UNKNOWN AUSTRALIA

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 25, 29 December 1925, Page 2

UNKNOWN AUSTRALIA

THE TERRY EXPEDITION. CUSTOMS OF THE BLACKS. The Terry expedition which has been exploring the inland areas of almost unknown Australia, has had many interesting experiences among the blaeKs. Writing from Billiluna Station, Western Australia, tho leader of the expedition, Lionel Terry, says:— ~ . Our days at this station were full of interest. The blacks, with their weird customs and curious habits, weie a never-ending source of amusement anp. novelty. We saw them at their dances, they made hair rope for us, they chipped spear heads, a doctor performed some disappearing tricks with a stone which his confreres considered very special, they showed how to hunt with boomerangs and a host of other items well worth recording. . While the preparations for the corroboree were going on a black was peisuaded to demonstrate the art of fare making. Having collected a small heap of twigs and a handful of tinder grass, he squatted on the ground. He used two sticks for tho job, one of which was laid on the tinder and held in place by his feet at cither end, the other being supported vertically between his hands. With a swift rubbing movement of tho hands the vertical stick was made to rotate in alternate directions, so that its point bored into the wood on which it was resting. This soon grinds out a tiny stream of black, smoking powder, which trickles down among the tinder. Directly the smallest amount has been obtained the sticks aro dropped on ono side, and the powder carefully buried in tho dry grass. With little delay it is held up to the breeze, which tho black supplements witli .gentle puffs of his own according to his fancy. Watching him at this part of the business reminded one strongly of some collector viewing a choice piece of china or glass. As his head moved this way and that, directing the puffs, the memory came of a connoisseur searching for a flaw in a crystal.held high to the light in a dingy curio shop. Thoughts were quickly brought to tho present, for the “curio” immediately began to emit trickles of smoke, shortly followed by a flicker of flame as the whole caught fire'. The burning grass was dropped on the ground, and, with the twigs piled up on it, it soon became a merry little fire. We got the boy to repeat the whole operation several time but it never took longer than three or four minutes to complete the process from start to finish.

As we stood watching the fire-maker, other blacks collected around, among whom were one or two with markedly Semitic features. In fact, one was photographed, but let it not be thought that I am an aspirant to the honour of finding the Lost Tribe in. still another curious locality. A STRANGE ASSEMBLY. Meanwhile tho audience had collected. A heterogenous assembly of lubras, picaninnies and . non-performers were seated in tho usual fashion, but as closely packed as possible. The men were complacently squatting in tho front, while the women were severely relegated to the back stalls, children being allowed a free run of the house and the choice of anybody’s knee. This audience is th orchestra as well, for their task is to carry on the suitable chant and supply the time for the dancers. This latter is done by clapping boomerangs together with monotonous regularity, and by the lubras slapping their thighs, with hollowed hands.

Tho dancers were fourteen in number, and were partly hidden behind some bushes, whence they issued on to tho stage—a clear piece of ground directly in front of the audience. Tlio signal for the performance to commence was given by the audience (would that civilisation’s conventions were the same!). They set up a chant which seemed as good, as an order to get a move on. Stamping hard and stepping high the dancers came out from the shelter of the bushes. With set faces they kept in a regular formation, doing a series of figures not unlike a movement of the Lancers. This was continued for two or three minutes. Then the orchestra ceased, and the stage emptied. After a short spell the singing was again begun, the new chant apparently differing from the previous one only In the words. There was more variation in the dancing as a new series of formations were gone through. Also other symbols were carried by the performers.

LEARNED FROM ANOTHER TRIBE

Previously each one had held a length of hair string, about three feet long, with an end in each hand. As they danced one end was held high, ancLthe other about the level of tho hip. Every few steps the high end was lowered to the hip, the. lower one being at the same time raised to about the height of the forehead. I was unable to learn the significance of this feature of the corroboree; all I could gather was that it had been learnt from a tribe far away to the east. During the second dance each boy carried two boomerangs held crossed in front of him, and during the subsequent ones other symbolds were used. It was soon sundown, so tho day’s corroboree drew to a close. Hot and perspiring, tho dancers seemed only too glad that the exacting audience had allowed them a respite till tho morrow. To recompense them for the display the 14 performers were told to como to the cars, where each received some token. A selection of tobacco, beads, cloth, mouth organs, and other articles of “trade” brought smiles. Of the most successful of the novelties were some pairs of coloured spectacles, after the pattern worn by the popular screen comedian Harold Lloyd.