Volltext Seite (XML)
24 THE ABORIGINES OF AUSTRALIA. allowed to speak or eat during the operation ; the people make most hideous noises in the ears of the sufferers to drown their cries ; the patient sits on the shoulders of the man, who receives the blood which flows down from the mouth. The youths are now admissible to the classes of men, and are privileged to use the spear and club, &c. The shedding of blood is always followed by punishment, the offender being obliged to stand the ceremony of spears being thrown at him ; a native murdered must be avenged. They have many superstitions, as may be expected. They believe in spirits. If they sleep at a grave, they believe the deceased visits them, seizes them and disembowels them, but that the bowels are replaced. A shooting star is very important, and of thunder they are very much afraid, but think that, by repeating certain words and breathing hard, they are safe. Of diseases the itch is common, and there is no doubt but that they have been visited by the small pox, which they call gal-gal-la, of which numbers died, and their remains were found in the caves of the rocks around Sydney. Some of them were admitted into the Hospital, where some died, and others recovered. Property consists of shields, spears, clubs, lines, and certain localities. In disposition they are revengeful, jealous, courageous, cunning, capable of strong attachment, susceptible of joy and sorrow. They have some idea of the heavenly bodies, sun, moon, and stars. Funeral ceremonies:—In some instances the body is burnt, but mostly the legs are tied up to the head so as to occupy little room ; the Carrahdi distorts his body and applies his mouth to different parts of the deceased. They bury with the men their spears and throwing-sticks ; they wear tufts of grass, and as they proceed to bury, they throw their spears and often do injuries. The body is placed so that the sun shall shine on it, and all trees that may intercept the sun’s rays are cut down. They do not mention the name of the deceased. They have some poetic talent and they compose impromptu, and have some taste for music. They are quite capable of receiving instruction. They cannot pronounce the letters S and V. Amongst the public heroes of those days (about 1790) were Bennillong and CoTe-be—the former had visited England. Both were frequent inmates of the Governor’s house, but were fond of roving. On the occasion of a whale being stranded at Broken Bay, Bennillong sent a present of a piece of fish to the Governor. On this His Excellency visited the place, and found there his friends, to whom he gave several articles of clothing. The Governor, perceiving that the natives were surrounding him, was retiring gradually to the boat, but on lifting up his arms on meeting a particular native, as evidence of his recog nition, the native took alarm and threw a spear at him, which struck him in the neck, above the collar bone, and being barbed, was difficult of extraction. Several other spears were thrown, but fortunately without effect. The boat’s crew rushed on shore, but their muskets proved useless. The shaft of the spear was broken off, and the remainder was extracted by the surgeon. A few days after this affray, Bennillong came to a cove on the North Shore, with his wife and companions, and stated that it was a man of the name of Willemering who threw the spear at the Governor, and that Cole-be and he had beaten him severely; and on the visit to the Governor subsequently, Bennillong repeated the statement, observing that it was owing to surprise that the man had committed the act. A few days afterwards, Bennillong waited on the Governor, with a request that a hut near the cove should be built for him, which was assented to. Some months afterwards Bennillong took to the bush again, sending a message to the Governor that he had had a dispute with his friend Cole-he and had been wounded, and could not appear at the Governor’s table, requesting at the same time his clothes, together with victuals, of which he was much in want. On his re-appearance at the settlement some time afterwards, he had a wound in the mouth and some teeth broken. The quarrel appears to have been occasioned by his over-attention to his friend’s favourite wife, Boo-ree-a, and this led to a severe castigation. Cole-be, meeting him shortly afterwards, asked him sarcastically “ if he meant that kind of conduct to be a specimen of English manners.” As Bennillong had visited England, the sarcasm was the more pungent. Bennillong, after his return from England, was asked where blackfellow came from—did he come from an island. He said he did not know, but that after death they returned to the clouds, ascending in the shape of little children, first resting on the tops of trees ; their favourite food was little fishes.
