Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1893-05-12

n SMALL troop of aborigine
~ from Australia will be seen q
| ~ the Columbian Exhibition thi
summer. These tattooed can
nibals are the lowest Specimens Of hu
manity on earth, nesexcepting the Cali
fornia Digger Indian. In an interview
their manager stated that they are from
North Queensland, near the Gulf o.
Carpentaria, country of juugles and
teeming with wild beasts, reptiles and
numerous bands of aborigines of from
! fifty to one hundred in each tribe OF
band.
The civilized English and Americans
] who live along the seacoast have intro.
troduced tobacco, whisky and other vices
of civilization, and the cannibals come
in from the jungles to the ranches and
beg tobacco and whisky. They sell their
boomerangs and spears and purchase
these civilizing influences. They have
little idea of the value of money, esti-
mating it according to the size of the
coin, aud will give one coin, big or
little for piece of tobacco.
Their only baggage and property are
the boomerang, spear and shield, and
they go from place to place as the spirit
of hunger moves them. They generally
aock in tribes of fifty or one hundred,
slecting king. They remain in Sec
tion of country so long as the game lasts,
unless q rival tribe drives them away.
If it is section abouudiug in game aud
streams where there is good fishing they
must fight to maintain it. When food is
scant, they kill and eat each other. Bat
this practice is not so common of late,
since American and English "squatters"
have been focking into that section and
ju nping the best lands. However, after
battle the victors eat the dead; in their
economy of nature nothing goes to
waste.
In battle they fight with the spear,
which is about eight feet iu length,
pointed with sharp bone in the shape of
fishhook. When the point enters the
body it cannot be drawn out without
tearing the flesh and increasing the
wound. They stand at the distance of
eighty or 100 feet aud throw the spear.
Each warrior has bundle of spears on
che ground at his right. As he throw,
one he "hands" himself another by pick
ing it up with his right foot between the
toes aud doubling his leg backward.
With his right hand he reaches arouu |,
takes the spear and throws it. This is
necessary, because he is busy watching
the movements of his enemy aud loo ling
out for coming spears, which he dodge,
Or turns aside with his saield, an oval
shaped instrument, which he holds in
his left hand, fitting over the thum) as
an artists palette.
Their small, black eyes are quick to
see, aud nothing see ms to escape their
observation. Their method of surprii.
ing au enemy is to wade into sm,ll
stream aud s'ambush" themselves in the
shallow bed among the water lilies.
Sometimes they lie down in the stream,
breaking off the water lily at the root,
and using the stem as breathing tuba.
A rival tribe, on approaching the strel
for the purpose of fishing, would su |.
denly be surprised by seeing these float
ing water lilies rise up out of the water,
and with them they would also see spears
hurled at them.
They can remain under water two or
three hours at a time, according to the
breathing capacity of the stem. They
also use this stratagem for the ab 1uction
of women from another tribe, bu. the
more common practice is for the mau
who wants wife to go and steal her
while her master sleeps.
The kangaroo and the emu are their
most favored articles of diet. Toe kan.
garoo is hunted with the boomerang,
and while he thinks he is safe in the
jungle aud pokes his long head behind
tree in fancied security the boomerang
thrower hurls his sharp pointed missile
almost through its head. The emu has
very long neck, and when he length
ens it out taking observations the bush
mau from behind tree twirls the curve1
instrument, the sharp edge cutting off
the head of the bird.
Of late the bushmen have been "spear.
ing" the cattle of the 'squatters," aud
the "squatters" took the warpath with
Winchester rifles, which will shoot farther
than boomerang can be thrown, aud as
result the population of the cannibals
has been somewhat diminished.
The boomerang ordinarily is thrown
900 or 800 feet. 1t is convex on the
upper side and fiat below and made of
Australian wood. 1t has bend or angle
of about forty-ive degrees. All Austria
lian wood is hard, almost as solid as iron
The ends are as pointed as dagger. and
the inner side is as sharp as razor blade.
Ordinarily the boomerang is taken
from the forks of limbs and roughly
dressed with crude instruments. 1t Is
then charred in the fire and the burned
coating removed, after which it is sub.
jected to the smoke of eucalyptus leaves
to make it pliable aud to give it the
proper lateral shape. Expert throwers
send it 200 feet in straight line, when
it bounds into the air, turns send over
end," then Aattens out like plate spin
ming, and after making circuit of 700
or 800 feet returns to the feet of the
thrower. Many of the throwers are left
handed.
A cannibal feast is celebrated with
their corroborree or palti, a native
dance. A huge fire is built, around
which the dancers circle. They are
painted in white to represent skeletons.
Each rib is painted owe. with stripe of
white, white stripe of paint runs down
the breast, each leg and each arm, and
the face is painted with white slashes.