Chapter I: Front Matter

CHILDREN OF WILD AUSTRALIA

CHILDREN OF WILD AUSTRALIA

BY

HERBERT PITTS

AUTHOR OF "THE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH"

WITH EIGHT COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS

EDINBURGH AND LONDON OLIPHANT, ANDERSON & FERRIER

PRINTED BY TURNBULL AND SPEARS, EDINBURGH

TO
DEAR LITTLE MARY
THIS LITTLE BOOK
ABOUT
THE LITTLE BLACK BOYS AND GIRLS
OF A FAR-OFF LAND
IS DEDICATED BY
HER FATHER

MY DEAR BOYS AND GIRLS,

All the time I have been writing this little book I have been wishing I could gather you all around me and take you with me to some of the places in faraway Australia where I myself have seen the little black children at their play. You would understand so much better all I have tried to say.

It is a bright sunny land where those children live, but in many ways a far less pleasant land to live in than our own. The country often grows very parched and bare, the grass dies, the rivers begin to dry up, and the poor little children of the wilderness have great difficulty in getting food. Then perhaps a great storm comes and a great quantity of rain falls. The rivers fill up and the grass begins to grow again, but myriads of flies follow and they get into the children's eyes and perhaps blind some of them, and the mosquitoes come and bite them and give them fevers sometimes.

Yet though much of the land is wilderness--bare, sandy plains--beautiful flowers bloom there after the rains. Lovely hibiscus, the giant scarlet pea, and thousands of delicate white and yellow everlastings are there for the eyes to feast upon, but the loveliest flowers of all are frequently the love and tenderness and unselfishness which bloom in the children's hearts.

I have left Australia now and settled down again in the old homeland, but the memories of the eight years I spent among the dear little children out there are still very delightful ones, and they, more than anything I have read, have helped me to write this little book for you.

Your Sincere friend,

HERBERT PITTS

DOUGLAS, I.O.M., 1914

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE
INTRODUCTORY LETTER 7

I. INTRODUCTORY 11

II. PICCANINNIES 17

III. "GREAT-GREAT-GREATEST-GRANDFATHER" 23

IV. BLACKFELLOWS' "HOMES" 26

V. EDUCATION 31

VI. WEAPONS, ETC., WHICH CHILDREN LEARN TO
MAKE AND USE 35

VII. HOW FOOD IS CAUGHT AND COOKED 40

VIII. CORROBBOREES, OR NATIVE DANCES 44

IX. MAGIC AND SORCERY 47

X. SOME STRANGE WAYS OF DISPOSING OF THE DEAD 56

XI. SOME STORIES WHICH ARE TOLD TO CHILDREN 60

XII. MORE STORIES TOLD TO CHILDREN 65

XIII. RELIGION 68

XIV. YARRABAH 72

XV. TRUBANAMAN CREEK 79

XVI. SOME ABORIGINAL SAINTS AND HEROES 85

XVII. THE CHOCOLATE BOX 89

ILLUSTRATIONS

BOY SPEARING FISH _Frontispiece_

PAGE
HUNTING PARROTS AND COCKATOOS 12

ABORIGINAL CHILDREN AND NATIVE HUT 28

LEARNING TO USE THE BOOMERANG 42

YOUTH IN WAR PAINT 52

GIRLS' CLASS AT YARRABAH SCHOOL 73

BATHING OFF JETTY AT YARRABAH 78

THE FIRST SCHOOL AT MITCHELL RIVER 84

CHILDREN OF WILD AUSTRALIA