Aboriginal Tasmanians: Their Life and Times

Aboriginal Tasmanians

"Tasmanian Aborigines" - Robert Dowling (1856-1857)

Aboriginal Tasmanians: Their Life and Times

From Papers read before the Royal Society of Tasmania during the years 1888 to 1899 by James Backhouse Walker, Member of the Council of the Royal Society of Tasmania and Vice-Chancellor of the Tasmanian Univerty

The estimates of the aboriginal population of Tasmania before the advent of Europeans vary very considerably. G. A. Robinson always maintained that, in 1804, the number of the aborigines was from 6000 to 8000. Captain Kelly, in his evidence before Colonel Arthur's Committee in 1830, estimated the native population at 5000; but he supposed that the number was still very great in the unsettled parts of the Colony, which we now know was not the case. On the other hand, Backhouse put the number as low as 700 to 1000. Dr. Milligan says: "Assuming that the number of tribes and sub-tribes throughout the territory was about twenty, and that each mustered, of men, women, and children, 50 to 250 individuals, and allowing them numbers proportioned to the means of subsistence within the limits of their respective hunting grounds, it does not appear probable that the aggregate aboriginal population did materially, if at all, exceed 2000."

A like uncertainty exists as to their tribal divisions. G. A. Robinson, in a speech made in Sydney in 1838, shortly after he had left Flinders Island, states "that he had necessarily learnt four languages to make himself understood by the natives generally. But, as regarded nations, he could truly say that the island was divided and subdivided by the natives into districts, and contained many nations. Their divisions he intended at some future time to point out, as he intended to execute a map of the island on aboriginal principles, with the aborigines' names for mountains, rivers, and districts."

Unfortunately, this map—if ever made—has been lost with the rest of Robinson's papers on the natives, and the information available is not sufficient to enable us to determine with any accuracy either the total number of the aborigines or the limits of the respective tribes.

In considering the question of their numbers, it must be borne in mind that the parts of Tasmania capable of affording subsistence to a hunting people were limited in area. The West Coast is shut off from the Centre and East—for long the only settled parts—by a wide region of mountain and forest, extending throughout the whole length of the island. In the dense forests covering a large part of this region, the heavy timber is tangled with an almost impenetrable undergrowth, in which scarcely any animal or bird is found to disturb the silence. Where the forest gives place to bare mountain peak or to so-called "plain", the "button-grass" * or the stunted scrub constituting the sole growth, is riot much more favourable to animal life. In places, wallaby and kangaroo are to be found, but, as a general rule, the "badger" (i.e., wombat) is the only game. It will be seen, therefore, that the native population was mainly confined to the sea coast, where they could obtain an abundant supply of shell-fish and crayfish, and to the lightly timbered and open lands of the central valley and of parts of the east and north-east, where opossum, wallaby, kangaroo, emu, and other game were more or less plentiful.

It appears that the blacks were accustomed to take considerable pains, by means of periodical burnings, to keep down the scrub and promote the growth of grass on their favourite hunting-grounds. Many open plains, especially in the north, which were formally known as favourite resorts of the blacks, subsequently became overgrown with forest through the discontinuance of these annual burnings.

They usually roamed the country in small groups or parties, probably composed of nearly related families living together. Their camps rarely contained more than 30 or 40 individuals—men, women, and children. At certain seasons of the year, however, large hunting parties were formed, in which the whole tribe, or possibly more than one tribe, joined forces to surround and drive the game. Such was, doubtless, the gathering of the Oyster Bay natives at Risdon in 1804, which was attended with such an unfortunate result. The number of natives, men and women, then engaged in driving the kangaroo, was variously stated at from 300 to 500, though it is probable that even the smaller number was an exaggerated estimate. Captain Kelly, in his evidence before the Committee, says that he saw a mob of 300 at Brown's River in 1806, and about a dozen instances of mobs numbering from 150 to 300 are reported between 1804 and 1826; but all these statements must be taken with considerable allowance for exaggeration.

The natives were in the habit of visiting the coast in the winter, it is said between June and October, though some of the tribes in the interior may not have had access to the sea. Certain tribes must have lived on the coast almost constantly. Knopwood says that he had understood that the natives cross the country from east to west in the month of March; this would apply to the East Coast tribes only. Upon a consideration of the scanty available evidence and all the surrounding circumstances, we may reject as exaggerated the conjectural guesses of 7000, or even 5000, as the original number of the natives. We may accept as the best approximation to the truth that we are likely to obtain, Dr. Milligan's more moderate estimate that the total aboriginal population of Tasmania did not at any time exceed 2000 souls.

Of the tribal organization of the aborigines practically nothing is known, and the limits of the tribal divisions cannot be laid down with any approach to certainty. O.. A. Robinson and other writers use the word "tribe" with a good deal of laxity. Sometimes it is used to designate a small sub-tribe living in one community—e.g., the Macquarie Harbour tribe, numbering 30 souls only—sometimes to indicate a whole group—e.g., the Oyster Bay and Big River tribes, which included several sub-tribes and a considerable population. As the whole group in some cases took its name from a prominent sub-tribe (e.g., Oyster Bay), it is often doubtful whether the group or the sub-tribe is intended.

G. W. Walker says that the members of the same "tribe" spoke of each other as "brother" and "sister". Kelly, in his Boat expedition, 1815-16, says that the chief, Laman-bunganah, at Ringarooma Point, on the North-East Coast, told him that he was at war with his "brother" Tolo-bunganah, a powerful chief at Eddystone Point, on the East Coast. The term translated "brother" must therefore have had a wide application, being used with relation to tribes or sub-tribes which were hostile, as well as to those which were friendly.

In 1830, Robinson stated that he had been in communication with sixteen "tribes". As this was long after many of the native hunting-grounds had been invaded by the whites, and the original tribal organization had consequently, been much disturbed, it is probable that the number of tribes was originally greater. As we have seen, Milligan conjecturally puts the number at twenty. Although Robinson dignifies the tribes with the name of "nations", they were known to the settlers by the designation of "mobs". This conveys a more correct idea of their numerical strength, which, in many tribes, was as low as 30, and probably in no case exceeded 200, or at most 250.

These "mobs" or sub-tribes group themselves into several broad divisions, more properly deserving the name of "tribes". In these larger divisions separate languages or dialects were spoken, the vocabularies of which were widely different, as appears from Milligan's Vocabulary. Minor differences of dialect must have been numerous, for Robert Clark, the catechist, states that on his arrival at the Flinders' Settlement in 1834, eight or ten different languages or dialects were spoken amongst the 200 natives then at the establishment, and that the blacks were "instructing each other to speak their respective tongues."

Robinson, as already cited, says that there were four main languages. Of these, Milligan gives us the vocabularies of three; viz.:—(1) South; (2) West and North-West; and (3) East Coast. To these we may add, (4) North-East tribes.

North-West and Western Tribes

The natives on the west of the island must have been mainly confined to the sea coast, where they could draw their support from the sea, the country inland being generally unsuitable for game. Kelly, whose boat voyage was made at midsummer, 1815, found natives at various places all along the coast, from a point opposite the Maatsuyker Islands off the south coast to beyond Cape Grim in the north-west. From the nature of the country we may conclude that those to the east of South-West Cape belonged to the Western tribes rather than to the Southern group established at Recherche Bay. They were bold enough to cross to the Maatsuykers, which lie three miles out from the main, for Flinders, in 1798, noticed with surprise that the scrub on the largest island had been burnt. There was a small tribe at Port Davey, and another at Macquarie Harbour, which (according to Stokes and Backhouse) numbered some thirty souls only. The latter had canoes of bark in which they crossed the harbour. They made an attack on Kelly's party.

At Trial Harbour, near Mount Heemskirk, there are very large extensive shell mounds. Further north, on the Pieman and Arthur Rivers, there were either one or two tribes, probably near the coast, though here there are occasional tracts which would support game. In 1832 Robinson speaks of four tribes, numbering collectively 100 souls, between Port Davey and Cape Grim. It is not clear whether he meant to include the Cape Grim natives. The latter were a strong and fierce tribe. In 1815 Kelly fell in with a mob of 50 on the largest of the Hunters' group, i.e., Robbins Island. They made a fierce attack on his party. It is said that the natives visited all the islands of the Hunters' Group by swimming, no doubt with the help of logs or canoes. They probably reached Albatross Island, seeing that they had a name for it, Tangatema. Though the mainland is in many places densely timbered, there are open downs at Woolnorth and other spots where game would be fairly plentiful.

There were tribes at Circular Head and at Emu Bay. Most of the hinterland was covered with dense, almost impenetrable, forest, but the high downs of the Hampshire and Surrey Hills and Middlesex Plains were favourite resorts. Other patches of open country at intervals would probably afford to these tribes the means of inland communication with their kinsmen on the west, as well as the more circuitous route by the coast. These open spaces were formally more numerous, being kept clear by burning. Many of them have become overgrown with timber since the removal of the natives.

Hobs (Boat Voyage, 1824) says that the natives travelled along the coast between Circular Head and Port Sorell, keeping the country burnt for that purpose. This group of tribes may possibly have extended as far east as Port Sorell, though the Port Sorell blacks were more probably connected with the Port Dalrymple tribe.

Kelly (Evidence, Aboriginal Committee) states that the West Coast natives were a finer race than the tribes in the interior, and had no intercourse with them. The southern and western groups appear to have been quite isolated from those on the eastern side of the island.