St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-02-06
NEW RACE or sAvAGES. d
Australian AboriSines Who Form
Race That Is Entirely New
to EthnOloKistS.

LIT. ROLn, the pTOIeclOt VI AoA eAASA -
aborigines in Queensland, and MI.
Hedley made very interesting dlscoV-
cry on their last scientific tour OF the
Wellesley archipelago, in the Gull %
Carpentaria. At the southern end OF
the gulf is situated Mornington island,
which was discovered by Capt. Mat
thew Flinders in 1902, though he does
not appear to have landed there Tne
island is not inviting, the SOIL paing
poor and marshy, and the bush coarse
and stunted, states the Japan weakly
Mail.
DR.. Roth experienced no difficulty IN
landing, and soon found that he hau
stumbled upon new discovery, race
of aborigines who had evidently been
separated from the mainland natives
for untold generations. With one ex-
ception, an aboriginal who had visited
the shores Of the gulf, none OF the Is
landers had ever seen white man;
and the use of clothing was unknown.
DR.. Roth, together withe some tame
blacks, that is, natives who have been
educated at the mission stations IN
northern Queensland and elsewhere, re-
NAMED on the island three days. en-
ploying the tame" blacks as guides and
scouts; and it was speedily discovered
that the latter could converse, in a
fashion, with the islanders, whose Ian
guage was dialectical version OF that OF
the gulf natives.
Great canton had to be observed by
the visitors, who were always armed,
the islanders having spears and few
boomerangs. but always running away
as the white men advanced At last,
however, a couple were induced to make
friends with the two explorers, whom
they regarded with stolid gaze, as II
their unexpected appearance was an
everyday occurrence. This seeming in
difference is an aboriginal characters
tic.
Their assumed apathy vanished the
moment that DR.. Roth and Mr.. Hedley
lighted their pipes. They stared IN ne-
wilderment, and, according to the
"tame" boys, declared that the white
men were burning their mouths. They
were equally astonished when match
was used for lighting a fire, and a
chilly" employed for boiling water.
Mr.. Hedley distributed among them
4 number of pezny whistles, which he
had brought from Sydney, and soon the
bush began to be filed with sounds
to which it had previously been
stranger.
The islanders, who form race new
to ethnologists, are supposed to be
retrograde type, or else more primi-
tive type than the ordinary Australian
aboriginal. They do not make huts as
do the natives on the mainland, they
simply collect heaps of grass and sleep
on the bare ground to the leeward OF
them. Articles which have to be car
ried from one place to another are
wrapped in bark, the use of baskets be-
ing unknown as is that of canoes, the
water craft employed being rudely con-
structed RATS, consisting each OF a
couple Of logs, with some light wood,
propelled by branches as paddles. Com
pared with the natives on the mainland,
the islanders seem far behind in a
knowledge of even the rudest aboriginal
appliances.
They have, however, a stringent sys-
TEN of tribal classification, intended to
represent different degrees of relation
ship, and to assist in preventing too
close intermarriage. The origin of this
system, so prevalent among all classes
of Australian aboriginals. remains an
unsolved mystery. Its existence on
Mornington island was discovered by
DR.. Roth, when one of the islanders re-
fused to speak to one of the tame" boys,
because he was his "father-in-law"
Only members Of the tribe belonging to
the same class are allowed to marry;
and, much to the amusement of the two
explorers, they found an island woman
flirting with one of the tame" blacks,
she having ascertained that both be-
longed to the same class, and that she,
therefore, could marry him, if he were
willing.
Notwithstanding the rough nature OF
life among the islanders. they looked
strong and healthy, although somewhat
understood. and were apparently of a
peaceful disposition. They were ig-
norant of the arts OF cultivation, their
food consisting of wild fruits, fish and
meat, fire being obtained by rubbing a
couple of sticks together. Except their
weapons and few cooking appliances,
there is no personal property. almost
everything being shared in common.