The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-04-03
A CORROBOREE.
Some Facts and Incidents About
the Blacks of Australia.

- ll0 lSldCtAS ol-k4uSLTttllSt.
When Australia was discovered there
=. lgiss a considerable population of natives
Scattered along the coast and through
the interior; their numbers were various
u estimated, but whatever they may
haze been they were far in excess Of the
aboriginal population of the country at
tic present day. Like aboriginal people
.e2erl.lNhcre. they have. suffered greatly
by contact with civilization, especially
BY the use OF ardent spirits, Of which
they are very fond. At present there
are not more than forty thousand OF
them altogether. In the days Of Captain
COOK there We're doubtless more than a
hundred thousand, and possibly double
that figure. Their numbers are diminish
ling Yearly, and in course of no very long
time they win follow the fate of the
ahoriginals of Tasmania, and disappear
altogether from the face of the earth.
These people are black, but not so
much so as the negro, and their hair is
curly but not crisp and woolly Among
Che Australians they are always mem
- toned as sblacks'' or 'saboriginals,n but
never as natives A native" Aus
-srtr'eiian- is white person born in the
country, OF parents who are either
natives or emigrants from other parts
If The. world. The Colonial Govern
ruents have tried to civilize the blacks,
hut have not been very successful in the
work. Some of the blacks have been
as shepherds and in other
work for white men, but their love for
strong drink is so great that nearly all
who associate with white men become
drunkards, and spend their money for
rum as fast as they earn any thing AT
one time the Government of New South
Wales had police force of blacks COM
handed by white officers. They were
yEFy useful in following thieves and
others whom the authorities wished to
capture, as they can discover and follow
II trail when it is quite invisible to a
white man.
One of their religious beliefs is that a
white man is the re-animated soul of a
is buried on the spot where the breath
left his body, and the place is never
aiterward visited by any of them. The
name Of the dead man is never men
toned, and anybody who bears similar
name must change it to something else.
Their belief in regard to the spirit of a
black man going into the body of a
white one-once saved the life of a run
away convict, and made him chief Of a
= tribe. ffcre7is his story, which is lit
orally true:
When the convict settlements were es-
tablished in Australia, the natives were
friendly for a time, but after awhile
quarrels arose, and the, blacks began
killing every white man who went
among them, with here and there an ex-
coption. In spite of this danger, con
victs used to run away to the interior
and take their chances rather than sub
init to the cruelty Of their masters. Most
of them were never heard of after they
disappeared in the BUSH
One of these runaways had wandered
for days without food and was about
ready to lie down and die, when he came
TO newfy=made mound, on which a few
pieces of meat had been scattered. He
eagerly seized the morsels and devoured
them, thus gaining new strength to en-
uDlc Hill 10 NOnblnuC ulo loui HCJ. I,
staff like long walking-cane was stick
ing in the mound and this he took-as &
support while walking. Seeing path
ike a trail leading into the forest, he
followed sit'in the hope that it nigh
take him to the hut where possibly one
of his fellow-runaways lived.
After walking few miles he came
= suddenly upon an encampment of blacks
he. would have, retreated and concealed
himself, assh6 knew the murderous in
stincts of these people but it was toe
late for him to do 50, as they had al
ready discovered him, and were rushing
forward with their spears and Other
Weapons. -. 81
The foremost of the men raised theil
weapons to strike him down, and he
. Thought his last hour had come. Sud
denly they lowered their spears, con
suited with each other, and then came
torwtrd and received him with the
greatest respect. What could 1T al
Iupan,'
He made signs that he was hungry
SAd they immediately supplied him witt
food. They prepared shelter for him
II fftted- him with the greatest care, anc
ina few days he was as we'll and strong
as eyer, lie was treated as their chief
and remained with them for gooo
many years; he gradually learned theil
language, and, in the course Of time
---dl severed to what he owed his good
fortune.
j seems that the mound where he fel
doNn eXhausted~ was the grave OF then
&c hief who had Just died. The stick thai
IN found-in the mound and took to assisf
him in walking was the staff which thu
chief had carried for years, as the badge
ot;lns office. When the runaway con
lleI appeared with this staff in his bano
be was taken at once as the resurrectee
i-~etttef, in accordance with the belief al
ready mentioned, which the natives ex
NHss with the words: ''Die black Eel
low Jump np@hite fellow"
"a man had the good sense to rule
lrihfaso that it was not likely to sus
l,st any thing wrong about their pecu
mar belief as to the mannerof the return
ut i1eiF chief. He-taught them various
.ssllln-s-s-s That were useful, and showet
10Y they could make war upon thei
:. i, R@ EqbofS more successfully than the,
hAd d9ne before. Atthat time the tribe
W. morally at war with each other
"hlfh was very fortunate thing for th'
To-. Mill e settlers. II the blacks had com
'"slhea against the strangers the latte
r would haye had very hard time Of It
-. ~