New-York tribune., 1901-11-17
An PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPEDITION.
FURTHER STUDY OF NATIVE AUSTRALIAN
TRAITS AND CUSTOMS.
Sydney letter TO The London Globe.


Sydney letter to The London Globe.
AT the present moment a well equipped expe-
dit:on headed by Professor W. Baldwin Spencer,
Of Melbourne University, and F. J. Gillen,
South Australian postoff1Ce official is steadily
making its way from Adelaide across that por-
ton of Australia which still remains a blank on
the map. in the direction Of the Gulf OF Car
pentaria- Professor Spencer is a son of Rubin
the sum OF 800 toward the cost OF the expedl-
ton: David SyTne wealthy Melbourne news
paper proprietor, giving tIcco, and the VIC
: torian and South Australian State governments
each affording considerable assistance. Mr
Gien was for some years post and telegraph
master At Alice Springs. IN the MacdonneH
Ranges, where the overland telegraph line from
Adelaide Port Darwin enters the vast central
region of the island continent While thus en-
gagged Mr.. GiIlen became familiar with the lam
guage. manners and customs OF the Wld
aborigfnes in the vicinity and also secured their
goodwill a circumstance which largely inuu-
enced the dispatch Of the expedition, which IS
being conducted in the interests Of ethnoIoglcaL
and general scientific research. The party was
well equipped. taking with II several large
cameras, a cinematograph and hne phono-
graph. and already several interesting photo-
graphs Of the country traver5ed and its lnhaol-
tants have been received in Adelaide
Several native dances and ceremonies have
been taken by means Of the camera and cine
matograph, and a number Of chants and songs
recorded by the phonograph, copies OF Whlch
will be forwarded in due course to London after
fbe return of the explorers. But all this would
have been impossible had not Mr. Gillen OBJ
tained the confidence Of the natives during ms
older men are described as exhibiting remark
ably courteous demeanor. SO long as they are
not clothed in white mems garments says Pro
fessor Spencer, they are quiet ana dlgnlned'
but once clothe them and encourage them to
initiate the white man. and they lose Ihelr s nat
ural dignity and assume slovenly and degrao-
ed appearance" There is nothing new in this
il Is characteristic Of most aboriginal peoples.
But clothing of some kind Is necessary IN the
vicinity of stations Of which there are several
in the neighbOrhood Of Alice Springs, ana along
the telegraph line, from which the uneXplored
has Td
the west, and Queensland. on the east The ma
tives in this part Of the northern territory. me
occupation of which by South Australia IS mere
" tentative belong to the Arunta tribe the
mem bers of which occupy an immense area,
nearly five hundred miles from north TO south,
and are divided into numerous groups each nav
ing a distinctive name, generally that OF some
animal or plant. Thus according TO Pro1essor
Spencer ''One given area VIII belong 10 kahSa-
roo men. another 10 emu men, ana another 10
hakea flower men, the district around Alice
Springs being inhabited by 'witchety gruo'
Neither men. women nor children in their
,a+1raI state - we are told ARE at all encum-
bered with clothing The women have head
bands worn round the forehead and behind the
ears, and the men wear Walstband nlaoe Oh
human hafr-nost commonly that OF their moth
erin law (which can be tightened II food be
scarce" The principal weapon is. as in other
parts of Australia, the boomerang, or which each
man carries couple He Is also PROVIDED with
a shield a long barbed spear, and spear
thrower. The latter. says Professor spencer IS
eha Dei like an elongated ovate leaf, the sides or
which are more or less turned up At one end
ri--Ia roinred wood is fixed on by means
| of kangaroo sinew and at the other Clipped
/ niece Of uuartzite is fastened into a lump or
norcupine grass resin The spear end is placed
on 70 the point Of the thrower. which is used as
a lever and by means of Il a skilful native VIII
throw one as far hundred yards. though he
will not be able to aim accurately enough TO XIII
an emu or kangaroo at a greater distance tflah,
or most twenty yards The men are wonder
s,lIz- exnert in the Of their shields in ward
irg off anv boomerangs aimed at them, no mat
+eI in what number or how rapidly they are
I thrown .ss ,..o.. 80 - =.
The members of the tribe possess most OF the
,a-acraristfcs of the Australian aboriginal in
his primitive condition. Men OF tail stature are
/ con1narat lively few, the average helght being
oho,1- Eve and a half feet, the women oeing a
e.. inches shorter The skin is by no means
b1acl, b,1t dark chocolate in color; the nose very
bToaT with its root deep set; the ridges above
~ a1,as are strongly developed, and above them
the head slopes backward, with the lower mars
artificiaIlv removed. as apparently 10 increase
g. SC -, The hair, unlike that OF some other
boriginaIs when allowed to grow falls IN rinsiets
on rhe shoulders, giving the younger men WIN
.Iai- ja+ black boards, whiskers and mustaches,
q somewhat peculiar appearance Inc siIis anu
1-oT,,,g women are well formed and carry tle1I-
SeI,-as eracefl,lly but the drudgery of food col
iecting and child carrying soon makes tneii looh
ola and when they have passed the age oi 49,
~ they begin TO assume q Nltnefta ,spec., 80
~ anotter decade they have wrinkled races anu
tr;,-a,Ie5 I'm bodies AS the eXpedltlon pushes
-,,-.bar northward the mem bers Will llilo . eIte
selves invading the territories on - saiS
81 ,nnIes ca Mt reputation for feroclty' ana sac
O. he s6dicfed to cannibalistic practices ou, lic
S.rv !. ven armed and. with the e1pe.lsncI
already gained in the way OF n1aRlnE n,e;,, 1u In
rrfendships anticipates reaching Fose D
oafetX.