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CHILDREN OF WILD AUSTRALIA

[Illustration: BOY SPEARING FISH]




CHILDREN OF WILD AUSTRALIA

BY

HERBERT PITTS

AUTHOR OF
"THE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH"

[Illustration: Decoration]

WITH EIGHT COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS

EDINBURGH AND LONDON
OLIPHANT, ANDERSON & FERRIER


PRINTED BY
TURNBULL AND SPEARS,
EDINBURGH


                   TO
            DEAR LITTLE MARY
            THIS LITTLE BOOK
                 ABOUT
     THE LITTLE BLACK BOYS AND GIRLS
           OF A FAR-OFF LAND
            IS DEDICATED BY
              HER FATHER




MY DEAR BOYS AND GIRLS,

All the time I have been writing this little book I have been wishing I
could gather you all around me and take you with me to some of the
places in faraway Australia where I myself have seen the little black
children at their play. You would understand so much better all I have
tried to say.

It is a bright sunny land where those children live, but in many ways a
far less pleasant land to live in than our own. The country often grows
very parched and bare, the grass dies, the rivers begin to dry up, and
the poor little children of the wilderness have great difficulty in
getting food. Then perhaps a great storm comes and a great quantity of
rain falls. The rivers fill up and the grass begins to grow again, but
myriads of flies follow and they get into the children's eyes and
perhaps blind some of them, and the mosquitoes come and bite them and
give them fevers sometimes.

Yet though much of the land is wilderness--bare, sandy plains--beautiful
flowers bloom there after the rains. Lovely hibiscus, the giant scarlet
pea, and thousands of delicate white and yellow everlastings are there
for the eyes to feast upon, but the loveliest flowers of all are
frequently the love and tenderness and unselfishness which bloom in the
children's hearts.

I have left Australia now and settled down again in the old homeland,
but the memories of the eight years I spent among the dear little
children out there are still very delightful ones, and they, more than
anything I have read, have helped me to write this little book for you.

Your Sincere friend,

HERBERT PITTS

DOUGLAS, I.O.M., 1914




CONTENTS

CHAP.                                               PAGE
      INTRODUCTORY LETTER                              7

   I. INTRODUCTORY                                    11

  II. PICCANINNIES                                    17

 III. "GREAT-GREAT-GREATEST-GRANDFATHER"              23

  IV. BLACKFELLOWS' "HOMES"                           26

   V. EDUCATION                                       31

  VI. WEAPONS, ETC., WHICH CHILDREN LEARN TO
        MAKE AND USE                                  35

 VII. HOW FOOD IS CAUGHT AND COOKED                   40

VIII. CORROBBOREES, OR NATIVE DANCES                  44

  IX. MAGIC AND SORCERY                               47

   X. SOME STRANGE WAYS OF DISPOSING OF THE DEAD      56

  XI. SOME STORIES WHICH ARE TOLD TO CHILDREN         60

 XII. MORE STORIES TOLD TO CHILDREN                   65

XIII. RELIGION                                        68

 XIV. YARRABAH                                        72

  XV. TRUBANAMAN CREEK                                79

