COURT IN THE JUNGLE

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 25 July 1935, Page 6

COURT IN THE JUNGLE

Australian Coroner Holds Inquests in Wild Country KILLING OF ABORIGINES PETROL CASE FOR A CHAIR SYDNEY, July 18. With parrots screeching among the branches of the banyan tree under : which the open-air Court was held, Australia’s strangest inquests have just been concluded. Aboriginal witnesses, some naked except for a belt of human hair, stood before the Court ‘ ‘ table ’ ’ of petrol cases, screwing their black toes into the dirt, while inquiries were held into the deaths of two natives killed in a tribal battle. To investigate this encounter in which 200 natives fought and two were speared to death, the Darwin coroner, Mr Y. L. Lampe, Sergeant Koop, and the Deputy-Chief Protector of Aborigines, Dr. W. B. Kirkland, made a. four days’ journey through wild country. They crossed the wide Daly River in a dugout native canoe and* in punts propelled by natives. They waded over other shallow river cross--1 ings. They camped for three nights i under a banyan tree, spreading nets to guard against mosquitoes. They drove through miles of jungle country in an old motor truck. The coroner inquired into the death of Charlie whoso I aboriginal name was Darmart, and Noel, or Mynemanemeri.

PARROT’S CONTEMPT OF COURT. On the edge of Butterfly Creek tho coroner inspected, the Body of Charlie, of the Brinken tribe. Near the spearlittered plain on which the battle had been waged, Charlie had been placed on a raised tree platform, which liis sons were guarding. Then the body of another warrior, .called Noel, was disinterred. It had been buried, native fashion, in a sitting posture in the red sandy soil. Having completed the formality of viewing the bodies, the Court was established under a banyan tree, in a wilderness of palms and flowering trees. The crier called “Silence ” and the strange Court began. Everybody rose to the stentorian call of'“Silence” ns the coroner took his seat on the petrol case. A young parrot which the coroner had obtained from a blackfollow, squawked loudly for food from its perch under a branch of the tree. When the Court had been proceeding for a while, an aboriginal who had been commissioned to catch flsh for the party \s lunch arrived on the outskirts with his catch, much to the consternation of the Court. In the course of tho investigations it was learned that enmity had existed between the Daly River aboriginal tribes, tho iMulluk Mulluk, Angulmeri, and Waukaman tribes, and Tribes known as Brinens and Moylos, whose country is westward of the Daly River, and who were invading the Daly River area, because of Its natural food resources, and were pushing the local tribes eastward. The aborigines were killed in a tight, which took place on a plain near the Daly River about •Tune 9. The immediate cause of the fight was disputes among the tribesmen over lubras.

STRANGE ARRAY OF WITNESSES

There was a queer medley of witnesses—Waloo, Police Boy Charlie. Smiler, Many-Finger-Toe—so called because he has six fingers to each hand and six toes to each foot —Benjamin, Nim, Jerry. Alligator. Barney and Almurrulc. They gave their evidence in the vividly expressive “pidgin” English that seems to have become the language of the Northern Territory.

The coroner committed one native for trial, but found that another native had killed in self-defence and set him free. Then the coroner cooked lunch for the official party, and afterwards washed up. Swags were rolled, and the return journey to Darwin began, through country where the only white settlers are peanut-growers. Tho accused native and 12 native witnesses are on their way to Darwin in a truck for the trial in the Supreme Court.