We conclude our series with the sad situation faced by all indigenous peoples, but we can all help change it.
NOTE: **The racist language and comments of the following account in no way reflect the views of this blog. We are just illustrating the injustices of the past on the indigenous people of Australia. Please treat it as a historical document showing the viewpoint that existed at that time in the 1800s.
We continue on from our previous post of how the Australian concept of “mate” probably evolved and cover the interesting concept of the safety of the peecheree. The following is the last extract from a historical document written in the 1800s.
“Kennedy, who was murdered on the Kennedy River (by blacks), was carried by two black boys for seventeen days. One of the boys was murdered; the other escaped and planted his master’s diary. He got to Cape York where a schooner was waiting for the exploring party, but directly he went on board, he was put in irons for killing his master: but after he had taken them to the place where is master was killed, and got them the diary, they found the last entry in it was, “I am saved by Tom.” As soon as this boy got the chance he bolted into the bush, as he thought he had been badly treated. He was soon after killed by some (other) blacks in that neighborhood.
As far as intellect goes there is no doubt these blacks possess it. Take for example their knowledge of extracting poisons from plants, and converting them into food, as a proof they possess reasoning faculties, thought not perhaps of a high order**. When you think bold men like Burke and Wills, who though accompanied by practical botanists, yet perished in the midst of plenty, as has been proved, you cannot but admire the natives of Australia. Love of their country too is only bounded by their lives.
The Safety Of The Peecheree
When Western Australia was explored it was known that there was a scarcity of food there. Many of the native police have perished when tracking the blacks in these districts; and it was thought at first the the blacks never wanted food; but it was discovered that they obtained as much nourishment from a mouthful of peecheree as kept them for a day.
This peecheree is much prized by all the blacks, and no matter the enmity may be between the tribes, when they come to the peecheree country they are friends, and as long as they are there they are safe as it is possible for them to be.
The blacks in central Australia, where food is scarce, have a curious custom. Every child that is born, if not healthy, is killed and eaten, and it rests with the whole tribe whether a child shall live or not. By this means, if the season is bad, or if there is a drought, all they have to do is to say all the children born during the next four moons shall die; the consequence is the whole of Western Australia consists of small tribes, with an average of forty fighting men.
Mr. Johnstone, in concluding, stated that he had only given a brief outline of some of the habits of the blacks; but hoped the facts stated might be of interest as fresh and authentic reminiscences of some rough personal experiences, and of a miserable race that is rapidly becoming extinct.”
Reading between the lines there was at least some measure of respect for the indigenous peoples of Australia that time. It is sad but this whole story is illustrative of the plight that indigenous peoples still face today. The legacy of their knowledge of plants, medicines and their culture and love of the environment and nature have unfortunately been lost forever.
This series was dedicated to my primary school best mate Dennis – the smartest kid in the class despite what the teachers said. “Even as a child I knew the teachers where wrong when they said I should not be friends with you mate just because you were Aboriginal”.
No one is inferior. Labels are invented by people to devalue human life so that they can feel comfortable inflicting unspeakable crimes based on fear and misunderstanding.
You may also like -
About Danny Sheehan
Danny lives in Hong Kong but is originally from Australia. He is Married to Maggie and together they have two children with whom they enjoy sharing and enjoying an exciting life with daily. Danny's passions are freedom, adventure and discovery, mainly in nature and science but also spiritually. He is a great believer in living in the NOW.
More about Danny Sheehan
Amazing Discoveries