Chapter I: Front Matter

AMONG CANNIBALS

AMONG CANNIBALS

AN ACCOUNT OF
FOUR YEARS’ TRAVELS IN AUSTRALIA AND OF CAMP LIFE WITH THE ABORIGINES OF
QUEENSLAND

BY
CARL LUMHOLTZ, M.A.
MEMBER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF SCIENCES OF NORWAY

TRANSLATED BY
RASMUS B. ANDERSON
EX-UNITED STATES MINISTER TO DENMARK

WITH PORTRAIT, MAPS, 4 CHROMO-LITHOGRAPHS, AND WOODCUTS

NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
1889

COPYRIGHT, 1889, BY
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS

TROW’S
PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY,
NEW YORK.

TO

=Paul B. Du Chaillu,=

THE CELEBRATED EXPLORER OF AFRICA

AND

THE GREAT FRIEND OF SCANDINAVIA’S PAST AND PRESENT

AS EVINCED BY

‘THE LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN’ AND ‘THE VIKING AGE’

THIS ENGLISH EDITION IS MOST RESPECTFULLY

DEDICATED

BY

THE AUTHOR

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

In the year 1880 I undertook an expedition to Australia, partly at the expense of the University of Christiania, with the object of making collections for the zoological and zootomical museums of the University, and of instituting researches into the customs and anthropology of the little-known native tribes which inhabit that continent.

At the commencement of my travels, which occupied four years, I spent some time in the south-eastern colonies, South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales; and succeeded in establishing connections with the museums in the cities of Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, and I may add that everywhere I met with the most cordial reception. I am particularly indebted to the distinguished botanist Baron Ferd. von Mueller, of Melbourne; to Fred. M‘Coy, Professor of Zoology and Mineralogy in Melbourne University; and to Dr. E. P. Ramsay, Director of the Museum in Sydney.

More than ten months from November 1880 to August 1881 were spent by me at the fine station of Gracemere in Central Queensland, belonging to Messrs. Archer and Co. Both here and elsewhere I was indebted to various members of the Archer family for kindnesses, which in many ways aided me in my work. I was placed under similar obligations to Walter J. Scott, Esq., the proprietor of the Valley of Lagoons station in Northern Queensland. To all these gentlemen I desire to express my sincere gratitude.

In August 1881 I entered upon my first journey of discovery, in the course of which I penetrated about 800 miles into Western Queensland, but the results in nowise corresponded to the hardships I had to endure.

I thereupon selected Northern Queensland as the field of my chief exploration, and here I spent fourteen months in constant travel and study. From August 1882 to July 1883 I made my headquarters in the valley of the short but comparatively broad and deep Herbert river, which empties itself into the Pacific Ocean at about 18° S. lat., and there I lived alone among a race of people whose culture—if indeed they can be said to have any culture whatever—must be characterised as the lowest to be found among the whole genus _homo sapiens_. Not only are many of the Australian aborigines cannibals, but most of the tribes have not yet emerged from the Stone Age in the history of their development. Others have studied the ethnographic peculiarities of this race; but my predecessors have mainly directed their attention to the tribes of the southern part of Australia, which in many respects have attained a higher intellectual development than their northern kinsmen.

From my base on the Herbert river I made expeditions in various directions, extending in some instances to nearly 100 miles. The greater part of the volume now offered to the public is devoted to descriptions of my life in the camps of the northern savages in different districts. It has been my purpose to present a faithful picture, based on my own observations, of the life, manners, and customs of the Australian aborigines from their birth and infancy to their old age and death; and thus to rescue, for the science of ethnography, facts concerning tribes that have never before come into contact with white men, and that within a generation or two will have disappeared from the face of the earth.

While making these anthropological studies I also succeeded in securing a collection of zoological specimens, some of which are new to science, and all of which may be seen in the museums of the Christiania University. The collection consists mainly of vertebrates, including a considerable number of mammals, which have been described by Professor R. Collett in _Zoologischer Jahrbücher_, Jena, 1887. I brought home about 700 specimens of birds, a large number of reptiles and batrachians, numerous fishes, also some insects and lower animals. Among other things I discovered four new mammals, which have been described and named by Professor R. Collett in the _Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London_, 1884. The four new mammals are: _Dendrolagus lumholtzii_ (the tree-kangaroo); and three opossums, _Pseudochirus archeri_, _Pseudochirus herbertensis_, and _Pseudochirus lemuroides_.

In conclusion, I desire to express my obligations to the friends who have helped me in carrying on my work, and in writing this record of it—to Professor Robert Collett and Professor Ossian Sars, of Christiania University, who first encouraged me to undertake the journey, and who never have failed to render me valuable aid and advice; to Dr. H. Reusch and Mr. A. M. Hansen, for their co-operation in drawing up a portion of the appendix to this volume; to Professor R. B. Anderson (late United States Minister to Denmark), for his aid in the preparation of the English edition; to Mr. M. R. Oldfield Thomas, for having revised the scientific names in the proofs for me during my absence in America; and to Mr. John Murray jun., for his assistance in the correction and supervision of the whole work while passing through the press.

Most of the illustrations are by Norwegian and French artists from original photographs, sketches, and specimens brought back by me from Australia.

It should be observed that the area marked red on the map as indicating the district explored by me should be extended so as to include Cashmere, Glendhu, the Valley of Lagoons, and all the intervening country.

As a foreigner, I would ask for the kind indulgence of my readers and critics towards any literary shortcomings in this English edition of my work.

CARL LUMHOLTZ.

LONDON, _August 1889_.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

Introductory—Voyage to Australia—Arrival at
Adelaide—Description of the city—Melbourne, the Queen of
the South—Working men—The highest trees in the world—Two
of the most common mammals in Australia Pages 1–12

CHAPTER II

Sydney harbour—Jealousy between Sydney and Melbourne—The
Blue Mountains—Brisbane and Rockhampton—First evening in
tropical Australia—Gracemere station—Animal and plant
life—Vine-scrubs—Excursion into the neighbouring
districts—A Norseman who feels cold in Australia 13–30

CHAPTER III

Journey to Western Queensland—Camping out—_Damper_
(Australian bread)—The song of the magpie—Australian
scrubs—Hunting the kangaroo—Devotion of parrots—Station
life—Lonely shepherds—Migration of rats—Native
justice—Australian fleas—Native mounted police—A
remarkable flint instrument—The boomerang 31–52

CHAPTER IV

Struggle between blacks and whites—116° Fahrenheit—Cool
nights—Troubles—Bush-life—How the bushman spends his
money—Inundations—Back again to Gracemere—A greedy
snake—Courtship in the bush 53–62

CHAPTER V

Journey to Northern Queensland—Mackay-sugar—Employment of
South Sea Islanders—Townsville—A rough northern man—Sugar
district on Lower Herbert—Visit to a successful
Scandinavian—Blacks near Gardiner’s
farm—Nolla-nolla—Spring—Arrival at Herbert Vale 63–75

CHAPTER VI

Headquarters at Herbert Vale—Civilised blacks—Domestic
life—Nelly the cook—Cats—Swimming in fat—My bill of
fare—Killing the bullock—Strong stomachs and bad fare 76–88

CHAPTER VII

Kāmin (implement for climbing)—On the top of the
gum-trees—Hunting the wallaby—The spear of the
natives—Bird life in the open
country—Jungle-hens—Cassowary 89–99

CHAPTER VIII

Pleasant companions—Two new mammals—Large scrubs in the
Coast Mountains—The lawyer-palm—“Never have a black-fellow
behind you”—I decide to live with the blacks—Great
expectations—My outfit—Tobacco is money—The baby of the
gun 100–111

CHAPTER IX

My first expedition with the blacks—A night in the
forest—Fear of evil spirits—Morning toilet—_Maja
yarri_—_Borboby_—The “lists” of blacks—Warriors in full
dress—Swords and shields—Fights—The rights of black
women—Abduction of women 112–127

CHAPTER X

The appearance of the aborigines in the different parts of
the continent—My pack-horse in danger—Tracks of the
_boongary_ (tree-kangaroo)—Bower-birds—The blacks in rainy
weather—Making fire in the scrubs—A messenger from the
civilised world—The relations of the various
tribes—Tattooing 128–146

CHAPTER XI

Respect for right of property—New country—My camp—Mountain
ascent—Tree-ferns—A dangerous nettle—A night in a
cavern—Art among the blacks—Edible larvæ—_Omelette aux
coléoptères_—Music of the blacks—Impudent begging 147–159

CHAPTER XII

The position of women among the blacks—The husband the
hunter, and the woman the provider of the family—Black
female slaves—“Marking” the wives—A twelve-year-old
wife—Considerate husbands—Wives an inheritance—Deserted by
my followers—Reasoning power of the blacks—Darkness and
rain 160–171

CHAPTER XIII

_Mongan_, a new mammal—For my collection or to feed the
blacks?—Natives do not eat raw meat—A young yarri—A
meteorite—Fear of attacks—Cannibals on the war-path—The
relations between the tribes 172–177

CHAPTER XIV

Dingo a member of the family—A black who does not
smoke—Hunting the flying-squirrel—Diseases among the
natives—Their remedies—A splendid offer—Unpleasant
companions—Trouble in getting dogs 178–187

CHAPTER XV

Blacks on the track—A foreign tribe—Native baskets—Two black
boys—Bringing up of the children—_Pseudochirus lemuroides_
with its young—The effect of a shot—A native
swell—Relationship among the blacks—Their old women 188–200

CHAPTER XVI

Wild landscape on the Upper Herbert—_Kvingan_, the devil of
the blacks—A fatal eel—Mourning dress—Flight of the
blacks—A compromise—Christmas Eve—Lonely—Christmas fare—A
“faithful” relative—A welcome wallaby 201–211

CHAPTER XVII

A wedding—Love among the Australian natives—My first meeting
with Yokkai—Big eaters—An accident—Left alone with
Yokkai—A difficult descent—Return to Herbert Vale—A new
beetle—Friends of the animals 212–222

CHAPTER XVIII

Native politeness—How a native uses a newspaper—“Fat”
living—Painful joy—_Boongary, boongary_—Veracity of the
natives—A short joy—A perfect cure—An offer of
marriage—Refusal 223–235

CHAPTER XIX

A festival dance of the blacks—Their orchestra—A plain
table—Yokkai wants to become “a white man”—Yokkai’s
confession—A dangerous situation—A family drama 236–246

CHAPTER XX

Arrival of the native police—The murderer
caught—Examination—Jimmy is taken to Cardwell—Flight of
the prisoner—The officer of the law—Expedition to the
Valley of Lagoons—A mother eats her own child—My authority
receives a shock 247–255

CHAPTER XXI

The rainy season—How the evenings are spent—Hardy
children—Mangola-Maggi’s revenge—The crania of the
Australians—The expedition to Cardwell—Dalrymple Gap—A
scandalous murder—Entry into Cardwell—Yokkai as
cook—“Balnglan’s” death—Tobacco cures sorrow 256–268

CHAPTER XXII

Unpleasantnesses at Herbert Vale—New expeditions—Hunting
human flesh—Cannibalism—Human flesh is the greatest
delicacy of the Australian blacks—Superstitions in
connection with the eating of human flesh—The taste of the
cannibals—Cannibalism in Burma 269–274

CHAPTER XXIII

The burial of the blacks—Black mummies—Sorcerers or
wizards—Myths and legends—The doctrine of the Trinity in
New South Wales—The belief in a future life among the
blacks 275–285

CHAPTER XXIV

My life in danger—Morbora’s ingratitude—Another danger—My
position grows more precarious—The black man’s fondness
for imitating 286–292

CHAPTER XXV

Winter in Northern Queensland—Snakes as food—Hunting
snakes—An unexpected guest at night—Yokkai’s first
dress—Norway’s “mountains of food”—Departure from Herbert
Vale—Farewell to the world of the blacks 293–302

CHAPTER XXVI

Message sticks—The common origin of the dialects—Remarkably
complicated grammar—The language on Herbert
river—Comparison of a few dialects 303–313

CHAPTER XXVII

Frozen meat—Again in Gracemere—Australian scenery—In a
carriole—Hunting the dugong—Cosmopolitan quarters for the
night—Cure for nervous diseases—Poisonous rabbits—Marry
only a person with good teeth—Bush girls—Mount Morgan 314–324

CHAPTER XXVIII

A family of zoologists—Flesh-eating kangaroos—How the
ant-eater propagates—Civilised natives—Weapons and
implements—Civilisation and demoralisation 325–338

CHAPTER XXIX

Religion—Blacks in the service of the white men—Fickle
minds—Settlers and natives on the borders of
civilisation—Morality—A life and death struggle—The
cruelty of the whites—Future prospects of the Australian
natives 339–349