions most admirably. In physical development these men are all small, very wiry and attenuated, their constant travelling and short commons on their many tribal missions not being conducive to the making of flesh.

The articles of commerce which the aborigines exchange with each other consist of reeds for spears, red ochre and chalk for painting purposes, stone for tomahawks, fibre for nets and cord, opossum cloaks, wood for weapons, &c. Some of these articles are peddled backwards and forwards, even as far as the Tropic of Capricorn, each tribe gladly exchanging its local productions-of which it has abundance-for such commodities as are the produce of other tribal territories, and in which their own locality is altogether lacking. At first, this doubtless seems a very primitive kind of commerce, but really, it was ample for all the simple requirements of these savage tribes, ere the advent of the civilized race gave to them tastes and wants which, until then, were altogether foreign to their nature.

It will thus be seen that the Ngalla Wattow, or aboriginal postman, is about the most central figure in tribal life; as a consequence thereof, he is respected and revered far above any other aboriginal character.

OF CHIEFTAINSHIP.

Unlike other savage races, these people have not any hereditary or elected chiefs or rulers of any kind, to whom, in time of need, either as leader in war or arbiter in tribal difficulty, they can go. With regard to the former, however, it is of very little consequence, inasmuch as these people are by far too cowardly to fight in a straightforward manner and in daylight, where the services of a leader would be of the first consequence.

Amongst higher races cowardice is held in thorough contempt, but that failing being innate in the aboriginal character, it should be viewed as a peculiarity of race rather than otherwise, and so deemed a physical imperfection only, which it doubtless is, else there would be exceptions, and to this rule there is not one even to prove it.

The oldest man in the tribe is, to some small extent, looked up to beyond his fellows, but this quasi respect is only shown him by reason of his being able to recount incidents, legends, and thrilling adventures (of which latter he is invariably the hero) that are beyond the ken of the others, and more than probable only had birth in his own fertile imagination; he, however, carefully dates the period of these occurrences far enough back to preclude the possibility of his being taxed with either plagiarism or romance.

It is in the long, bright, starry nights when these old fellows are seen and heard to perfection: it is at such times that they shine in all their self-glorification, which may almost be seen exuding from their pores, so patent is it, if their audience be numerous and attentive.

When there happens to be a dozen or two of one tribe camped together, and food is abundant, after supper, when the stars are

twinkling brightly and the camp fires glowing, one of these old fellows will get up, nude as he came into the world (with the exception of his waist-belt, which is of the narrowest), place his back to the fire, and with a grand flourish of his throwing-stick (which he holds in readiness to emphasise his flowing periods) to attract the attention of his audience, who, nothing loth, subside into silence, and so remain for hours together, with perhaps an occasional ejaculation of wonder, listening with mouths and ears agape to the savage stories and legends of the ancient narrator, who never seems at a loss for matter, and it is only when tired nature asserts herself that these savage seances come to a termination.

These legends and histories, in fact all their knowledge, is thus kept alive, and so handed down from one generation to another; therefore whatever cannot be woven into an entertaining narrative, for tribal amusement during the long nights, is entirely lost and forgotten. As a matter of course, this therefore quite accounts for their paucity of historical or any other kind of lore, and the entire absence, as well, of anything like reliable testimony as to their antecedents; that is to say, if we endeavour to trace them back for several generations. Any telling incident, however, such as a sanguinary midnight conflict, may not be altogether forgotten even after a lapse of twenty years or so, and they will speak freely enough about it in a general way, but it is quite impossible to get them to individualize or even particularize upon the subject, as from the moment of a man's death his name is never again spoken, and should there be another in the same tribe bearing the same name (as frequently happens) he immediately adopts another.

Thus, much that would have been available information, but for this superstitious craze, is completely lost. From this it will be readily seen that the Australian aborigines are merely a people of the day, to whom events of the past, however interesting, are as though they had never been; in short, figuratively speaking, they are a people to whom grandfathers have not been vouchsafed.

PROPORTION OF SEXES.

In all the tribes the males preponderate very considerably. This is not because of the paucity of female children born, as, at birth, the sexes are about equal. The mortality amongst the females after the age of puberty is attained, however, is far greater than it is amongst the males, and for this aboriginal feature there are abundant reasons, amongst which their early maternity is not one of the least. I have seen girls frequently, of not more than eleven or twelve years old, becoming mothers; and child-bearing at these tender years entails future infirmities, which materially assist in carrying them off ere they have well reached maturity. Then,

gain, their husbands convert them into perfect beasts of burden, naking them carry loads sufficient almost to break down horses, nuch less weak women; besides that, they ill-use them otherwise nost brutally, often-yes, very often, killing them outright in their ungovernable periods of passion. When an accident of this kind happens the other members of the tribe do not pay the least heed to it; it is only a lyoor (woman), and a husband has a perfect right to chastise his wife to death's door, and even beyond its portals, if he feels so disposed. The loss is not a tribal one, as the death of a male adult would be; at least it is not considered so, as it merely affects the individual, and he soon discovers that it does for when his fire needs replenishing, or his coolaman (water bucket) requires filling, he has either to do them himself or go cold and thirsty.

so;

Wanton profligacy is another fertile source of disease and death amongst the women. In speaking of this source of mortality, I know that, in general, it is supposed that the venereal disease amongst the aborigines is entirely due to Europeans, but a greater error than this never had promulgation, for long before the advent of the white man it was one of the vilest scourges this primitive people had to bear. The probabilities are that the trepang-hunting Malays and Chinese first introduced it on the northern coast, centuries ago, whence it spread from one tribe to another, until at last the foul disease became a national calamity.

The women being constitutionally weaker than the men, therefore less able to run away and hide, during the frequent midnight massacres, are more liable to fall into the clutches of their relentless foes than men. Besides, at those times of extreme peril, they become perfectly paralysed with terror, and thus fall an easy prey to the ruthless assassins. The victims, therefore, of these slaughters are most frequently females; next in order comes children of tender years, and then bed-ridden old men. Such a thing as a chivalrous endeavour on the part of the men to protect the weaker portions of the tribe during those panics, or indeed at any other time, is quite unknown; in fact, it would be deemed derogatory to aboriginal manhood to run the slightest personal risk for any such Quixotic purpose; but then, in all phases of aboriginal life, selfpreservation is the only law, and unanimity towards that end is not in accordance with their innate instincts. Everything they do, in short, is done instinctively; they never by any chance arrive at a conclusion by sheer force of logical reasoning.

MARRIAGE RELATIONS.

The marriage relations of these people are of the most primitive and simple character, the noun "love" being entirely lacking in their vocabulary. Nothing in the guise of courting or company-keeping is attempted by the prospective bridegroom and bride. The

oridegroom and father, or guardian (as the case may be) of the intended bride, come to a proper understanding, and the latter simply desires the moorongoor (girl) to pick up her belongings and take herself off to the loondthal (hut) of her future lord and master. Should she demur, as is frequently the case, the coercion of a nulla nulla (bludgeon) is resorted to, and it seldom fails to have the desired effect. There is not the faintest trace of any ceremony connected with this tie it is merely a matter of mating. Still, it is binding enough, at least as far as regards the woman; the man at any time, however, can cut the knot, and send the woman back to her people, by whom she is received readily enough, and there is not any trouble or bother about it. There may perhaps be a slight coolness displayed by the father or other guardian of the girl towards her some time husband, for a few days, but further than this there is not any dispute or quarrel on the subject of the slight. (Their dialects, however, being altogether guiltless of a synonym for that noun may account for their calmness under the circumstances.) The girl, of course, is again ready to be disposed of to the first eligible aspirant who may offer, even although her first matrimonial venture had resulted in the production of an infant. The new lord has of course to take the encumbrance along with the mother, which he readily does, and feels proud too of what will, in the future, be deemed his putative paternityship.

Polygamy is allowed to any extent, and this law is generally taken advantage of by those who chance to be rich in sisters, daughters, or female wards, to give in exchange for wives. No man can get a wife unless he has a sister, ward, or daughter, whom he can give in exchange.

Fathers of grown-up sons frequently exchange their daughters for wives, not for their sons, however, but for themselves, even although they already have two or three. Cases of this kind are indeed very hard for the sons, but being aboriginal law they must bear it as best they can, and that too without murmur; and to make the matter harder still to bear, the elders of a tribe will not allow the young men to go off to other tribes to steal wives for themselves, as such measures would be the certain means of entailing endless feuds with their accompanying bloodshed, in the attempts that would surely be made with the view of recovering the abducted women. Young men, therefore, not having any female relatives or wards under their control must, as a consequence of the aboriginal law on the subject, live all their lives in single blessedness, unless they choose to take up with some withered old hags whom nobody owns, merely for the purpose of having their fires cared for, their water-vessels filled, and their baggage carried from camp to camp.