The Prehistoric Arts, Manufactures, Works, Weapons, Etc., of the Aborigines of AustraliaThomas Worsnop |
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Common terms and phrases
Aborigines of Victoria ADELAIDE amongst animals barbs basket birds blackfellow body bones boomerang boughs camp canoe Captain King Captain Sturt carved cave centre clay coast colored constructed continent cooked covered Creek dead diameter edge Ernest Giles feathers figures Finke river fire fish GENERAL'S OFFICE ADELAIDE grass grave Gulf of Carpentaria hair hand head hole hollow huts implement Island kangaroo Lake Lake Alexandrina large number length lines manufactured message sticks miles mound nardoo nearly nets North-West ochre opossum ornamented painted Photo Lithographer piece of wood placed Plate Port Port Essington portion Queensland reed River Murray rock round sandstone says seen shape sharp shell shield side similar Sir George Grey skin snake South Australia South Wales spear spear-heads sticks stone SURVEYOR GENERAL'S OFFICE thick thrown tomahawk tree tribes turtle twine weapon Western Australia whilst wommerah wooden
Popular passages
Page 38 - The head was two feet in length, and sixteen inches in breadth in the broadest part ; the depth of the profile increased gradually from the edges where it was nothing, to the centre where it was an inch and a half. The ear was rather badly placed, but otherwise the whole of the work was good, and far superior to what a savage rare could be supposed capable of executing.
Page 21 - There were two other paintings, one on each of the rocks which stood on either side of the natural seat; they were carefully executed, and yet had no apparent design in them; unless they were intended to represent some fabulous species of turtle; for the natives of Australia are generally fond of narrating tales of fabulous and extraordinary animals, such as gigantic snakes, &c.
Page 18 - I saw several small ones among the rocks,) trepang, starfish, clubs, canoes, water-gourds, and some quadrupeds, which were probably intended to represent kangaroos and dogs. The figures, besides being outlined by the dots, were decorated all over with the same pigment in dotted transverse belts.
Page 44 - Indications of some foreign people having visited this group were almost as numerous, and as widely extended as those left by the natives. Besides pieces of earthen jars and trees cut with axes, we found remnants of bamboo lattice work, palm leaves sewed with cotton thread into the form of such hats as are worn by the Chinese, and the remains of blue cotton trowsers, of the fashion called moormans.
Page 37 - We pursued our route westward, proceeding many miles inland, without being able to trace, by a single vestige, that the natives had been recently in those parts. We saw, however, some proofs of their ingenuity, in various figures cut on the smooth surface of some large stones. They consisted chiefly of representations of themselves in different attitudes, of their canoes, of several sorts of fish and animals; and, considering the rudeness of the instruments with which the figures must have been executed,...
Page 60 - I advanced for nearer inspection, towards the huge bundle of sticks before mentioned. It seemed almost like the nest of some new bird, and greatly excited my curiosity. As I approached a most unpleasant smell assailed me ; and on climbing up to examine it narrowly, I found that it contained the decaying body of a native. Within the outer covering of sticks was one of net, with an inner one of the bark of the papyrus tree enveloping the corpse. According to the singular practice of...
Page 18 - ... inside of this came a broad stripe of very brilliant red, which was coped by lines of white, but both inside and outside of this red space, were narrow stripes of a still deeper red, intended probably to mark its boundaries ; the face was painted vividly white, and the eyes black, being however surrounded by red and yellow lines ; the body, hands, and arms were outlined in red, — the body being curiously painted with red stripes and bars.
Page 18 - On this sloping roof, the principal figure which I have just alluded to, was drawn; in order to produce the greater effect, the rock about it was painted black, and the figure itself coloured with the most vivid red and white. It thus appeared to stand out from the rock; and I was certainly rather surprised at the moment that I first saw this gigantic head and upper part of a body bending over and staring grimly down at me.
Page 68 - Each hut was semicircular, or circular, the roof conical, and from one side a flat roof stood forward like a portico, supported by two sticks. Most of them were close to the trunk of a tree, and they were covered, not as in other parts, by sheets of bark, but with a variety of materials, such as reeds, grass, and boughs. The interior of each looked clean, and to us passing in the rain, gave some idea, not only of shelter, but even of comfort and happiness.