Part 1 – Chpt 15

Aboriginal Characteristics
Hearing
Smelling
Seeing
Eating Powers
Noisy Creatures
Cowards
Property
Sex and Clan “Totems”
“The Last of His Tribe”

The blacks were quick at running, and girls and boys would sometimes run races together. They also had splendid walking powers, and would travel long distances in a day without tiring. Big journeys were seldom necessary, however, except in the case of messengers from one tribe to another. These latter my father has known to walk from Brisbane to Caboolture in a day. Of course, the blacks nowadays lack energy, but in those times it was very different. They had no sicknesses to speak of, some few died of consumption, but with the exception of smallpox there was nothing much else.

Pock marks, as mentioned already, were very bad on some of the old blacks. Headaches they had, but no toothache before the whites’ arrival, their teeth being beautifully strong and fit to tear anything almost. In those days, too, the blacks were very good at bearing pain, some of their wounds being frightful. They liked the heat better than they did the cold, and never got sunstroke. Cold weather was rather disliked, but firesticks were always carried, and then where they rested nice warm humpies were made. Some of the blacks were very strong, and they must have had tremendous power in the neck, for a great weight was always carried on the head, and, though perhaps miles were traversed, it did not seem to affect them. In the infant days of Brisbane Father has seen a blackfellow many a time carry a two hundred pound bag of flour on his head some distance, from a boat ashore, etc. And a native often bent or broke sticks across his head in the same way as a white man will use his knee. It was noticeable that the knee was seldom or never used for this purpose, but it was done either on the head or with the help of the foot.

By putting an ear to the ground the native could hear sounds a long way off, and he had good smelling powers. Many odours in the scrubs were recognised immediately. For instance, a native walking along would all at once loudly sniff the air, crying at the same time “kappolla! kappolla ! ” his name for the scrub opossum, which has a strong odour. However, as far as my father’s experience went, it is all nonsense that the natives could smell a track, as some declare ; they tracked by means of their keen eyesight, as I have already explained; and the fires of those advancing, but yet a long way off, were not smelt, but men, climbing tall trees, would look out for any sign of smoke; hence their knowledge of the approach.

The blacks had fertile imaginations, and in telling stories or “yarns” they stretched a great deal to make themselves look big. They always kept promises amongst themselves, and never stole from one another, though it was counted no harm to take from strangers if they could. However, there were good and bad among them just as there are with white people; though they certainly outshone us in the way they shared with one another. No native would ever be allowed to starve in those days. Old, helpless people were especially well looked after. If any one was sick, too, a great thing was a change of food. For instance, the inland blacks might go to the coast for a fish diet, and vice versa- this being apart from the dugong cure so believed in. Then in the bon-yi season the feasts of nuts were thought much of as a change. These nuts were evidently fattening, for my father says the blacks always returned from a feast extra fat and sleek-looking.

The aborigines did not look on each other as greedy when they ate a lot, but would laugh and joke over that sort of thing. Father remembers well an incident when he was a boy, in connection with a blackfellow especially noted for his eating powers. His big brother John thought he would try this man, just to see how far he could or would go. So he provided him with a loaf of bread and a leg of mutton.

Generally the blacks ate so much, then put anything over into a dilli for future use, but this man did not stop till it was all gone! After that he was dubbed “Greedy Mickey” always.

Weeping with the blacks was a sign of joy as well as sorrow. When visitors came into a camp they sat down and both sides would look at one another, then before a word was said, a crying match started as a sort of welcome. They were noisy creatures sometimes, and the singing and beating of hands indulged in under certain circumstances could be heard a long way off.

The aborigines, as a whole, were cowards in many ways; for instance, they were afraid of the dark. Also some men were very cruel in the way they beat the women-folk in their power. Children were well-treated, though. In a fight both men and women were brave enough, and would not give in readily.

Each tribe had its own boundary, which was well known, and none went to hunt, etc., on another’s property without an invitation, unless they knew they would be welcome, and sent special messengers to announce their arrival The Turrbal or Brisbane tribe owned the country as far north as North Pine, south to the Logan, and inland to Moggill Creek. This tribe all spoke the same language, but, of course, was divided up into different lots, who belonged some to North Pine, some to Brisbane, and so on. These lots had their own little boundaries. Though the land belonged to the whole tribe, the head men often spoke of it as theirs. The tribe in general owned the animals and birds on the ground, also roots and nests, but certain men and women owned different fruit or flower-trees and shrubs. For instance, a man could own a bon-yi (Araucaria Bidwilli) tree, and a woman a minti (Banksia amula), dulandella (Persoonia Sp.), midyim (Myrtus tenuifolia), or dakkabin (Xanthorrhoea aborea) tree. Then a man sometimes owned a portion of the river which was a good fishing spot, and no one else could fish there without his permission. In this way a part of the North Pine River, near the present railway bridge, was owned by “Dalaipi,” the head man of the North Pine tribe. To primitive man it is clear that “property” was not “robbery.”

When an aboriginal died his personal belongings, such as nets and weapons, were divided amongst his sons; and a woman’s dillies and yamsticks were given to her daughters. The eldest children had the first choice, but if there were no children, the other relatives got the belongings. Sometimes a man’s sons would be too young to get his tomahawk or knife, etc.; then perhaps his brothers got them. His wife, if alive, generally divided these belongings.

I have spoken of the belief the blacks had that the night- hawk had some connection with the origin of all the women, while a small bat held similar relationship to all the men. These hawks and bats might perhaps correspond with the so-called sex-totems in other parts of Australia. Besides this, there were intimate relationships between the family and certain animals-possibly on lines similar to those fol- lowed in the “clan-totems” described from other districts. For instance, one old North Pine blackfellow is still alive, and his family, he says, was connected with the carpet snake. This man is of interest, as being the last of his tribe -the old Brisbane or Turrbal tribe, of which North Pine formed a part. He is of the same age as my father. The latter met him first in Brisbane when they were both children, and they used to play and fight together. The white boy saw the other at Barrambin (Bowen Hills)-put through the “Kurbingai” ceremony and so made a “kippa,” but he does not know if he ever went through the greater or “bul” ceremony. Afterwards when the blackboy grew to manhood, he was taken into the mounted black police, with whom he remained a long time. He has been all over the North of Queensland in that capacity.

This solitary member of a once numerous tribe is now at Dunwich, supposed to be dying. “Sam” they call him there, but his own real name is “Putingga.” The meaning of the latter is lost now-he does not even remember it himself. His name as a “kippa,” or young man, was “Yeridmou,” which meant the mouth of a native bees’ nest, with the bees. continually going in and out. Sam is greatly rejoiced nowadays if he sees my father, and he feels himself a most important personage because he knew him so long ago. Asked once at Dunwich what his age was, he replied, Ask Mr. Petrie.” The questioner, who related the incident after- wards, did not personally know Father then, who was indeed miles away.