Kangaroos
How Caught and Eaten
Their Skins
The Aboriginal’s Wonderful Tracking Powers
Wallaby, Kangaroo Rat, Paddymelon, and Bandicoot ‘Possum
‘Possum Rugs
Native Bear
Squirrel
Hunting on Bowen Terrace
Glass House Mountain
Native Cat and Dog
Flying Fox
Kangaroos- Kangaroos were caught in the forests with two or three inch mesh nets, and these were made from fibre, in the same way as those for dugong; but instead of being sewn up into hand nets they were just made in one long piece, standing some four feet high, and when used were stretched across a pocket, bounded by a creek, in the forest, the ends being tied to trees. In this pocket kangaroos were very likely feeding, and a number of natives, spreading out in the shape of a circle, would hunt them towards the net by beating their waddies and making a great noise. A dozen or two blacks, ready near the net, and armed with spears and waddies, knocked the kangaroos down, or speared them as they became entangled. Blacks’ dogs were never much good in catching kangaroos.
Sometimes a couple of men would lie hidden near where they expected these creatures to come for a drink, and spears were then made use of. At other times, kangaroos were driven into waterholes, and there speared. Again, they might be tracked, and sneaked up to in the extreme heat of the day, while they were resting in the shade of trees. Natives always hunted going against the wind, for otherwise their prey would get scent of them. To encourage kangaroos to come about, my father has known the blacks set fire to the grass; the marsupials appreciated the young and tender shoots coming up after a bush fire.
An “old man,” or large kangaroo, was always skinned for the sake of his hide, which was taken off with the help of sharp stone knives or shells. When off, the skin was stretched out, and pegged on the ground with small sharpened sticks, then wood ashes were rubbed into it, and it was left to dry in the sun. When cured the bare side was ornamented with a sort of scroll pattern done with pieces of sharp flint stones, then rubbed with charcoal, or coloured red with “kutchi.” Kangaroo rugs were used for lying on, not for coverings. Each skin was used singly, they were not sewn together as ‘possum skins were.
If kangaroo skins were not worth keeping the animal was first singed in the fire till all hair was off, then roasted, and when nearly cooked opened and cleaned out, and large red-hot stones were shoved into the inside to help the cooking. The carcass was kept on its back to preserve the gravy. An “old man ” kangaroo was called ” groman,” while an ordinary one was “murri.”
The aboriginals used to possess really wonderful tracking powers. Some people have the idea that they could track by means of a sense of smell, but that was not so; what really helped them was their marvellous eyesight. Father has been with them while they followed a wounded kangaroo, which had previously got away with a spear in its body. They followed the track for nearly a quarter of a mile, just walking along and pointing out to the white boy as they went a spot of blood on a blade of grass here and there, which he could hardly see, and at other times a track in the grass which he could not see at all. They went on thus till they came to a large flat rock on the side of a ridge, and here they went down on their knees and commenced to blow on the rock. Father asked what they did that for? “We want see which way that fellow go ‘cross.” At last they called to him to look, and said, “That fellow been go over here.” The white boy looked, and saw, when they blew on the rock, tiny locsened particles of moss moving. Evidently as the kangaroo passed that way his feet displaced the minute leaves of the moss. They had not much further to go before they came to the animal, lying dead with the spear through his body.
I have mentioned this habit of stooping and blowing with regard to the search for a bees’ nest, and one can under- stand how the practice has been mistaken for the ” smelling ” of scent. The only animal found by the sense of smell was the scrub ‘possum, which is much larger than the forest one, and also much darker in colour; it has a very strong scent of its own. Without seeing these, Father has been aware of their presence often in the scrub when getting cedar.
Wallaby (“Bug-wal”), kangaroo rat (“barrun”), paddymelon (“ku-mang”), and bandicoot (“yaggo-i”) — These were all caught, killed, and cooked in much the same way as the kangaroo. When first coming to North Pine, Father has seen about fifty blacks go into the scrub on the river just below his home, and there catch over twenty paddymelons in their nets at one trial. Pockets in the scrubs were blocked in the same way as those in the forests.
Opossum – The forest ‘possum was called “ku-pi,” and the scrub one “kappolla.” As mentioned, the whereabouts of the latter was often discovered by its scent. ‘Possums were captured during the day, not by moonlight, as they are by white people. The blacks disliked having their night’s rest disturbed; indeed, they seemed also rather afraid of the night. The only food they sought at night was fish- the old fishermen always took advantage of a good tide then. As for ‘possums and native bears, etc., what jolly nights they must have had, when the blacks allowed them to skip and caper about unmolested! But they made up for it, poor things, and paid dearly for their fun when the day came, and they were dragged forth unmercifully to their death.
Sometimes the whereabouts of an opossum, or any animal which slept in a hollow limb, was found by means of the birds which clustered round the hole proclaiming loudly their find to the world. At other times the blacks would look for fresh clawmarks on the base of tree trunks. How they did so, their white friend often wondered, but they seemed to be able to tell whether the clawmarks were those of a cat, a bear, an opossum, a squirrel, or what. Climbing the tree to where the ‘possum was, if by putting their hand down the hollow limb they could reach him, they did so, and dragging him quickly forth, would give him a blow on the head and send him flying to the ground. If, however, the ‘possum was beyond their reach, they would perhaps feel with a stick for his whereabouts, and then cut him out, or by hammering away on the wall of his retreat, they frightened him up to where he was easily got at.
‘Possum skins were greatly prized as coverings when the nights were cold. They were sewn together, and so made nice rugs. They were sewn with string, which was really kangaroo-tail sinew. This sinew was kept on purpose for sewing, and when wanted was damped to make it soft. The holes for the string were pierced either with hedgehog quills or sharp bones. It was only in the winter that the natives troubled to preserve the skins, however, for in the summer the hair came out.
These ‘possum rugs the gins carried from place to place with them. They were folded in half, and then hung round the neck, kept in place there by a string put through the fold. Over the rug a dilly was always hung, containing fish, birds, or food of any kind, also bones of the dead, etc. This dilly had a long string handle which passed over the shoulders, and so helped to keep the rug firm, in fact when there was a little pickanniny to carry, the string through the fold was done away with, the dilly handle being all that was required. The child was put in between the rug and the woman’s back, and the dilly, with its contents, hanging below the infant, though on the outside of the rug, prevented him slipping down. The furry side of the rug was next the child, who only showed his little black head, and when a mother wished to get him out from this snug retreat, she reached over, and taking hold of a little arm, hauled him by it over her shoulder. This was done no matter how young the child, and the treatment seemed to have no ill effects. When children were older, but still too young to walk, they were carried on the shoulders-one leg on each side of the neck. Men sometimes took their share in carrying the children. so, and this was how they carried sick people.
Native bears – These were caught as ‘possums were. As food they were much appreciated. The Turrbal tribe called them “dumbripi,” and the Bribie tribe “kul-la.” The latter name evidently accounts for the “koala” of the white man.
Squirrels – The large black flying squirrel was called “panko,” and the small gray one “chibur.” Squirrels, the moment they heard any noise, would run out of their hiding place, and fly down in a slanting direction to the butt of another tree, up which they would scamper–they did not wait to be pulled out. Father says it was great sport chasing squirrels. Often as a boy he went hunting with the blacks on what is now Bowen Terrace. He has seen them there get two or three ‘possums out of one large turpentine tree, and sometimes a large flying squirrel, and then there would be the “sugar-bags.”
The flying squirrel was always the best fun. When a native climbed up the tree, the squirrel would hear him coming, and, running out of his hole, would fly down to the base of another tree. If the blacks on the ground did not succeed in knocking him down before he got beyond their reach they would climb the second tree, and then afterwards perhaps a third, and so on, till in the end the poor thing was captured. Boys always think that sort of thing fun, and my father, as a boy, was no exception. He says that many a happy day has he spent with his dark companions hunting on Bowen Terrace, Teneriffe, Bowen Hills, Spring Hill, Red Hill, and all round where the hospital now stands. What changes can take place in a lifetime! It must surely seem strange to look back on a time when one hunted where now houses crowd and trams run, and to think of the fish and crabs one caught in the quiet creeks and rivers which railways now span. Breakfast Creek, near where the Enoggera Railway crosses (Barrambin) was a great place for fish.
At a certain time of the year the small flying squirrel (“chibur “) had a habit of biting the bark of the trunk of a tree one would see a tree all marked so. The natives called one of the Glass House Mountains “Chirburkakan.”
“Kak-an” meant “biting,” hence the mountain was called after a “biting squirrel.”
Native cat and dog – Native cats were caught and eaten. Dingoes, however, so far as my father’s experience went, were not eaten but the natives would capture the pups for taming. Often all round a hollow log tracks would be seen where the youngsters had come out to play, and so the natives knew where to look. A native dog was called “mirri,” and native cat” mibur.”
Flying fox – Flying foxes were caught always in the day- time at their camping place in the scrub. Two or three blacks would climb trees the foxes were sleeping on, carrying with them about a dozen small waddies made for the purpose. Standing on branches the natives would frighten the foxes, and then as they flew hurl the waddies at them, knocking great numbers easily, for these creatures will not fly far away in the daytime from trees they are camping on, but circle round and round. Men and women standing beneath the trees picked the foxes up as they fell, and all the time the creatures made a frightful row, so that one could hardly hear oneself speak.
A flying fox was singed on the fire, then rubbed all over till free from hair, when it was roasted, and when nearly done a native put his thumb in between the neck and breast- bone, and pulling these apart, took away the waste parts. After that the fox was put again on the fire to cook further. A flying fox was called “gramman.” St. Helena was a great camping place for them in those days, and the blacks from Wynnum used to go across in their canoes to catch them there, watching for calm weather both to go and return. If the return was not delayed, they would bring back foxes cooked ready for the companions left behind, but they went prepared with fishing nets, etc., as the wind might keep them there some time.