FIGHT AMONG ABORIGINES

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29101, 13 January 1960, Page 6

FIGHT AMONG ABORIGINES

Youth Charged With Murder

(N.Z Press Association—Copyright) ALICE SPRINGS (Central Australia), Jan. 11.

A young aborigine charged with murder fought his tribe single-handed to save his sick tribal brother from a crude initiation ceremony, the Coroner (Mr J. E. Lemaire) was told in Alice Springs on Saturday. The sick boy, suffering from tuberculosis, was to have been hacked with a sharp stone or razor blade and banished to the bush for two years. The young aborigine defied age-old tribal ritual to stand by what he had learned of “white man medicine.”

The incident has been hailed by people interested in native welfare as significant in the transition of a primitive tribalised bush native into something approaching white culture. Mr Lemaire was hearing evidence during an inquest into the death of an aborigine during a wild fight at Areyonga Native Reserve, 150 miles west of Alice Springs, three weeks ago. Windi, a 25-year-old Jitpantjarra tribesman, is accused of spearing another Jitpantjarra. Wally Talkalyiri, to death at Areyonga Reserve on December 12. The Acting Superintendent of the Reserve (Mr William Joseph Coburn) told Mr Lemaire how Windi made his lone stand. He said Windi came to him a few hours before the killing and announced that the tribe had decided to take another boy for a “young man.” or initiation, ceremony the next day. The chosen boy was Windi’s tribal brother, Winmarty. Winmarty was very sick. He was a bad tuberculosis case and had just returned from Darwin after prolonged treatment there. He needed constant medical attention and good feeding. Knowing this, Windi faced his tribe in protest, Coburn said. Expecting trouble, Windi went armed with a boomerang and a spear. His protests were greeted by the tribe with jeers and laughter. Wally Talkalyiri jumped up and approached Windi with raised spear. Windi struck Talkalyiri on the shoulder with his boomerang. Talkalyiri struck Windi on the upper leg. The spear punched through his thigh, about 6in of barbed point projecting out the other side. Windi then Hire whis own spear, catching Talkalyiri in the upper thigh. The razor-edged, shovel-nose spear sliced the artery and Talkalyiri fell mortally wounded, bleeding to death, Coburn said. Unable to pull out the barbed spear in his own leg, Windi grasped the projecting point and pulled the whole length of the eight foot spear through the wound in his thigh and out the other side.

While he was doing this he was attacked by a mob of natives trying to avenge their comrade. Windi fought back gamely. At one stage, another spear penetrated deeply into his thigh. With no time to remove it, he calmly snapped the spear where it entered his leg and went on fighting. Finally, some of his friends joined in the fight and helped him to escape.