Aboriginal History Journal: Volume 21
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Aboriginal History Volume twenty-one 1997 Aboriginal History Incorporated The Committee of Management and the Editorial Board Peter Read (Chair), Rob Paton (Secretary), Peter Grimshaw (Treasurer/Public Officer), Neil Andrews, Richard Baker, Ann Curthoys, Brian Egloff, Geoff Gray, Niel Gunson, Luise Hercus, Bill Humes, Ian Keen, David Johnston, Harold Koch, Isabel McBryde, Diane Smith, Elspeth Young. Correspondents Jeremy Beckett, Valerie Chapman, Ian Clark, Eve Fesl, Fay Gale, Ronald Lampert, Campbell Macknight, Ewan Morris, John Mulvaney, Andrew Markus, Bob Reece, Henry Reynolds, Shirley Roser, Lyndall Ryan, Bruce Shaw, Tom Stannage, Robert Tonkinson, James Urry. Aboriginal History aims to present articles and information in the field of Australian ethnohistory, particularly in the post-contact history of the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Historical studies based on anthropological, archaeological, linguistic and sociological research, including comparative studies of other ethnic groups such as Pacific Islanders in Australia will be welcomed. Issues include recorded oral traditions and biographies, narratives in local languages with translations, previously unpublished manuscript accounts, resumes of current events, archival and bibliographical articles, and book reviews. Editors 1997 Rob Paton and Di Smith, Editors, Luise Hercus, Review Editor and Ian Howie Willis, Managing Editor. Aboriginal History Monograph Series Published occasionally, the monographs present longer discussions or a series of articles on single subjects of contemporary interest. Previous monograph titles are D. Barwick, M. Mace and T. Stannage (eds), Handbook of Aboriginal and Islander History; Diane Bell and Pam Ditton, Law: the old the nexo; Peter Sutton, Country: Aboriginal boundaries and land ownership in Australia; Link-Up (NSW) and Tikka Wilson, In the Best Interest of the Child? Stolen children: Aboriginal pain/white shame, Jane Simpson and Luise Hercus, History in Portraits: biographies of nineteenth century South Australian Aboriginal people. Aboriginal History is administered by an Editorial Board which is responsible for all unsigned material in the journal. Views and opinions expressed by the authors of signed articles and reviews are not necessarily shared by Board members. The editors invite contributions to either the journal of monograph series for consideration; review will be commissioned by the review editor. All editorial correspondence should be addressed to Aboriginal History, Box 2837 GPO Canberra, 2601 Australia. Subscription information: ABA Solutions, fax and phone 02 6253 3603, email [email protected] Acknowledgement Aboriginal History Inc. gratefully acknowledges the support of the Department of History, The Faculties, The Australian University in the production of this volume. © Copyright Aboriginal History Inc., Canberra, Australia. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher. Typesetting: Tikka Wilson Printed in Australia by Southwood Press, Marrickville ISSN 0314-8769 Aboriginal History Volume 21 1997 Introduction iii Errata iv O bituaries V Frederick David McCarthy V Mick Miller vii Isobel Mary W hite ix Colleen Shirley Smith, ‘Mum Shirk xiii John Maynard Fred Maynard and the Australian Aboriginal Progressive 1 Association (AAPA): One God, One Aim, One Destiny Christine Choo The role of the Catholic missionaries at Beagle Bay in 14 the removal of Aboriginal children from their families in the Kimberley region from the 1890s Irynej Skira ‘I hope you will be my frend’: Tasmanian Aborigines in 30 the Furneaux group in the nineteenth century— population and land tenure Michael Parsons The tourist corroboree in South Australia to 1911 46 Ian McIntosh The Birrinydji Legacy: Aborigines, Macassans and 70 mining in north-east Arnhem Land Stefan Petrow The Last Man: The mutilation of William Lanne in 1869 90 and its aftermath Geoffrey Gray ‘In view of the obvious animus’. The discrediting of 113 Ralph Piddington Julia Martinez Problematising Aboriginal nationalism 133 R uth Lane Remembering Past Environments: Identity, place and 148 environmental knowledge in the Tumut region of New South Wales R.M.W. Dixon Christie Palmerston: A reappraisal 162 ABORIGINAL HISTORY 1997 VOL 21 James C. Noble On the ethno-ecology of mallee root-water 170 and Richard G. Kimber Richard Kimber Review article: Diane Bell, the Ngarrindjeri and the 203 Hindmarsh Island Affair: ‘Value-free ethnography?’ NgaRRiNDJeRi WURRUWARRIN: a world that is, was, and will be by Diane Bell Reviews Eastern and Central Arrernte to English Dictionary, 233 compiled by John Henderson and Veronica Dobson Benang: From the heart by Kim Scott 238 In the Wake o f First Contact: The Eliza Fraser Stories by 240 K. Schaffer One Land, One Nation: Mabo— Towards 2000 by Frank 242 Brennan Mabo: The Native Title Legislation: A legislative response to 249 the High Court’s decision by M.A. Stephenson (ed.) Introduction This edition of Aboriginal History appears late, for which the Editorial Board apologises both to authors and readers. The reasons for the delay are many, including the mount ing pressures in recent years on already severely pressured academics. Staff cuts, the burden of increasing teaching, research and administrative workloads supported by fewer resources, and the increasing pressure of demonstrating productivity via publica tions, have all been factors. The Editorial Board trusts that readers will agree that this volume of Aboriginal History, the twenty-first, proves a worthy successor to the preceding twenty. As a new comer to the board, I find that Volume 21 evinces the wide and broadening scope of Aboriginal historical inquiry. Its contributions probe the Aboriginal past in many parts of Australia, from the Bass Strait islands of Tasmania to Beagle Bay in the far north-west of Western Australia, from Elindmarsh Island near the Murray mouth to Arnhem Land, and from the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales to the northern reaches of Cape York Peninsula. In addition to the diversity of geographical locations, Volume 21 presents readers a well-balanced mix of the disciplines comprising Aboriginal Studies. Thus, it brings together material originating in archaeological, anthropological, ethno- botanical, economic, environmental, political and community welfare studies as well as from the methodologies familiar to historians trained in a more traditional historiogra phy. In commending Volume 21 to its readership, I thank its joint editors, Rob Paton and Di Smith, who conceived the volume plan and brought it to fruition under in diffi cult circumstances, and also Ingereth McFarlane, who assisted them greatly. In addition I thank the board chair, Peter Read, for his guidance; my friend and colleague, Gordon Briscoe, for easing my way into my present position; and the Manning Clark Professor of Australian History at the Australian National University, Ann Curthoys, for finding Aboriginal History permanent premises within her department. Finally, our graphic designer, Tikka Wilson, must be congratulated for her diligent, expeditious effort in ensuring that Volume 21 could emerge from the chrysalis in which it had lingered far longer than anyone wanted. Ian Howie-Willis Managing Editor History Department, The Faculties Australian National University June 1999 Errata In the last issue of Aboriginal History, vol. 20, we moved to a new typesetting system and had a few hiccups with special fonts. The Editorial Board extends apologies to all of the authors and thanks them for their forbearance. Rob Amery's article, 'Kaurna is Tasmania: A case of mistaken identity' had several special linguistic characters on pages 46 and 47. On page 46, paragraph 4, the second sentence should read: Robinson has consistently omitted to write the initial velar nasal [rj] irrespective of t the following vowel. In paragraph 5, the first line should read: The letter u is used for the vowel [iu ] as in 'put' as well as the vowel [a] as in 'but'. On page 47, paragraph 5, lines 1 and 2 should read: For instance, in a Tasmanian word transcribed by Charles Robinson, we simply don't know whether 'u' should be pronounced [ui] in in 'put' or [a] as in 'but'. However, it may be safe to assume that final 'e r' is pronounced [a] or [a] as in English 'butter'... Luise Hercus and Grace Koch's article, 'A native died sudden at Lake Allallina', had music fonts. The rhythmic features on page 145 should have been represented as follows. RHYTHMIC FEATURES In most cases, when words are used ending with -ngera, a distinctive dotted or syncopated rhythmic pattern is used. 1934 version * 4 . J = mar-ga-ngc-ra (staff 2) I I K j 1968 version J J. J J = li-la-nge-ra (staff 1) Words without the -ngera ending use a non-dottcd rhythmic pattern: 1934 version J JAh. da-bu-ra-ya-la (staff 3) 1968 version JjJjjJJ a-pi-nya-ra li-la-nga One place where the word with the -ngera differs from the above analysis is in the 1968 version on the word, nganhangera. This word uses a syncopated figure which returns to the normal -ngera pattern when the following word, diyangera is sung. iJJJJJ = nga-nha:-nge-ra j i = di-ya-nge-ra The structure of the melody, the melodic range, and the distinctive dotted rhythmic pattern generated by the extra syllables in ’’-ngera'' make the tune recognisable as the same for both versions,