12 ANTHJU)POLOGICA.L GONSIDKKATIONS Oi" Q UEENSL AlVD. 



it its aame In 1779 Flinders (30) visited Bribie Island, 

 Moreton Bay. but did not apparently come acros- any 

 natives at that time. 



To John Oxley, Surveyor General, we owe the discovery; 

 of the Brisbane River in 1823. Four years later H.M.tS. 

 '■ Rainbow " was the first war-ship to put in an appearance^ 

 and in 1837 Petrie and his family arrived by the "Jan. 

 Watt," the first steamer, so we are told, which ever entered 

 what ace now Queensland waters. 



With the arrival of tlie carl_\- |)ioMeei-s the history of 

 Queensland l*>thnographv began. Their records and 

 observations are so intimately connected with the natives 

 and their wavs that it would be impossil)le to separate 

 them even if we desired to do so, and though we only get a 

 ghmpse here and there, we find much corroborativ^e 

 evidence \\ hich is of the greatest possible value in enabUng 

 us to get a true perspective of the primitive race. J»ut 

 much as we naturally value the recorded oJjservations of 

 the early pioneers, it is nevertheless still necessary to issue 

 a note of warning, since it is imperative that we take with 

 caution statements, etc., conclusions of early .settlers and 

 explorers — many of whom possessed no knowledge of 

 native ways and thought, and whose wrong interpretations 

 might consequently result in wrong deductions. Then 

 again there is the question of language, tlie writing and 

 spelling of native names and the difficulty of catching 

 accurate sound and placing it on pape>'. Only those who 

 have been constantly in touch with simihar efforts of 

 settlers and others in lecent years can have any idea of 

 the recurring danger to which a science of this kind is 

 constantly subject. Imagine the hopeless muddle of any- 

 one trying to expound social customs apjx^rtaining to terms 

 of relationship gauged by th(^ same stand a id to which we 

 ourselves have always been accustf)med. For instance, 

 by "■ Fathei- " the native understands every man of the 

 totem to which the young man's father belongs, and in 

 addressing one such, it is customary to call him " Father,"" 

 and the same with " Mother." A lad will f)oint out 

 .seveial women and tell you that they are all his mothers, 

 and (juite correctly so according to hi.s definition of the 

 word. »S«). likewise, all women belonging to the .same totem; 



