PAPUAN CULTURE ON CAPE YORK PENINSULA.— HAMLYN -HARRIS. 11 



the nearest of all to the Papuans, have never, since history has given a record 

 of them, copied the bow and arrow from the Papuans, although used on all the 

 Torres Straits islands. The islanders used both the bow and arrow of Papua 

 and the woomera and woomera spear of the mainland aboriginal, but the mainland 

 men copied nothing from the islanders, their sole weapon being the woomera 

 spear, the nulla and the boomerang being unknown. Nor did they use any 

 shield, all parrying being done with the woomera. ' ' I think it is fairly evident, 

 from a study of the objects of presumed exotic culture, that the Papuan 

 infiltration had taken place within comparatively recent times, and may be 

 traced to the time when the Papuans were first employed on the Barrier Reef 

 in the beche-de-mer and pearl-shell fisheries. 6 



That these Papuans should fraternise with the mainland natives on 

 various parts of the coast was only to be expected, and we may be' sure that 

 intercourse must have taken place very frequently ; hence we find the introduction 

 of the hour-glass pattern in weaving, vegetable pigments used in addition to 

 mineral pigments, plait-work with pandanus, vegetable ornamental strands made 

 with dendrobium. 7 Ear-boring was indulged in, widow basket caps, bamboo 

 tobacco pipes 8 were introduced, and alterations in hut construction 9 became 

 apparent. 



Drills and reversible adzes were found more convenient. The wearing 

 of the Conus shell for personal adornment and the hole in the bailer shell 10 for 

 carrying purposes all testify to outside influence. The same may be said of the 

 use of feather-work and initiation masks, and the utility of the sucker-fish in 

 hunting other fish did not fail to attract their attention. Evidence, however, is 

 not quite so strong in support of the pineapple club, or the comb used at Princess 



Gf. W. E. Both, North Queensland Ethnography, Bull. 14, paragraph 11. 



7 Gf. W. E. Both, North Queensland Ethnography, Bull. 15. 



8 The tobacco pipe in Northern Queensland deserves here a short notice. There are 

 several of these in the collections of the Queensland Museum, and, except in those cases where 

 they are undoubtedly immigrants from New Guinea, they represent a very rough type of poor 

 workmanship. Though sometimes made of bamboo they are frequently manufactured from 

 the stem of a hollow or hollowed-out branch, one end of which is closed with gum and bored 

 with two holes as in the New Guinea pipes, and used in the same way. Several kinds of weeds 

 as well as bamboo segments are smoked. Pipes of this type come from the Cape York 

 Peninsula. We have in our collection, however, one specimen, closed at both ends, which is 

 said to have come from the locality of Moreton: donor, Mr. A. Haly. This specimen 

 (QE 14/572), which is 540 mm. in length, may have been transported there. Another 

 interesting specimen is a bamboo tobacco pipe made by the Bussell Biver blacks, and was 

 collected some years ago by Mr. Henry Tryon at Green Hills, Cairns district. Its length is 

 678 mm. (Q. M. Specimen No. QE 14/570.) An elaborately carved specimen, ornamented 

 with a typical New Guinea design and marked as coming from Cape York, is really an introduced 

 type which has been somewhat knocked about and mended again by means of some sort of cloth 

 and gum cement. This specimen, No. QE 14/569, is 554 mm. in length. 



9 Cf. W. E. Both, N.Q.E., Bull. 16. 

 10 Cymbium flammeum, Bolt. 



