Customs, Rites, and Superstitions of the 

 Aboriginal Tribes of the Gulf of Car- 

 pentaria, ^wiTH A Vocabulary. 



By W. G, Strettox, Special Magistrate, Borroloola, Is^orthern 



Territory. 



(Communicated by E. C. Stirling, M.D., F.R.S.) 



The customs, rites, and superstitions of the tribes of natives 

 inhabiting those portions of the Gulf of Carpentaria traversed 

 by the Roper, Limmen, McArthur, Pvobinson and Calvert Rivers, 

 as well as the islands comprising the Sir Edward Pellew group, 

 differ in a very great measure from those of the more inland 

 tribes. This is attributable to their long intercourse with the 

 Malay trepang- fishers. That intercourse with some foreign 

 people existed nearly a century ago is proved by the records of 

 Matthew Flinders, Commander of H.M.S. Investigator, who, 

 during his survey of this coast in 1802, speaks of the existence- 

 of relics left by such people on the Sir Edward Pellew group 

 of islands. Probably these were Malays, who still visit our 

 Northern coast every year for the purpose of gathering 

 trepang. It is not my intention to go further into the 

 history of these Malays or their trepang fishing, as the 

 subject has been fully treated by Mr. Alfred Searcy, Sub- 

 Collector of Customs at Port Darwin ; but I briefly mention 

 this fact, as T shall show further on that some of the peculiarities 

 of these particular tribes are due to long intercourse with a foreign 

 people. I have had great opportunities of studying the customs 

 and idiosyncracies of the native tribes of Nortliern Australia, 

 having been a resident in its tropical region for twenty-three 

 years and, since my residence in this particular locality, I have 

 been much impressed with the importance of writing a record of 

 them ; although incompetent to do so myself, I shall have 

 very much pleasure in assisting in the research. I have appended 

 hereto a long list of the various tribes on, and about, the before- 

 mentioned rivers. The dialect used in all cases is that of the 

 tribe located at Borroloola, this being the native name of this 

 township, which is situated on the west bank of the McArthur 

 River, and southwards from the coast al^out fifty miles. The 

 name of this tribe is Leeanuwa. 



The Malay cast of feature is very pronounced, and there ai-e at 

 the present time several half-castes. The face is much sharper 

 than that of the usual native type; the flat nose, so characteristic 



