LAYING DOWN THE COUNTRY: NORMAN B. TINDALE AND THE LINGUISTIC CONSTRUCTION OF THE NORTH-WEST OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA Paul Monaghan Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Discipline of Linguistics – School of Humanities University of Adelaide June 2003 Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................... vi Declaration .................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... viii Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara orthography................................................................. x Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. xi List of figures ................................................................................................................ xii List of maps ................................................................................................................. xiv 1 Introduction 1.0 How this project began ............................................................................... 1 1.1 The research problem ................................................................................. 4 1.2 Research design.......................................................................................... 6 1.3 Theoretical perspective............................................................................. 14 1.4 Terminology............................................................................................. 25 1.5 Background literature ............................................................................... 29 2 Maps, language and representation 2.0 Introduction.............................................................................................. 38 2.1 The Carruthers map .................................................................................. 41 2.1.1 Tindale’s annotations.................................................................... 43 2.2 Ethnocentric aspects of cartographic representation .................................. 44 2.3 Writing indigenous placenames ................................................................ 50 2.4 Tindale and placenames............................................................................ 57 2.4.1 Methods and sources..................................................................... 59 2.5 Tindale’s tribal mapping project ............................................................... 60 2.5.1 Early influences, prototypes and sources....................................... 63 2.5.2 A confusion of names ................................................................... 65 2.5.3 The problem of tribal boundaries .................................................. 80 2.6 Conclusions.............................................................................................. 88 ii 3 The problem of communication 3.0 Introduction.............................................................................................. 91 3.1 Pidgin English .......................................................................................... 96 3.1.1 Ambiguities and limitations .......................................................... 99 3.2 Cultural barriers to communication......................................................... 104 3.2.1 Restrictions................................................................................. 104 3.2.2 Attitudes and expectations .......................................................... 106 3.3 Interpreters, informants and go-betweens................................................ 110 3.3.1 Tindale and interpreters .............................................................. 112 3.3.2 Tommy Dodd ............................................................................. 115 3.4 ‘Proper’ names and lines in the sand ....................................................... 120 3.5 Conclusions............................................................................................ 127 4 Multiplying Babel 4.0 Introduction............................................................................................ 129 4.1 Progress in linguistic discovery............................................................... 131 4.1.1 The surveys of Taplin and Curr................................................... 134 4.2 The Elder scientific exploration expedition, 1891-2 ................................ 139 4.2.1 Orthographics ............................................................................. 141 4.2.2 Constructing wordlists ................................................................ 146 4.3 Tindale’s loop......................................................................................... 150 4.4 Other early Western Desert vocabularies ................................................ 155 4.5 Conclusions............................................................................................ 162 5 Words and blood 5.0 Introduction............................................................................................ 164 5.1 Tindale’s linguistics: influences and contexts.......................................... 168 5.1.1 The BAR, purity and corruption.................................................. 168 5.1.2 The Adelaide circle, purity and order .......................................... 172 5.2 Tindale’s Vocabulary of Pitjandjara....................................................... 177 5.2.1 Primary sources .......................................................................... 182 5.2.2 Secondary sources ...................................................................... 188 iii 5.2.3 Language and dialect .................................................................. 191 5.3 Conclusions............................................................................................ 199 6 The Antikirinya problem 6.0 Introduction............................................................................................ 202 6.1 Tindale’s representations in the De Rose Hill Native title claim.............. 205 6.2 Antikirinya literature sources.................................................................. 208 6.2.1 Tindale’s 1940 sources ............................................................... 209 6.2.2 Recent literature.......................................................................... 221 6.3 Tindale’s manuscript sources.................................................................. 231 6.4 Tindale and Antikirinya .......................................................................... 236 6.5 Conclusions............................................................................................ 239 7 Conclusion 7.0 Overview................................................................................................ 242 7.1 Recapitulation and discussion ................................................................. 242 7.2 Implications for practice and research..................................................... 247 7.3 Directions for future research.................................................................. 248 Appendices Appendix 1 Tindale’s (1974) catalogue entries for Antikirinya, Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara ............................................... 250 Appendix 2 Selection of ethnological maps drawn prior to Tindale(1940)...... 253 Appendix 3 Section of the map accompanying Davidson (1938).................... 259 Appendix 4 Section of Tindale’s ‘untitled map of South Australia showing tribal data’ c1929 (SAM AA 338)................................. 260 Appendix 5 Taplin’s questionnaire (1879, pp.5-7).......................................... 261 Appendix 6 Linguistic guidelines presented to the officers of the Elder expedition.......................................................................... 264 Appendix 7 Vocabularies recorded at the Everard Ranges by the officers of the Elder expedition ................................................... 267 Appendix 8 Extract from Curr (1886-7) ......................................................... 271 iv Appendix 9 Extract from Tindale’s Vocabulary of Pitjandjara (Tindale 1937 MS, p.1)............................................................... 273 Appendix 10 Extracts from Tindale’s ‘Ooldea Vocabulary’ (1934 MS) ........... 274 Appendix 11 Section of Bolam’s sketch map, c1926 (Tindale 1924-36 MS)................................................................. 279 Appendix 12 Explicit references to Bolam in Tindale (1937 MS)..................... 280 Appendix 13 ‘Unattributed’ Bolam references in Tindale (1937 MS): accompanying a Tindale headword in parentheses ...................... 281 Appendix 14 Unattributed Bolam references in Tindale (1937 MS): headwords in parentheses............................................................ 282 Appendix 15 Tindale’s 1940 Antikirinya catalogue entry (1940, p.178)........... 283 Appendix 16 Sociological data card I.1 from Tindale’s 1933 expedition (SAM 1933 MS) ......................................................................... 284 Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 285 Maps.................................................................................................................back