The Kattang (Kutthung) Or Worimi: an Aboriginal Tribe
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~IARCH, 1932 MAXKIXD 75 The Kattang (Kutthung) or Worimi: An Aboriginal Tribe (By W. ]. ENftIGHT.) IN the year 1896 I commenced visits The suffix "gal," however, shows to the western end of Port Stephens, conclusively that the Geawegal was where there was an aboriginal reserve only a horde, and Kattang was the occupied by several full bloods and many language, at any rate as far west as half castes. The headman, named Maitland and Paterson. The Geawegal, "Tony," then about seventy years of he states, spoke the language of and age, was not only an initiate but was intermarried with those of Maitland the ruling spirit of the "Keepara." and also of Paterson. The Gringai, They gave apparently to themselves according to the same author, inter a name which had not to that time married with the Paterson River natives appeared in print, and which I spelt and those of Gloucester. "Kutthung," bu' Professor RadclitJe Howitt's remarks and his map are Browne, and Rev. A. P. Elkin have rather confusing, for the latter shows given what now proves to be not the the Geawegal occupying the land along name of the tribe, but of the language, both sides of the lower Paterson and the title" Kattang," and by that name the country about Maitland. I am now I shall in future refer to those who forced to the conclusion that the spoke that tongue. Geawegal was merely a horde, and a In the course of my enquiries I was part of the Worimi tribe. given, what I believed through my Investigations made recently in com ignorance of their social organizations, pany with Dr. Elkin at Port Stephens the names of various neighbouring lead me to believe that the Maiangal tribes. Further investigations have lived along the sea-shore south of Port clearly shown that the Gummipingal, Stephens, and westward as far as Yeerung-gal, and Birroong-gal were but Teleghery Creek; that the Garuagal hordes of the Kattang-speaking ',tribe occupied country adjoining Teleghery called the Worimi. The suffix "gal" Creek and along the lower Hunter, or "kal" means a division, clan or and their territory. joined that of the horde. BuraigaJ, who lived on right bank of Thelkeld, whose work ontheAwabakal Karuah up to Stroud. The northern of Lake Macquarie is the finest in side of Port Stephens and left bank of existence concerning the language of Karuah was occupied by the Gamipingal. any New South Wales Aborigines, was All four were hordes of the Worimi. apparently unaware that those people Iii. "Notes on Aboriginal Tribes on were only part of a tribe. A. W. 1 North Coast of New South Wales."z Howitt refers to a tribe he calls the I stated that "Kutthung " was Geawegai, as inhabiting part of the spoken from a little south of the valley of the Hunter River extending to Macleay River to the Hunter River each lateral watershed and from twenty District. Dr. Fraser in his map pub to thirty miles along the valley on each lished in 1892 gives the northern side of Glendon. On one of 'the maps boundary as a line south of the Macleay, illustrating his work he shows their but calls the tribe " Kurriggai." territory as lying along the north bank Professor Radcliffe-Browne informed of the Hunter from about Tomago to me that he found Birripai spoken on Glendon. s Proceed1np Put Pacific Conareu (AulnUan), Vol. i, 1 Nauve TrlbeIt of 8cnItb But AuatraBa, p. 86. p.287. 76 :\tIAXKIKD MARCH, 1932 t he Hastings River. I have since 1833, Threlkeld visited Tahler ,),nd visited that district, ~nd find that four ~poke ~o fifty blacks who were assembled, Birripai speakers survived, and their III theIr own language, endeavouring to lang-nage was originally spoken as far lead their minds to a knowledge of a (I,X the Manning River. The former few of the leading points of religion. r:v~r was first settled, and on that They were attentive and seemed mueh ae('ount the extinction of the natives interested. That was apparently Threl hegan earlier than on the rough and still keld's first visit to Port Stephens, and :-;parsely s~ttled country lying between the incident, as well a!l a perusal of Port Stephens and the Wollombi River. Threlkeld's grammar and vocabula,ry Ali the Birripai decreased in numbers of the Awabakal, who inherited the tribal boundaries ceased to be main country around Lake Macquarie, t,ained, and the \Yorirni established their snggests that the Awabakal spoke eamps and intermixed with the few Kattang. No living natives can now remaining Birripai. Prior to settlement, tell us how far south the speech of the however, theManningwas the boundary. 3 Awabakal was spoken, and we will never William Scott spe:tks of the Gringai now learn it with certainty. Turuwul, tribe, a sub-branch of It numerous native however, was the language of the Port people that once hhabited the lower Jackson natives, and the Hawkesbury portions of the Hunter and Karuah River probably was the boundary River Valleys. Seoa. is the only one between the two people. who a,pplies that name to the aborigines In the near future I hope to be able of Port Stephens or its neighbourhood, to discuss whether what we call lan and, as Howitt arpli(~s the name to guages of New South Wales coastal the aborigines of th~ district around tribes were merely dialects. I have Dungog on the fj,uthority of J. 'V. found evidence of friendly relations Boydell of CarnyI' Allyn, who was noted between Port Stephens and Newcastle for his keen ~>'ud benevolent interest people in the shape of Merewether ehert, in the natives, I I.refer to accept his at Morna Point on the sonth of Port statement. The aiJoriginell whom I Stephen~ and at "The Gibbers," a l'pferJ'cd to as the ., Kuttlnmg" in my headlandon thecoa,st oppositeBronghton earlier papers I no':\" know to be the Island. This material was used for .. Buraigal," a hor(le of the Kattang knive!l and scrapers, a purpOl;e for :speaking people wlDse tribal name was which it was eminently suitable. .. \Yol'imi." The territory of the latter This siliceous material from :Mere ('prt amly (~xtendcd no further north wether has been observed as far :south a~ t han til(' Mltnning, which was bounded Tnggemh Lakes Entrance. on the eai'it by the' Pacific. Ocean, on :For the four hordes above mentioned the west as fa,r a,s t!.e Glendon Brook there were only two headmen. One Valley. controlled the two coastal groups, and ~l~: old friend thl., late John Hopson the other the two inland groups. statell that he had been informed by In a previous paper I mentioned that the late J. W. Bovddlthat in summer the class division system did not extend t illle the Pater!lon Ri\-cr blaeks ascended below the Manning River. The Worimi t he Barrington Tc.ps 't"ia the Allyn had, within the hordes, divisions each with a totem peculiar to itself. Marriage HiveI' Yalley, and on (1, visit in Deeember, 1H15, we found a ~tone axe on the between people of the same totem was tabh;land. That COlontry and the Upper forbidden, and the prohibition also :\Ianning Wu.s, in all probability, occupied extended to relatives who were second hy thol'ie of the KatGang tongue. cousins, or mOJie nearly related. Persons Threlkeld, according to Sir Edward between whom marriage was forbiddeR Parry, the Superintendent of A.A. were not allowed to speak to one ('olllpan~T. relates t~lat on 11th July, another, except under special circum stances. A brother, for instance, could ltRk ill. 'The Port ~tpphen" Black__ [l. l. a $ister to bring him water if llARCH, 1932 l\lAXKIXD i7 Each sex had its' totem. The men's of one at Red Hill on Mr. J. Vilgele'~ was the kalan-gulang (the bat) and the property, I have not been able to learn women's, the dilmun (woodpecker). If of any stone circle. The circle men a man killed a dilmun the women would tioned was on a neck of columnar basalt, attack him with their yam-sticks, and and some of the columns were left an injury inflicted on a bat by a woman standing around the rim of the neck. would lead to punishment being inflicted A stone axe and ashes were found in by the men. the centre of circle, and that, coupled The Worimi had their initiation with its position in a high hill once ceremonies, which I have previously covered with dense brush, leads me to described.' believe that it was the sacred ring of Since then I have learnt that after a the "Keepara." man is initiated he goes through no Mr. G. B. White, L.S., in a paper further ceremony of initiation, but when read before the Maitland Scientific he attends future "Keeparas" he Society many years ago, stated that assists in initiating others. If he, wishes whilst surveying for the Orown in tile to become a " Karadji " he could attend Nandewar Ranges (north-west ~ew a spot called "Nambi" with a "Karadji," South Wales) he saw stone circles whil\h and there be dipped in water. After had been made by aborigines, and was that he receives instruction from his informed that when a man wished to guardian. become a " Karadji " he went there at Mr. W. W. Thorpe relates that stone night and communed with the spirits. circles had been seen by Mr.