The sun., 1908-05-03
NATIVE BLACKS OF AUSTRALIA
THEIR HABITS, CUSTOMS AND
WEAPONS.


Difference Between interior and Coast
Tribes-MethOdS Of Obtaining Food
DiSnguring the BOdy-Use Of Boone
rang and Glass Headed spears.
It iS beloved by many persons that the
blacks in Australia are dying out. Az a
matter Of fact. says a correspondent Of the
London SlaHddyd, no such thing IL happen
ing. The belief, however, is easily ex-
planned. As civilization advances. and it
is yearly advancing the blacks recede
further and further into the back blocks
and unknown country, save a few who
have acquired the craving for opium or
drink. These latter suocumb amid the
advancing wave OF civilization. and sell
dom leave any children. Those who have
passed inland, il they do not increase. have
certainly not decreased, In some few
cases whole tribes have died out when
civilization has reached them. but these
have usually been small tribes.
Il 10 interesting TO notice how different
are the blacks in regions where food Ia
scarce compared with those who live where
buAh food, fish, &c, are plentiful. There Ia
great difference between the inland blacks
and the coast blacks. The natives In the
interior have sometimes TO 90 for days
without morse passing their lips, whereas
the coast blacks can always procure a
meal by the simple method OF catching
IL. last year the writer crossed the con-
tinent Of Australia, from Port Darwin
in the north TO Adelaide In the south, and
during the trip saw many different tribes
and tribal customs,
The best stamp OF blacks that have seen
in Australia we're on the coast, provided
they were far enough from town not TO
have discovered the pleasures Of grog or
opium. Along the coast the food Is not
only plentiful but better and more varied
than the average working man can AFFORD
The bilybQVes water holes) contain guam
titles Of lar b sweet fish called fresh water
baTTimundee,' which the natives are able
TO spear without difficulty.
On the swamps are geese, ducks (black
brown, whistling Baedikan, and many other
dnds), several variety Of ibis, pelicans and
jabaroos, besides water snakes, which are
considered a delicaCy. In the mud at the
swamp edge yams and edible roots can be
obtained by little digging. During GER
tain seasons Of the year the bush teens with
wild turkeys, and at any time black fellow
can catch lizards, iguanas, porcupines and
bandycoots. Dugong Ia species Of por-
poise with flesh resembling pork and turtle
are TO be had. close TO the beach, besides
unlimited rock oysters and crabs. Add to
all these the wild pigs, which are numerous
in places and what more could the black
man desre2
The black fellows method OF obtaining
geese is easy and effective. Swamps are
Invariably surrounded by large paper bark
or ii trees, into the topmost branches OF
Il. IL. III
Of short, heavy throwing sticks. Toward
night the geese leave the swamps in body
and after circling round two or three times
hy heavily of TO the higher and dryer ground
for the night Being C umsy birds, they
fly very low, just skimming the tops Of the
paper bark trees In some instances bldnder-
ing into them. This is the black fellows
opportunity, for as the geese pass few
yards overhead the short sticks are hurled
among them with deadly preo sion.
Those birds which fall are quickly secured
and despatched by the waiting @lubnOs,
and in a short 'ime enough food is obtained
10 last for day or two The writer has
been ten black fellows secure twenty-three
geese in this way in few moments. Turtles
are caught by simply turning them on their
backs either on and or sea, when they are
rendered helpless and can be despatched at
leisure Turtle eggs are plentiful at GER
tain seasons and can be easily found buried
in the sand by those who understand where
and how TO look for them. The plan adopted
for capturing the dugong is much the same
as the harpoon system. but not 80 elaborate
The harpoon consists Of hardwood spear
with large barbs. The dugong are, however
difficult to secure and are therefore not often
troubled by the blacks. who usually prefer
their food to be caught and brought 10 them
by the "lubras.-
In the same category AZ the coast blacks
should be mentioned the river blacks, such
as the tribes on the Goyder, RoDer, Liver
pool Macarthur, Alligator Adelaide. Fitz- !
maurice. DAILY and Victoria rivers. All
along the banks Of those streams, and
within a mile or 30 Of them, are large
waterholes which are filed every year by
the overflow Of & he rivers during the wet