The aborigines of Tasmania / by H. Ling Roth ; assisted by Marion E. Butler and Jas. Backhouse Walker ; with a chapter on the osteology by J.G. Garson.

  • Henry Ling Roth
Date:
1899
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The aborigines of Tasmania / by H. Ling Roth ; assisted by Marion E. Butler and Jas. Backhouse Walker ; with a chapter on the osteology by J.G. Garson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    more than to see Rouget stick a pin into the calf of his leg without showing the slightest pain, and without drawing a single drop of blood. At this wonder, they looked at each other in silence, and then, all together, they began to howl like madmen. Unfortunately for me, there were some pins among our presents, which they had begged of us. One of the men, wishing no doubt to ascertain whether I shared this insensibility which they had just admired, approached me without saying anything, and gave me such a dig in the leg with a pin that I could not restrain myself from uttering a cry of pain, all the sharper from the greatness of my surprise. [He then says he obtained the native words for several actions, but he does not state what the native words are.] Generally, they appeared to me to have much intelligence; they grasped my gestures with ease; from the very first instant they seemed to perfectly under- stand their objedt; they willingly repeated words which I had not been able to seize at first, and often laughed to splitting, when, wishing to repeat them, I made mistakes, or pronounced them badly. I must not here omit to mention an interesting observation which I then made: it was that they had no idea of the adtion of embracing. [He tried to make them understand by practical demonstrations what an embrace is, but as their sole response was “ Nidego ” (I do not understand), he con'- cluded that kissing and embracing were unknown to these people.] While Petit and I were thus engaged in our investigations, we suddenly heard loud cries in the forest. At these cries the savages rose precipitately, seized their weapons, and looked towards the sea with an expression of surprise and fierceness. They seemed very agitated when we perceived a small boat from our ships running along the coast at a little distance off. I do not doubt that this was the cause of their alarm, and that it was signalled from various points by some sort of sentinels, perhaps by their women. Soon, fresh shouts were heard, and as they no doubt indicated that the boat was receding from the shore, the aborigines appeared to calm down a little.” [He relates that he managed to pacify them so far as to get them to lay down their weapons, but neither he nor Petit could continue their drawings and observations, because the aborigines had become so restless and distracted.] (ch. xiii. pp. 278-283'. Reviewing the general condition of the Tasmanian aborigines, Peron says (ch. xx. sec. i. p. 448) : “ Without any form of regular government, without any special arts, without any idea of agriculture, of the use of metals, or the domestication of animals, without clothing, without any fixed habitation or retreat other than a miserable break-wind of bark, without any other weapons than the spear or club, always wandering, the inhabitant of these regions unites without doubt all the characteristics of a non-social man; he is, par excellence, the child of nature, differing how much though, both morally and physically, from the seductive pic- tures created for him by imagination and enthusiasm.” We have seen above that Peron spoke of the affection one of the women manifested for her offspring, and in the V. D. Land Annual for 1834 (P- 78)) d is stated, “ They are extremely fond of their children, and treat their women kindly.” Backhouse relates (p. 83) that a sealer came and took away a child that he had had by a native woman, now married to a man of her nation; its mother was greatly distressed at