AUSTRALIAN NATIVES.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18402, 8 June 1925, Page 11

AUSTRALIAN NATIVES.

0$ IN THE WILD NORTH. * STRANGE CUSTOMS. (fSOJI oca •OB - COHRESPOKDEST.) SYDNEY, May 20. ' mcn know the Australian native '. V- 3 natur.il surroundings better than 'S tWiW 1 •> tlvcnt,urpr ' Ca P tain G - Wtfutiw, h 0 lias considerably added to ■ knowledge of them by his recent i e BOJourn in Northern Australia. t, as been collecting rare specimens f°flora and f:iuna on I,cn:illE of tiie ' Tiitish Museum, and has returned Brisbane, where many cases of C (imcns point to fruitful results of Ms journcjjnR 5 - Some of Captain Wilkins's experis tt cro outlined by him on his retnm to Bnsliane. Some of his time Ijjspont at Crocodile Island, lying'off ilic northern coast of Arnheim Land, (bat square shaped western arm of the folf of Caipentaria. Ho was accomLicd at this lime by a party of ' Mtircs, including the "king" of the mbo an<i "is three -wives—they were • vcn the title of the "royal ladies"— jfncl these "royal ladies" were Captain Wilkins's best helpers, because they brought jn more specimens than all the others combined. Tho natives -who minted these areas from the mainland TtPie;in Captain Wilkins's opinion, the Joivest type he had seen in Australia, jhey were divarfcd, and. of low mentalitjr, and their food, which was devoid of necessary fats, encouraged them (o indulge in cannibalistic habits. A mail who had worked about his camp. xms killed in a duel. His body was 'eaten, because it was" so fat. These people bad killed several white men, B nt in none of these eases was the body eaten.

'From CrDcodilc Island, Captain Wil- j Jdns travelled in a missionary lugger ! risrad the coast to Groote Island, in the ■, '(JuJf itself. Hero lie -was hospitably received by Church Missionary Society : workers. The island did not exhibit tropical conditions; the weather could hardly be considered tropical as com- , pATPd with other countries of similar latitude. Tho season was exeeption- ■ ally wet, and there had been more , than double the amount of the usual , rainfall, but the heat was never in-, tense, and conditions were never uncongenial for svhite people. JfThs blacks on Groote Island Lave teen in contact with Malay fishonhen ,for hundreds of years, and they have , adopted many'of tho Malays' customs, ■cthough there is little evidence of in- '*»" of Malaysian blood. The cast© , of features and habit of wearing point<cd' beards, and the generally lighter -colour led to tho belief that the blacks Javo an admixture of western blood, n>ut there is no eviddnce of the lank straight hair and peculiar physical typo D of the Malay. The Groote Islanders r,aro most suspicious of strangers, and jealous _of their women. Although My jmssionary workers have visitfcd 1 ikejslaud since 1916, and have lived Mhero regularly for months, the natives ! ' 4 „*cvcr allowed their women to approach gained tho confidence of the men, and ] -Jived for many days in their campatheir family life. The men ■peatly outnumbered the women! and but 2,0 !? D3Ua " y ,wd several wives, ,bnt the women were of, a poo r tvpe j, } *no natives we're rarely able to oh • 4sl < l D ™yj,y»m Mm hearts, and S 1 '"" T,' Wte °^ audl f °od as -th■XJ". coul 4,P.T°w.do,,.found their diet jWJiolesomo and.nourishing,,.../