The Washington times., 1901-10-27
IN UNKNOWN AUSTRALIA.
A Recent Expedition Discovers
Many Interesting Facts.
Wild Aborigines Found In the South
ern Part of the Continent-SayaEe
Tribes Which Remain Naked the
Year Round-Odd Characteristics.

] ern Part of the COntinenf-SayaEe
Tribes which Remain Naked the
! Year Round-Odd characteristics.
| At the present moment wei!-eduipped
| expedition, headed by Prof. w. BALDWIN
| Spencer. of Melbourne University, and
| Mr.. F. ]. Gilien, a South Australian post
! office official, Is steadily making its way
from Adelaide across that portion Of Aus
tralia which still remains blank cl the
map, In the direction of the Gulf of Car
| pentaria. Prof. Spencer is a son of Mr..
Rubin Spencer. of Manchester. who has
| contributed the sum of $500 toward the
| cost of the expedition: Mr.. David Syme.
| a wealthy Melbourne newspaper proprie-
| tor giving 81 900, and the Victorian and
! South Australian State Governments each
| affording considerable assistance. Mr.
Gillen was for some years post and tele-
graph master at Alice Springs, in the
| Macdonnel Ranges. where the overland
telegraph line from Adelaide to Port Dar-
! win enters the vast central region of the
island continent While thus engaged
MIR. Gillen became familiar with the lam
guage, manners, and customs of the wild
aborigines in the vicinity, and also Sc
cured their goodwill, a circumstance
which largely influenced the despatch of
the expedition. which is being conducted
in the interests of chronological and gem
eraI scientific research The party was
well equipped, taking with 1t several large
cameras. cinematograph. and a fine
phonograph. and already several interest
ing photographs Of the country traversed
and its Inhabitants have been received in
Adelaide.
Several native dances and ceremonies
have been taken by Of the camera
and cinernatograph. and a number of
chants and songs recorded by the phono-
graph. copies of which will be forwarded
in due course to London after the return
of the explorers. But all this would have
been impossible had not Mr.. Cullen OBJ
tained the confidence of the natives dur
ing his twenty years residence in their vi
cinity. The older men are described as
exhibiting remarkably courteous demean-
or. so long as they are not clothed in
white mems garments" says Prof Spen-
Ger. they are quiet and dignifed, but
once clothe them, and encourage them to
initiate the white man, and they lose
their natural dignity. and assume a SLOW
enly and degraded appearance. There is
nothing new in this: it is characteristic
Of most aboriginal peoples. But clothing
or some kind Is necessary in the vicinity
of stations. OF which there are several in
the neighDorhood of Alice Springs. and
along the telegraph line. from which the
uneXploreC country reaches toward West
ern Australia, on the west. and Queeps-
land, on the east. The natives in this
part of the northern territory. the occu-
patton of which by South Australia is
merely tentative. belong to the Aruuta
tribe. the members of which occupy an |
immense area. nearly 500 miles from north |
to south, and are divided into numerous |
groups, each having a distinctive name. |
generally that OF some animal or plant. |
Thus, according to Prof. Spencer zone |
given area will belong to kangaroo men. |
flower men, the district around Alice |
Springs being inhabited by witchery |
grub men,.
Neither men. women. nor children, in |
all incumbefed with clothing. The women /
have headbands worn round the forehead |
and behind the ears, and the men wear
waistba nd made OF human hair-most |
which can be frightened If food is
scarce The principal weapon Is. as in
other parts Of Australia. the boomerang,
OF which each man carries a couple. He
Is also provided with a shield. a long,
harbed spear, and spear thrower. The
latter, says Prof. Spencer. rs shaped like
are more or less turned UP. AT one end |
4 little pointed bit - wood is fixed on by |
means OF kangaros sinew, and at the
other chipped piece OF quartzite Is fas- |
sin, The spear end is placed on the point
OF the thrower. which is used as lever,
and by means Of 1t a skillful native will
throw one as far 100 yards, though he
viii not be able to aim accurately enough |
TO kill an emu or kangaroo at a greater
distance than 20 yards The men are
expert Is the use Of their
shields in warding off boomerangs aimed
az them. no m litter in what numbers or
how rapidly they are thrown.
The members of the tribe possess most
Of the characteristics Of the Australian
aboriginal in his primitive condition. Men
Of tall stature are comparatively few. the
average height being about > feet inches.
the women being a few inches shorter. |
The skin is by 10 means black, but dark
chocolate in color; the nose very broad |
with Its root deep set: the ridges above
the eyes are strongly developed, and
and above them the head slopes back
ward with the lower hairs artificially re-
size" The hair, unlike that Of some
other sboriginals, when allowed to grow |
falls in ringlets on the shoulders, giving
the younger men, with their Jet black |
boards, whiskers and mustaches a some
what peculiar appearance. The girls and |
Young women are well formed, and carry |
themselves gracefully, but the drudgery |
Of food collecting and child carrying soon
makes them look old. and when they have !
passed the age of twenty they begin TO |
assume a whithered aspect. and in an
other decade they have wrinkled faces
and shriveled-up bodies. AS the eXpedi- !
Ion pushes further northward the MEM
bers Will find themselves invading the ter
ritortes Of tribes bearing an unplea SAINT
reputation for ferocity, and said to be ad- .
iicted to cannibalistic practices. but the |
party Is well armed. and with the expe- ! .
Hence already gained in the way Of max | .
ing aboriginal friendships. anticipates |
-eaching Port Darwin in safety.-London