KINSHIP AND SOCIETY 1907 - 1908
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 35
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1907
Title: Beitrage zur Ethnographie der Australier
Journal: Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft
Volume: 27
Pages: 18-38
Keywords: Art – Body painting
Body mutilation
Body scars
Ceremonies - Trade & exchange
Cooking & eating
Costume - Armbands, bracelets etc.
Costume – Belts
Costume - Cloaks & coats
Costume - Headbands
Costume - Necklaces, pendants etc.
Costume - Nose pegs & piercing
Costume & clothing
Dance – Ceremonial
Finger amputation
Fishing - Fish hooks
Hearths, ovens, fireplaces etc.
Housing (Bark, grass shelters, etc.)
Intergroup relations & protocol
Recreation - games
Sorcery – divination
Technology – Bags
Technology - Stone implements / tools - Axes, hatchets etc.
Technology - Stone implements / tools - Blades & points
Technology - Stone implements / tools – Grindstones
Technology - Stone implements / tools – Knives
Technology - Wooden implements / tools - Digging sticks
Technology - Wooden implements / tools - Fire sticks
Tooth avulsion
Water transport – canoes
Water transport – rafts
Weapons – Boomerangs
Weapons – Clubs
Weapons – Shields
Weapons – Spears
Weapons – Spearthrower
Weapons – Spearthrower making
Abstract: 'Contributions to the Ethnography of the Australians' (transl.)
is one of nine articles Mathews published in German. It appeared in
Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft, a leading anthropological
journal published in Vienna. While Mathews seems to have had a basic
knowledge of French and German, there is no evidence that he could write
professionally in either language. Although no translator is credited in any
of the German articles, the existence of translator's comments in the
published footnotes establish conclusively that someone other than the
author translated the text from English into German. In 2004 the published
article was translated back into English by Christine Winter for inclusion
in the Mirranen Archive. 'Beitrage zur Ethnographie der Australier' is an
unusual and important article. Running to more than 11,000 words, it is his
longest foreign-language publication. The general theme is material culture,
but it is very different to the bulk of Mathews' writings on this subject,
which typically consist of taxonomic descriptions of particular categories
of artefact (weapons, bullroarers, message sticks, etc). This article is
very much concerned with material culture in its social context. Mathews
gives fascinating information on subjects ranging from manufacture of tools
to games and other recreational pastimes in Aboriginal camps. He states on
the opening page that all information 'is the result of my own observations
and visits to natives of various districts'. This said, some observations
are drawn from the work of other authors including contributors to E. M.
Curr's The Australian Race (1886). The article is organised under various
sub-headings. 'Piercing of the nasal septum' describes the method of nasal
piercing and the types of ornamentation worn. 'Extraction of teeth'
describes the areas in which this custom is observed. 'Amputation of
phalanges' describes the amputation of fingers. Mathew describes the areas
in which this tradition is practised and the method by which it is done.
Typically a string made from thick spider's web is wound around the end of
the digit, blocking circulation. 'Mirimbirbirri or scar drawing' describes
methods of scarification. 'Dried hands as amulets' describes how dehydrated
human hands are worn in parts of New South Wales and Victoria. Mathews
describes beliefs associated with the wearing of hands. 'Canoes' discusses
the manufacture of bark canoes in various parts of Australia. 'Rafts'
discusses the manufacture of rafts in various parts of Australia. 'Camps and
dwellings' describes various forms of shelter. 'Body painting' describes
materials used for bodily decoration on ceremonial occasions. 'Corroborees'
describes the dance and song traditions of these inter-tribal gatherings.
'Games and entertainment' describes various types of ball and throwing
games. 'Weapons describes the manufacture and use of spears, wommeras,
shields, clubs, axes and various types of boomerangs. Utensils describes the
manufacture and use of yam sticks, stone knives, chisels, containers, 'prickers'
(used for pricking or drilling), bags, calabashes and fishing hooks.
'Fire-making' describes methods of ignition. 'Cooking' describes forms of
camp oven and miscellaneous culinary methods. 'Clothing and adornments'
deals with fur cloaks, blankets, necklaces, headbands, armbands and belts or
girdles. 'Trading' describes the exchange of artifacts or raw materials at
intercommunal gatherings. Mathews promises at the beginning of the paper
that the 'geographic spread of the individual custom is in every case
fixed', but does not always explain the exact geographical locations of many
of these customs. Even so, the close observations of camp life in Aboriginal
communities make this article especially valuable. Although the bulk of this
article had not been previously published, a few paragraphs were replicated
from 'Stone Cooking-Holes and Grooves for Stone-Grinding used by the
Australian Aborigines' (1896).
Notes: TRIBES
1. Wirraidyuir (Wiradjuri).
2. Thurrawal.
3. Darkinung.
4. Inhabitants of the Mitchell, Palmer and Walsh rivers of the Cape York
Peninsula.
5. 'Wide Bay blacks'.
6. Coastal tribes of New South Wales and Queensland.
7. The 'natives in the vicinity of Sydney'.
8. Wongaibon
9. Murawarri.
10. Ugumba (Ngeumba) tribe.
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Southeast Coast of New South Wales.
2. The whole of New South Wales and Victoria, also in Queensland, South
Australia and in the Northern Territory.
3. Western Australia.
4. Central and western regions of Australia.
5. Central and northern parts of Victoria.
6. Coastal New South Wales and the interior.
7. Mary, Dawson and other rivers in southern Queensland.
8. Parts of New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western
Australia.
9. Area from Port Hacking down to the Shoalhaven River.
10. Juross (Tuross) River to the Manning River.
11. Brisbane to Gympie in Queensland.
12. Albert and Tweed rivers.
13. Halifax Bay.
14. Fraser Island.
15. Daly River, Northern Territory.
16. Beagle Bay in Western Australia.
17. Gippsland, Victoria.
18. Pyalong, Victoria.
19. Mildura, Victoria.
20. Maitland.
21. Williams River, New South Wales.
22. Dungog.
23. Shoalhaven River.
24. Lachlan River, New South Wales.
25. Cape York Peninsula
26. Port Darwin and other northern parts of Australia.
27. Malayan archipelago and New Guinea.
28. Hawkesbury, Shoalhaven and some other big rivers, the shores of which
consisted of Hawkesbury sandstone.
29. Mitchell, Palmer and Walsh rivers of the Cape York Peninsula.
30. Wide Bay.
31. Area between Mitchell River and Cape York.
32. Sturt Creek and Victoria River in the Northern Territory.
33. From the Western Australian border, through the Northern Territory and
into Queensland.
34. Victoria River and in the Northern Territory.
35. Coastal districts of New South Wales, from Sydney southwards.
36. Vicinity of Sydney.
37. Moulamein, Swan Hill, Balranald and other nearby places.
38. Culgoa River.
39. Darling River in the region of Brewarrina.
40. Bogan River.
41. Nyngan.
42. Willandra Billabong.
43. Lachlan River.
44. Murrumbidgu (Murrumbidgee) River.
INFORMANTS
Nil.
CORRESPONDENTS
1. Communication with the late Edward Palmer (21).
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. Earlier contributions published by the Anthropological Society of Vienna.
2. Has discussed 'mutilations connected with circumcision and the splitting
of the urethra for men' in earlier publications (18).
3. 'Die Multyerra-Initiationszeremonie', Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen
Gesellschaft, vol. 34, 1904.
4. 'Some Initiation Ceremonies of the Aborigines of Victoria', Zeitschrift
für Ethnologie, vol. 37, 1905.
5. 'The Bunan Ceremony of New South Wales', American Anthropologist, vol. 9,
1896.
6. 'The Toara Ceremony of the Dippil Tribes of Queensland', American
Anthropologist, vol. 2 (new series), 1900.
7. Talk to the Royal Society of New South Wales on 5 October 1904, published
as 'Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and
Victoria', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales,
vol. 38, 1904.
8. Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and
Victoria, Sydney, 1905.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
P. 257 of ‘Stone Cooking-Holes and Grooves for Stone-Grinding used by the
Australian Aborigines’ (1896) was the original for the description of
cooking using rocks.
Author Address:
Bibliographical details checked - MT
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 112
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1907
Title: Notes on some Aboriginal Tribes
Journal: Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South
Wales
Volume: 41
Pages: 67-87
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: This article is predominantly concerned with kinship and
marriage customs. It contains data from different parts of Australia. There
is discussion of the Arranda and Chingalee tribes from Central Australia.
There is also some material on the Ngeumba people who live in the Brewarrina
area of New South Wales. Mathews states that he has not personally visited
Arranda country. Information was provided by 'persons who went out to the
mineral fields, from managers of cattle and horse stations, from telegraph
operators, the police and others; all of whom have resided in that district
for many years'. Mathews did make visits to the Ngeumba people of Brewarrina,
although he also had correspondents in the area who assisted with the
collection of ethnographic data. The article argues that amongst the Arranda
people, descent in the kinship system is determined matrilineally. Mathews
also claims that there is no absolute law of exogamy as traditionally
described by anthropologists. His argument concerning matrilineal descent
rebuts the views of W. Baldwin Spencer and F. J. Gillen, and also those of
Rev L. Schultze. He writes that although ceremonial functions and rights to
land may be handed down from father to son, there is no evidence of paternal
descent in the marriage customs. He includes genealogical tables which list
the names and sections of Arranda, Chingalee and Ngeumba people over three
generations. Mathews dismisses Spencer and Gillen's claim that a man can
never marry a woman of his own totem. He also criticises Spencer and Gillen
for their neglect of his own work. The policeman W. H. Willshire, who had
corresponded with Mathews, is taken to task for using the name 'Central
Australia'. The article concludes with minor corrections of 'Sociology of
some Australian Tribes' (1905) and 'Australian Divisional Systems' (1898).
Notes: TRIBES
1. Arranda
2. Chingalee
3. Kamilaroi
4. Barkunjee
5. Wiradjuri
6. Wombaia
7. Nguemba
8. Inchalanchee
9. Warramonga
10. Binbingha
11. Chauan
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Powells Creek
2. Alice Springs
3. Daly Waters
INFORMANTS
1. 'persons who went out to the mineral fields, from managers of cattle and
horse stations, from telegraph operators, the police and others; all of whom
have resided in that district for many years' (67).
2. 'from one of my most capable correspondents, residing in that locality'
(69). This correspondent supplied the following names in the genealogical
table:
• Paul
• Helena
• Moses
• Sophia
• Peter
• Rebecca
• Nathaniel
• Maria
3. 'another competent correspondent' (70).
4. Correspondent who reported on Chingalee tribe (72). The following
individuals were named in the genealogical table:
• Long Dick
• Minnie
• Long Tommy
• His wife
• Harry
• First wife
• Second wife
• Jacob
• Daisy
5. 'correspondents in the Northern Territory' (73).
6. 'I am supplying the names of my native informants [in the table]' (78):
• Jack Onze
• Nellie Onze
• Tom Draper
• Nanny Draper
• Jack Charlton
• Mary Charlton
• Tom Keegan
• Norah Keegan
• Jack Trap
• Kitty Trap
• Billy Coleman
• Maryann Coleman
• Steve Shaw
• Susie Shaw
• Harry Sheppard
• Nellie Sheppard
• Jack Sheppard
• Fanny Sheppard
• Jack Murray
• Judy Murray
7. 'The following Chingalee natives with whom my correspondents are
personally acquainted:
• Charlie
• David
• Lucy
• Jack
• Jumbuck
• Micky
• Mary
• Jim Miller
7. European correspondents who are personally acquainted with Chingalee
natives (83-4).
8. 'capable correspondents who have resided a number of years in the region
occupied by the various branches of the Chingalee tribe' (84). The following
informants were described by their English names 'by which they are known to
the European residents of the district.'
CORRESPONDENTS
Nil reference by name.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 1898 article to American Philosophical Society on Arranda intermarrying
laws, which stated that descent was through the females (68).
2. 1900 article in American Anthropologist with table of eight intermarrying
sections (70).
3. Articles on social organisation of Barkunjee and Kamilaroi (74).
4. Articles on social structure of Barkunjee, Kamilaroi and Chingalee (75).
5. 1904 article on sociology of Nguemba tribe contributed to Royal Society
of New South Wales (see 'other notes') (77).
6. Article on Nguemba divisions, contributed to Royal Society of New South
Wales (77).
7. 1898 article on Inchalanchee name sets, contributed to Royal Society of
New South Wales (83).
CROSS REFERENCES
Correction is made to 'Sociology of Some Australian Tribes' (1905). On page
120, line 25, Butha should read Ippatha. On lines 28 and 29 of the same page
Butha and Ippatha should be transposed.
'Australian Divisional Systems' (1898) contained an error in the table on
page 84 concerning the Koogobathy tribe on the Mitchell River, North
Queensland. Corrections are given. He states: 'In the Koogabathy tribe, the
descent of the children is in all cases through the mothers.'
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
‘Sociologie de la tribu des Chingalee du territoire septentrional’ (1907)
‘The Sociology of the Arranda and Chingalee Tribes (Northern Territory
Australia)’ (1908)
Reference Type: Book**
Record Number: 117
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1907
Title: Notes on the Aborigines of New South Wales
City: Sydney
Publisher: Government Printer of New South Wales
Number of Pages: 40
Keywords: Avenging
Ceremonies - initiation
Ceremonial objects - Bullroarers
Fishing - fish weirs
Music - vocal
Rock art
Sand and ground designs
Stories & motifs
Technology - implements/tools
Tree carvings
Weapons
Abstract: This is a forty-page booklet aimed at a general audience.
It was published by the New South Wales Government Printer and in the main
it replicates material covered in earlier publications. The text is
organised under eleven headings. 'Sociology of the Ngeumba Tribe' describes
the kinship and marriage customs of the Ngeumba people who live in the
vicinity of Brewarrina in northwest New South Wales. Mathews describes how
the communities is organised into moieties and sections. He also describes
the 'blood' and 'shade' divisions which also influence betrothals. He had
previously written about this in Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes
of New South Wales and Victoria (1905) and other publications. The section
headed 'The Bora of the Kamilaroi Tribes' replicates the account of the male
initiation ceremony at 'Tallwood' in 1895. Mathews had visited the site of
this ceremony and written about it in 'The Bora of the Kamilaroi Tribes'
(1896). Much of the text here replicates the earlier article, however the
two illustrations are new. They consist of a map of the bora encampment and
a plate showing 54 tree carvings and ground designs […]. The carvings and
designs are described in explanatory notes. The section titled 'Aboriginal
Weapons, & c.' describes 35 artifacts used by the Kutthung of Port Stephens
and adjacent tribes. The spears, shields, boomerangs, etc. are illustrated
in two photographic plates which were supplied by Mathews' friend W. J.
Enright who had previously reproduced them in articles published by the
Royal Society of New South Wales. Sections titled 'Aboriginal Rock
Paintings' and 'Aboriginal Rock Carvings' contain illustrations and
descriptions of rock art sites from the Sydney region. Most, if not all, had
previously been described in Mathews' earlier rock art publications. A
section titled 'The Yaroma: a Legend' recounts a story concerning a large
creature capable of eating whole men. This is followed by a section headed 'Pirrimbir,
or Avenging Expedition'. Mathews has previously written on these subjects in
Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and Victoria
(1905). In 'Australian Folk-tales' (1909) he revealed that the Yaroma story
was told by the Jirringan (Dyirringan) tribe. The section titled 'Bull-roarers
used by the Aborigines' describes the sacred instruments used at
initiations. The text as well as the illustrative plate is duplicated from
Mathews' article 'Bullroarers used by the Australian Aborigines' (1897). The
section titled 'Aboriginal Songs at Initiation Ceremonies' gives the lyrics
and musical notation of 'certain sacred songs' from the South Coast of New
South Wales. Mathews had previously published this material in 'The Thoorga
Language' (1901-02). The section titled 'Some Curious Beliefs' recounts
various beliefs concerning animals and the afterlife. Mathews also describes
a practice in which the shriveled hand of a deceased person is carried as a
charm against evil. The final section of the booklet is titled 'The
Aboriginal Fisheries at Brewarrina'. This description of the Aboriginal
weirs on the Barwon River includes a map and a photograph of the site. All
were previously published in 'The Aboriginal Fisheries at Brewarrina'
(1903).
Notes: TRIBES
1. Nguemba
2. Wongaibon
3. Kurnu
4. Kamilaroi
5. Pikumbil
6. Yualeai
7. Shoalhaven tribes
8. Wiradjuri
9. Kutthung
10. Thoorga
11. Wiradthuri
12. Parnkalla
13. Dyirringan
14. Nimbaldi
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Brewarrina
2. Darling River
3. Bogan River
4. Nyngan
5. Cobar
6. Byrock
7. Mulga Creek
8. Tallwood QLD
9. Count of Carnarvon QLD
10. Redbank Creek QLD
11. Weir River QLD
12. Goondiwindi QLD
13. Welltown QLD
14. Kunopia QLD
15. Meroc QLD
16. St. George QLD
17. Moogan Mungindi QLD
18. Gundabloui QLD
19. Shoalhaven River
20. Manning River
21. Gulf of Carpentaria
22. Chasm Island
23. Port Jackson
24. Parish of Wareng
25. County of Hunter
26. Parish of Macdonald
27. Tollagong
28. Macdonald River
29. Botany Bay
30. Wisemans Ferry
31. Parramatta'
32. Parish of Frederick
33. Mangrove Creek
34. Hawkesbury River
35. Bantry Bay
36. Manly Cove
37. Peats Ferry Road
38. Narooma
39. County of Dampier
40. Adelaide SA
41. Port Lincoln SA
42. Macquarie River
43. Bogan River
44. Culgoa River
45. Clarence River
46. Richmond River
47. Bulli
INFORMANTS
1. 'my young friend Mr. W. J. Enright' (see 'other notes') (19).
2. 'two old aboriginals' (27).
3. Mr. W. W. Froggart (?), who 'courteously lent' Mathews a bullroarer (31).
CORRESPONDENTS
1. Mr. W. J. Enright
ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Drawing - Plan of Bora Camp (6).
2. Drawing - Tree Carvings and Ground Drawings at Bora Camp (9).
3. Plate (photograph?) - Aboriginal Weapons (20). Plate supplied by Mr. W.
J. Enright (20).
4. Plate (photograph?) - Aboriginal Weapons (22). Plate supplied by Mr. W.
J. Enright (22).
5. Drawing - Aboriginal Rock Carvings (25).
6. Drawing - Plan of the Ngunnhu or Native Fish Traps in the Darling River
at Brewarrina (39).
7. Photograph - Photographic View of the Ngunnhu or Native Fish Traps in the
Darling River at Brewarrina (40).
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. Mathews refers collectively to his articles published by Royal Society of
New South Wales, Geographical Society of Queensland, Royal Society of
Victoria, Anthropological Institute of Great Britain, and Victoria
Institute, London (3).
2. 'Ethnological Notes of the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and
Victoria' (3).
3. 'Sociology of some Australian Tribes' and 'Ethnological Notes of the
Aboriginal Tribes of Queensland' (5).
4. Descriptions of Kamilaroi Bora published by Royal Society of New South
Wales, Anthropological Institute of Great Britain, Royal Society of Victoria
(18).
5. Articles on Bunan and Keeparra ceremonies (18).
6. Burbung of Wiradjuri (18).
7. Several articles in different journals dealing with initiation ceremonies
of 'all the native tribes of New South Wales' (18).
8. Avenging parties (29).
9. Paper on Bunan (32).
10. Article to Anthropological Society of Washington 1896 - Bunan ceremony
and songs (33).
11. Article to Royal Society of New South Wales on preparatory initiation
rite and songs (33).
12. Work on songs (33).
CROSS-REFERENCE
'Australian Folk-tales' (1909) indicates that the Yarroma story was told by
the Jirringan (Dyirringan) tribe.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
'Ethnological Notes of the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and
Victoria' (1904 & 1905)
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 119
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1907
Title: Notes on the Arranda Tribe
Journal: Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South
Wales
Volume: 41
Pages: 146-64
Keywords: Ceremonial objects - Tjuringas
Homosexuality
Kinship and marriage
Religion - after death beliefs
Reproduction - conception
Abstract: This article describes various beliefs and aspects of the
kinship system of the Arranda people in Central Australia. The Arranda,
Mathews writes, are 'located upon the Upper and Middle Finke River, partly
in the Northern Territory and partly in South Australia'. The article is
based entirely on testimony supplied by correspondents. In a section titled
'Birth and the After-Life' Mathews describes beliefs concerning conception
and the sacred objects known as 'tjurungas' (tjuringas). […]. Beliefs
concerning the afterlife are also recounted. Mathews' discussion of kinship
and marriage is particularly concerned with the phenomenon he describes as
'irregular' marriages. These are matrimonial relationships that fall outside
the normal rules of the kinship system but are nonetheless tolerated.
Mathews proposes that these marriages are the historical residue of an
earlier period when two tribes amalgamated-the northern Arranda with eight
divisions and the southern Arranda with only four divisions. Mathews
demonstrates the point by presenting a table naming sixteen individuals
(eight married couples) which shows genealogy over three generations.
Mathews also claims that sexual relations between boys and men occurred in
Central Australia. This article is significant in the dispute between
Mathews and his main rivals: W. Baldwin Spencer, F. J. Gillen and A. W.
Howitt. He rebuts Spencer's damning critique of his work, which was made at
the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in 1904
(proceedings published 1905). He criticises the way Spencer and Gillen
orchestrated ceremonies for the purpose of documenting them and claims they
made errors in their description of marriage customs among the Chingalee.
The article contains other criticisms of his contemporaries. He chides
Howitt for claiming the existence of patrilineal descent in the Kumbainggeri
tribe of New South Wales and in tribes living in the Bunya Bunya Ranges,
Queensland. At the conclusion of the article he corrects some claims he made
in 'Marriage and Descent among the Australian Aborigines' (1900) concerning
tribes around Cresswell Downs and Sturts Creek. He now proposes that totems
are not attached to particular sections of the kinship system but are
determined by the locality where the mother first became aware she was
pregnant. In a letter to E. S. Hartland in the National Library of Wales
(dated 24 August 1908) Mathews noted a correction to the table on page 151.
In 'Vocabulary of the Ngarrugu Tribe N. S. W.' (1908) Mathews included an
appendix to this article published at the suggestion of well-known English
anthropologist W. H. R. Rivers. This consists of a genealogy of the woman
named Kakara.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Arranda
2. Chingalee
3. Chauan
4. Warramonga
5. Yungmunni
6. Loritya
7. Erlistoun
8. Dieyerie
9. Parnakalla natives
10. Mycoolon
11. Kamilaroi
12. Binbingha
13. Wombaia
14. Warkaia
15. Kumbainggeri
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Upper Finke River, SA/NT
2. Middle Finke River, SA/NT
3. Kimberley district of WA
4. Hermannsburg
5. Port Lincoln, SA
6. Finke River, SA/NT
7. Alice Springs, NT
8. Victoria River
9. Daly Waters, NT
10. Brisbane River
11. Bunya bunya ranges
12. Cresswell Downs
13. Sturts Creek
INFORMANTS
1. 'my correspondents' (148).
2. 'Some of my friends' (149).
3. 'thoroughly reliable correspondents' (156).
4. 'my most trustworthy correspondents who have resided many years in
different places in the Northern Territory and in the northern and central
portions of Western Australia' (158).
5. 'A resident of the Victoria River' (159).
6. Mr. Innes of 'Cresswell Downs, Sturt's Creek and adjacent country' (162).
7. Mr. Stretch of 'Cresswell Downs, Sturt's Creek and adjacent country'
(162).
8. Mr. Wilson of Cresswell Downs, Sturt's Creek and adjacent country' (162).
CORRESPONDENTS
1. Mr. Innes
2. Mr. Stretch
3. Mr. Wilson
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 'contribution of the 7th August last year' (146, 150, 153, 161).
2. 1897 table of four intermarrying sections of the Kumbainggeri tribe
(160).
3. 1901 table of four intermarrying sections of the Kumbainggeri tribe
(160).
4. Refers to papers published previously in this journal in which 'I
reported a variety of totems appertaining to some tribes about Cresswell
Downs, Sturt's Creek and adjacent country' (162).
CROSS REFERENCES
On pp. 162-63 he corrects 'Marriage and Descent among the Australian
Aborigines' (1900) and 'Some Aboriginal Tribes of Western Australia' (1901).
'Notes on Some Native Tribes of Australia' (1906) is referred to as
expressing his current views on conception among Western Australian and
Northern Territory tribes.
'Vocabulary of the Ngarrugu Tribe N. S. W.' (1908) included an appendix to
this article.
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 171
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1907
Title: Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales
and Victoria [Letter to the Editor]
Journal: Nature
Volume: 76
Issue: 1958
Pages: 31-32
Date: 9 May 1907
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: In this letter to the editor of Nature Mathews puts to an
international readership his complaints about the treatment he has received
from W. Baldwin Spencer, F. J. Gillen and A. W. Howitt. The letter is
nominally a reply to the British anthropologist, Northcote W. Thomas, who
had reviewed Mathews' Ethnological Notes of the Aboriginal Tribes of New
South Wales and Victoria in Nature on 31 May 1906. But this is something of
a ruse on Mathews' part, for he uses a passing remark in Thomas' review-that
his own work is ignored in Australia-to launch a full-scale attack on his
local rivals. The letter itemises occasions when Howitt and Spencer have
ignored material that he had published previously. At the conclusion he pays
some attention to Thomas who disputed the originality of Mathews' work. He
argues that the discovery of 'Blood' and 'Shade' divisions in the marriage
and kinship rules was the first new information to be published on the
Kamilaroi of New South Wales since William Ridley and G. F. Bridgeman. He
also says that Catherine Langloh-Parker made the mistake of confusing the
names of Bloods for phratries (moieties). An apologetic reply from Thomas
was published alongside Mathews' letter.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Yantrawanta
2. Wiradjuri
3. Wombaia
4. Umbaia
5. Binbingha
6. Chingalee
7. Yualeai
8. Euahlayi
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
Not applicable.
INFORMANTS
Not applicable.
CORRESPONDENTS
Not applicable.
ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 'More than one hundred of my contributions have already been published by
various scientific societies in Australia, England, France, Prussia,
Austria, and the United States' (32).
2. 1899 Yantrawanta phratry names (32).
3. 1900 Phratry names (32).
4. 1896 Wiradjuri sociology (32).
5. 1900 Toara ceremony (32).
6. 1900 Map of SA tribes (32).
7. 1898 Wombaia sociology (32).
8. 1899 Binbingha sociology (32).
9. 1900 Chingalee sociology (32).
10. 1901 NT ethnological notes (32).
11. 1902 Yualeai grammar and vocabulary (32).
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 176
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1907
Title: Sociologie de la tribu des Chingalee du territoire
septentrional
Journal: Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris
Volume: 8 (5th Series)
Issue: 5-6
Pages: 529-36
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Religion - Totemism
Abstract: 'Sociology of the Chingalee Tribe of the Northern
Territory' (transl.) is one of nine articles Mathews published in French. It
appeared in Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris, a
leading anthropological journal. Although Mathews seems to have had a basic
knowledge of French and German, there is no evidence that he could write
professionally in either language. Oscar Schmidt is credited here as the
translator. In 2004 Schmidt's French version was translated back into
English by Mathilde de Hauteclocque for inclusion in the Mirranen Archive.
The article is principally concerned with marriage and kinship customs.
Mathews was inspired to write this article after receiving report of the
reception of his paper 'Organisation sociale de quelques tribus
australiennes' (1906) when it was read before the Société d'Anthropologie de
Paris in March 1906. Mathews states that a M. Papillault 'made the
observation that certain points which I had stated were not sufficiently
clear'. 'Sociologie de la tribu des Chingalee du territoire septentrional'
is an attempt to address these limitations. While most of the arguments had
already been established, Mathews introduces new data to his French
readership. These include genealogies of Chingalee people who have an eight
section kinship system and who occupy the region around Daly Waters, Powells
Creek and Newcastle Waters. The information was not gathered personally, but
by white settlers with whom Mathews corresponded. Mathews makes the
following claims in this article: that the Chingalee sections descend only
through the matrilineal line; that the cycles (or moieties) also descend
through the women; that an individual's totem depends on the locality where
the mother became aware of her pregnancy (it does not descend from either
parent); that the totems are not associated with particular 'groups' or
moieties; and that a man can sometimes marry a woman of his own totem. Using
his well-established argument about the acceptability of 'irregular'
marriages, Mathews maintains that the Australian kinship divisions cannot be
regarded as exogamous. Much of what he claims is deliberately positioned as
a critique of the findings of W. Baldwin Spencer and F. J. Gillen, published
in The Native Tribes of Northern Australia (1904). While making a case for
matrilineal descent of the kinship system in Central Australia, Mathews
writes that many other aspects of social life are determined by men. These
include the rights to particular land or 'hunting grounds' and 'the
privilege of casting spells, of calling the rains, of presiding over
initiation ceremonies or of all other important functions'. He states that
these rules apply not only of Central Australian tribes, but to the
Kamilaroi, Wiradjuri and other communities he has studied in New South
Wales. Arguments made in this paper, including some of the genealogical
material, were also published in 'Notes on Some Aboriginal Tribes' (1907)
and 'The Sociology of the Arranda and Chingalee Tribes (Northern Territory
Australia)' (1908).
Notes: trans. Oscar Schmidt
TRIBES
1. Yungmunni
2. Chingalee
3. Kamilaroi
4. Wiradjuri
5. Arranda
6. Binbingha
7. Juchalanchee
8. Warkaia
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. The region around Daly Waters, Powells Creek and Newcastle Waters in the
Northern Territory.
2. Territory at the sources of the McArthur river and other currents of
northern Australia.
3. Nicholson and Gregory rivers, on the Barklay Plateau etc. in the state of
Queensland.
INFORMANTS
The following Chingalee people gave information to Mathews’ correspondent:
1. Long Tommy
2. Long Tommy’s wife
3. Jimmy
4. Patty
5. Jimmie Miller
6. Jimmie Miller’s wife’
7. Long Dick
8. Minnie
9. Jacob
10. Daisy
11. Charlie
12. Lucy
13. Jack
14. Jumbuck
15. Micky
16. Mary
17. Jimmy Miller
CORRESPONDENTS
Nil.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. ‘Organisation Sociale de Quelques Tribus Australiennes’, Bulletins et
Mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris, vol. 7 (series 5), 1906.
2. ‘The Wombya Organization of the Australian Aborigines’, American
Anthropologist, vol. 2 (new series), 1900.
3. ‘Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of the Northern Territory’,
Queensland Geographical Journal, vol. 16, 1901-01.
4. ‘Divisions of North Australian Tribes’, Proceedings of the American
Philosophical Society, vol. 38, 1899.
5. ‘The Group Divisions and Initiation Ceremonies of the Barkunjee Tribes’,
Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 32,
1898.
6. ‘Divisions of Some West Australian Tribes’ American Anthropologist,
volume II (new series), 1900.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
‘Organisation sociale de quelques tribus australiennes’ (1906).
‘Notes on Some Aboriginal Tribes’ (1907)
‘The Sociology of the Arranda and Chingalee Tribes (Northern Territory
Australia)’ (1908)
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 183
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1907
Title: Note on the Social Organisation of the Turrubul and adjacent
Tribes
Journal: MAN
Volume: 7
Issue: 97
Pages: 166-68
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: This short article is the first of Mathews' five
contributions to the British journal MAN. It is a sign of worsening
relations between Mathews and A. W. Howitt. Mathews was particularly
infuriated that Howitt had ignored all his published work when he published
The Native Tribes of South-East Australia in 1904. In this paper he returns
to a critique he had made of Howitt in 'Aboriginal Customs in North
Queensland' (1897) and 'Divisions of Queensland Aborigines' (1898). He
disputes Howitt's claim that the kinship and marriage rules were transmitted
through a system of patrilineal descent. Mathews' point in this article is
to demonstrate to the anthropological world that Howitt had failed to
account for-or alter-his opinions in the 1904 book, despite the critiques
Mathews had made many years earlier.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Kittabool
2. Turrubul
3. Kaiabara
4. Turrwan, Derwain, Terwain
5. Kumbainggeri
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Clarence River, NSW
2. Richmond River, NSW
3. Logan River, Qld
4. Moreton Bay, Qld
5. Pine River, Qld
6. Benleagh, Qld
7. Ipswich, Qld
8. Brisbane
9. Blackall or Bunya Bunya Ranges
10. Bellinger River NSW.
INFORMANTS
Nil.
CORRESPONDENTS
1. H. E. Aldridge
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 'Australian Divisional Systems' (1898)
2. 'The Totemic Divisions of Australian Tribes' (1897)
3. 'The Murrawin Ceremony' (1900)
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
'Note on the Social Organisation of the Turrubul and Adjacent Tribes' (1907)
(this article)
'Australian Divisional Systems' (1898)
'The Totemic Divisions of Australian Tribes' (1897)
'The Murrawin Ceremony' (1900)
Reference Type: Journal Article**
Record Number: 191
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1907
Title: Literature relating to Australian Aborigines [Letter to the
Editor]
Journal: Nature
Volume: 77
Issue: 1987
Pages: 81
Date: 28 November 1907
Keywords: Ceremonies - initiation
Kinship and marriage
Abstract: On 9 May 1907 Nature had published Mathews' 'Ethnological
Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and Victoria [Letter to
the Editor]' (1907) in which he criticised A. W. Howitt and W. Baldwin
Spencer for ignoring his work. Howitt responded to these criticisms in a
letter published on 28 November 1907. Mathews was given this right of reply
which was published alongside Howitt's letter. In his rejoinder Mathews
questions Howitt's claim that it was the Queensland settler Harry E.
Aldridge who supplied details of the Toara or Dora ceremony which appeared
in Howitt's book The Native Tribes of South-East Australia (1904). Mathews
himself had published a description of this initiation in 'The Toara
Ceremony of the Dippil Tribes of Queensland' (1900). Mathews also claims
that Howitt must have realised that a map of South Australia he published in
1890 was inaccurate because he published a new version in 1904 (in The
Native Tribes of South-East Australia). Mathews alleges that in this map
Howitt pirated the one he had published in 'Divisions of the South
Australian Aborigines' (1900). Mathews argues about various other matters
and effectively accuses Howitt of lying. Howitt states in his letter that so
far as he was aware, Mathews had only ever released two anthropological
publications.
Notes: TRIBES
Not applicable.
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
Not applicable.
INFORMANTS
1. Harry E. Aldridge (Howitt's)
2. Rev. Otto Siebert (Howitt's)
CORRESPONDENTS
Not applicable.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
Not applicable.
CROSS REFERENCES
'Notes on the Aborigines of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and
Queensland' (1907) contains reference to Harry Aldridge, the informant
mentioned by Howitt.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
'Literature relating to Australian Aborigines [Letter to the Editor]' (1907)
(this paper)
'Divisions of the South Australian Aborigines' (1900)
Phallic Rites and Initiation Ceremonies of the South Australian Aborigines
(1900)
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 197
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1907
Title: Notes on the Australian Aborigines
Journal: American Antiquarian
Volume: 29
Pages: 149-52
Keywords: Baiame - stories and motifs
Kinship and marriage
Stories & motifs
Abstract: This is a brief article composed of three sections. The
first describes a belief, current on the New South Wales South Coast, that
the difference between the human sexes was created by a lizard. Mathews
claims that lizards played a similar role in other parts of Australia. The
second part is headed 'Belief Concerning Baiamai'. Mathews gives historical
evidence to suggest that Baiamai (Baiame) was known prior to European
contact, thus rebutting the view that he appeared only with the arrival of
missionaries in New South Wales. The third section consists of a myth titled
'The Wallaroo and the Willy-Wagtail'. Mathews does not name the place of
origin of the story here, but it is substantially the same as that published
in Folk-Lore in 1909 ('The Wallaroo and the Willy-Wagtail: A Queensland
Folk-Tale'). It therefore originates from the Upper Condamine River in
Queensland.
Notes: TRIBES
Not applicable.
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Different places between Sydney and Cape Howe
2. Southeast coast of New South Wales
3. Adelaide
4. Port Lincoln
5. Lake Eyre
6. 'Goundibloui' ['Gundabloui']
7. Wellington
8. Jugiong district
9. Molong
10. Cowra
11. Burrowa
INFORMANTS
1. Andy, 'a native of the Jugiong district', is cited. He was mentioned by
James Manning in 1882.
2. 'old natives between Sydney and Cape Howe'
CORRESPONDENTS
Not applicable.
ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 'Aboriginal Bora held at Gundabloui in 1894' (1894)
2. 'The Burbung of the Wiradthuri Tribes' (1896)
3. 'Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and
Victoria' (1904)
4 Folklore of the Australian Aborigines (1899)
5. 'The Wiradyuri and Other Languages of New South Wales' (1904)
CROSS REFERENCES
'Aboriginal Bora held at Gundabloui in 1894' (1894)
'The Wallaroo and the Willy-Wagtail: A Queensland Folk-Tale' (1909)
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 52
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1908
Title: Descendance par la lignée maternelle dans la tribu des
Binbingha du territoire septentrional
Journal: Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris
Volume: 9 (5th Series)
Issue: 6
Pages: 786-89
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: 'Descent by the Maternal Line in the Binbingha Tribe of the
Northern Territory' (transl.) is one of nine articles Mathews published in
French. It appeared in Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie
de Paris, a leading journal. Although Mathews seems to have had a basic
knowledge of French and German, there is no evidence that he could write
professionally in either language. Oscar Schmidt is credited here as the
translator. In 2004 Schmidt's French version was translated back into
English by Mathilde de Hauteclocque for inclusion in the Mirranen Archive.
The article is principally concerned with anthropological arguments about
marriage and kinship customs. Mathews' case study is the Binbingha tribe of
Central Australia which has a kinship system comprised of eight sections.
Mathews rebuts the arguments of W. Baldwin Spencer and F. J. Gillen, who
claimed in The Northern Tribes of Central Australia (1904) that the section
to which an individual belongs is determined patrilineally, i.e. by the
section to which his or her father belonged. Mathews expresses his long-held
distrust of arguments for patrilineal descent in Australian communities. He
contests the views of the British anthropologist N. W. Thomas who had
repeated the claims of Spencer and Gillen in Kinship Organisations and Group
Marriage in Australia (1906). Mathews advanced very similar arguments,
although based on a different case study (the Wombaia tribe of Central
Australia), in 'Matrilineale Deszendenz beim Wombaia-Stamme,
Zentralaustralien' (1908).
Notes: Translated by Oscar Schmidt.
TRIBES
1. Binbingha
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Central Australia
INFORMANTS
Not applicable.
CORRESPONDENTS
Not applicable.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. ‘Organisation sociale des tribus aborigènes de l’Australie’, Bulletins et
Mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris, vol. 2 (series 5), 1901
2. ‘Organisation sociale de quelques tribus australiennes’, Bulletins et
Mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris, vol. 7 (5th series),
(1906).
3. ‘American and Australian publications’.
4. ‘Divisions of North Australian Tribes’, Proceedings of the American
Philosophical Society, vol. 38, 1899, p. 77, table III.
5. ‘Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of Queensland’, Queensland
Geographical Journal, vol. 20, 1905, p. 71, table VIII.
6. ‘Social Organization of the Chingalee Tribe, Northern Australia’,
American Anthropologist, vol. 7 (new series), 1905.
7. ‘Notes on Some Aboriginal Tribes’, Journal and Proceedings of the Royal
Society of New South Wales, vol. 41, 1907.
8. ‘Australian Divisional Systems’, Journal and Proceedings of the Royal
Society of New South Wales, vol. 32, 1898.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
‘Matrilineale Deszendenz beim Wombaia-Stamme, Zentralaustralien’ (1908).
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 104
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1908
Title: Marriage and Descent in the Arranda Tribe, Central Australia
Journal: American Anthropologist
Volume: 10 (new series)
Pages: 88-102
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: In this article on kinship and marriage, Mathews describes
the eight-section marriage system of the northern Arranda and the
four-section system of the southern Arranda people. Mathews proposes that
historical modification of the marriage system occurred when the two
communities became mixed at the Lutheran Mission on the Finke River. He is
thus challenging the purported 'primitiveness' of the Central Australian
Aborigines on which the success of his rivals F. J. Gillen and W. Baldwin
Spencer was partly based. Mathews' argument is developed from genealogical
tables which are reproduced. The names of 24 individuals are given. They
show that both 'direct' or 'tabular' marriages and 'irregular' marriages
could occur. Mathews also discusses how the totem is acquired in this part
of Australia: through a dream associated with the place where the child's
spirit was thought to have entered the mother's body. Mathews criticises the
work of Spencer, Gillen and A. W. Howitt, who were all arguing for
patrilineal descent in the marriage customs. Mathews believed it was
matrilineal. The article includes brief discussion of the marriage customs
of the Binbingha and Chingalee people. In a footnote Mathews complains that
the British anthropologist Northcote W. Thomas 'copied very extensively'
from one of his maps. The article concludes with a correction of 'The Wombya
Organization of the Australian Aborigines' (1900).
Notes: TRIBES
1. Arranda
2. Kamilaroi
3. Wombaia
4. Binbingha
5. Chingalee
6. Kaiabara
7. Yanderwantha
8. Turrubul
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Alice Springs NT
2. Finke River
3. Macumba
4. Upper Finke River
5. Ellery Creek
6. Idracowra
7. Owen Springs
8. Henbery
9. Gulf of Carpentaria QLD
10. Macarthur River
INFORMANTS
1. 'men who have resided in the country of the Arranda tribe for many years'
(88).
2. 'the most competent of my correspondents in that region' (90).
3. 'a friend' (93).
4. 'my correspondents residing in the district' (101).
5. Following individuals are named in the genealogical table: Arkara,
Tjupuntara, Tpitarinja, Laramanaka, Jukuta, Ruth, Tjirtjalkuka, Relkua
Nathaniel, Maria, Paulus, Helena, Moses, Sophia, Petrus, Rebecca, Johannes,
Maria II, Jonathan, Emilie, Makana, Nakara, Jakobus, Lydia (90).
CORRESPONDENTS
1. 'the most competent of my correspondents in that region' (90).
2. 'my correspondents' (94).
3. 'my correspondents residing in the district' (101).
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. Table published in 1899 on 'Divisions of North Australia Tribes' (89).
2. 'In 1898 I republished Mr Schulze's table, but contended that descent was
through the mother, and not the father' (92).
3. Refers to matrilineal descent among Wombaia, Binbingha, Chingalee and
other communities (95).
4. Reported on Yanderawantha matrilineal descent in 1899 (96).
5. 'other publications in America, Europe, and Australia' which show eight
divisions and matrilineal descent (99).
6. Map showing 'the whole of that portion of Australia inhabited by the
eight-section type' (99).
7. Map published in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society
showing 'the regions inhabited by each type of social structure' (99).
8. Described the sociology of the Binbingha tribe in 1899 (99).
9. 1900 paper to Anthropological Society of Washington on eight sections of
the Chingalee tribe (101).
10. Paper to Anthropological Society of Washington, furnished with 'a table
showing the English names of eight married pairs in the Chingalee tribe'
(101).
CROSS-REFERENCE
'The Wombya Organization of the Australian Aborigines' (1900) is corrected
for its views on the relationship between section and totem.
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 105
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1908
Title: Matrilineale Deszendenz beim Wombaia-Stamme, Zentralaustralien
Journal: Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien
Volume: 38
Pages: 321-23
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: 'Matrilineal Descent in the Wombaia Tribe, Central
Australia' (transl.) is one of nine articles Mathews published in German. It
appeared in Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft, a leading
anthropological journal published in Vienna. While Mathews seems to have had
a basic knowledge of French and German, there is no evidence that he could
write professionally in either language. Although no translator is credited
in any of the German articles, the existence of translator's comments in the
published footnotes establish conclusively that someone other than the
author translated the text from English into German. In 2004 the published
article was translated back into English by Christine Winter for inclusion
in the Mirranen Archive. This was done with reference to a draft manuscript
by Mathews (in English), held by the National Library of Australia (NLA MS
NLA MS 8006/5/9). The article is principally concerned with anthropological
arguments about marriage and kinship customs. Mathews' case study is the
Wombaia tribe of Central Australia which has a kinship system comprised of
eight sections. Mathews rebuts the arguments of W. Baldwin Spencer and F. J.
Gillen, who claimed in The Northern Tribes of Central Australia (1904) that
the section to which an individual belongs is determined patrilineally, i.e.
by the section to which his or her father belonged. Mathews expresses his
long-held distrust of arguments for patrilineal descent in Australian
communities. He contests the views of the British anthropologist N. W.
Thomas who had repeated the claims of Spencer and Gillen in Kinship
Organisations and Group Marriage in Australia (1906). Mathews advanced very
similar arguments, although he used a different case study (the Binbingha
tribe of Central Australia), in 'Descendance par la Lignée Maternelle dans
la Tribu des Binbingha du Territoire Septentrional' (1908).
Notes: TRIBES
1. Wombaia
2. Warramonga
3. Binbingha
4. Warkaia
5. Ichalanchee
6. Chingalee
7. Arunta
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Central Australia.
INFORMANTS
Nil.
CORRESPONDENTS
Nil.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 'Divisions of Australian Tribes', Proceedings of the American
Philosophical Society, vol. 37, 1898.
2. Mathews, 'Notes on some Aboriginal Tribes', Journal and Proceedings of
the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 41, 1907.
3. Mathews, 'Zur australischen Deszendenzlehre', Mitteilungen der
Anthropologischen Gesellschaft, vol. 38, 1908.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
'Descendance par la Lignée Maternelle dans la Tribu des Binbingha du
Territoire Septentrional' (1908).
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 135
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1908
Title: Sociology of the Chingalee tribe, Northern Australia
Journal: American Anthropologist
Volume: 10 (new series)
Pages: 281-85
Abstract: In this article on the kinship and marriage system of the
Chingalee tribe of northern Australia, Mathews elaborates on information
presented in 'Notes on the Aborigines of the Northern Territory, Western
Australia and Queensland' (1906-07). In that article, he says, he had
reported that 'the section of the individual is amended or changed
altogether when he or she has passed through the ordeal of initiation'. In
this article he has decided to 'explain the circumstances which led up to
this important discovery, which has never before been reported'. The
discovery eventuated when Mathews noticed anomalies in the reports of
various correspondents. Mathews takes issue with the account of Chingalee
marriage regulations that appears in W. Baldwin Spencer and F. J. Gillen's
The Northern Tribes of Central Australia. Mathews claims that Spencer and
Gillen rearranged data in a table 'for the purpose of making them fit in
with paternal descent'. The article concludes with further criticism of
these authors.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Chingalee
2. Lunga
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Powells Creek
2. Newcastle Waters
3. Halls Creek WA
INFORMANTS
Not applicable.
CORRESPONDENTS
1. 'correspondents resident in various places in the regions mentioned'
(281).
2. 'my correspondents' (282).
3. 'one correspondent' (282).
4. 'reliable correspondents' (285 - footnote).
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 1900 article on eight sections of Chingalee tribe (281).
2. 1905 article on marriages (281).
3. 1906 article on Chingalee section names (281).
4. 1899 article with eight section table (282).
5. 1900 paper with eight section table for Lunga tribe (283).
6. Mathews states that he supplies 'incontrovertible evidence of the custom
of marrying the four kinds of wives … which I have described' in a previous
article (284).
7. 1900 article describing classification of women into two sets (285).
8. Previous article with table of sections, presented to American
Anthropologist (285).
9. Refers to his tables of 1900 and 1905 which do not 'illustrate exogamy'
(285 - see 'other notes').
RELATED ARTICLES
‘Notes on the Aborigines of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and
Queensland’ (1906-07).
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 155
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1908
Title: Vocabulary of the Ngarrugu Tribe N. S. W.
Journal: Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South
Wales
Volume: 42
Pages: 335-42
Keywords: Language elicitation
Kinship and marriage
Abstract: This article is one of more than 20 publications
documenting Aboriginal languages that Mathews published between 1900 and
1910. Mathews adopted a formula in his linguistic writings, using a template
when documenting grammar and vocabulary. In this paper Mathews describes
Ngarrugu, the language spoken in the Queanbeyan, Cooma and Bombala areas of
New South Wales. The article is an example of the eccentric way in which
Mathews often mixed disparate data in a single publication. There is an
appendix titled 'Explanation re 'Notes on the Arranda Tribe'' which concerns
the kinship system of Arranda people in Central Australia. In presenting the
language documentation which forms the bulk of the article, Mathews
describes Ngarrugu as a 'sister tongue' of Ngunawal, one of the three
languages he described in 'The Wiradyuri and other Languages of New South
Wales' (1904). In explaining how he acquired this information, Mathews says
it was 'obtained by me' from a 'remnant' of the Ngarrugu tribe. The
grammatical structure of the language is not described in detail, although
Mathews claims that it is 'closely similar' to Ngunawal. He provides a
section headed 'Ngarrugu Vocabulary' which contains 260 English words,
followed by their equivalents in Ngarrugu. The words are arranged under the
following headings: 'Family Terms'; 'Parts of the Body'; 'Inanimate Nature';
'Mammals'; 'Birds'; 'Fishes'; 'Reptiles'; 'Invertebrates'; 'Trees, Plants,
etc.'; 'Weapons, Ornaments, etc'; 'Adjectives'; and 'Verbs'. The appendix on
Arranda kinship was published at the suggestion of the well-known English
anthropologist W. H. R. Rivers. Adding to data reported in 'Notes on the
Arranda Tribe' (1907), Mathews gives the genealogy of an Arranda woman named
Nakara whose pedigree 'backward to her grandfather' and 'forward to her
grandchild' had been documented by a correspondent. The article concludes
with a correction of the table published on page 74 of Mathews' article
'Australian Divisional Systems' (1898).
Notes: TRIBES
1. Ngarrugu
2. Ngunawal
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Cooma NSW
2. Bombala NSW
3. Queanbeyan NSW
4. Delegate
5. Yass NSW
6. Booroowa NSW
7. Goulburn NSW
INFORMANTS
Not applicable.
CORRESPONDENTS
1. Dr. W. H. R. Rivers (341).
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 1904 'short grammar and vocabulary of the Ngunawal language, a sister
tongue of the Ngarrugu' (335).
CROSS REFERENCES
'Notes on the Arranda tribe' (1907).
'Australian Divisional Systems' (1898) is corrected.
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 160
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1908
Title: Zur australischen Deszendenzlehre
Journal: Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft
Volume: 38
Pages: 182-87
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: 'About Australian Theories of Descent' (transl.) is one of
nine articles Mathews published in German. It appeared in Mitteilungen der
Anthropologischen Gesellschaft, a leading anthropological journal published
in Vienna. While Mathews seems to have had a basic knowledge of French and
German, there is no evidence that he could write professionally in either
language. Although no translator is credited in any of the German articles,
the existence of translator's comments in the published footnotes establish
conclusively that someone other than the author translated the text from
English into German. In 2004 the published German article was translated
back into English by Christine Winter for inclusion in the Mirranen Archive.
Mathews' intention in this article was to convey to a European readership
his distrust of the work of W. Baldwin Spencer and F. J. Gillen and the way
it had been taken at face value by ethnologists outside Australia, in this
case the British writer Northcote W. Thomas. Most of the discussion concerns
the kinship and marriage regulations of Central Australia. Mathews had not
visited this area himself, but gained information from 'reliable
correspondents' who had lived in the area for up to 25 years. The tribes in
this area have a kinship system that is divided into eight sections. Spencer
and Gillen had claimed that descent is determined by the father, but Mathews
believes it is determined by the section to which a child's mother belongs.
The article provides a useful guide to Mathews' thinking on this subject. It
contains an elaborate table in which he summarises the results of a dozen
articles on Central Australian kinship (all written by himself). As well as
criticising Spencer and Gillen for overlooking his own findings, Mathews is
harsh in his criticism of Thomas' book Kinship Organisations and Group
Marriage in Australia (1906) which, he claims, uncritically replicates the
errors of Spencer, Gillen and A. W. Howitt. Mathews also claims that maps
published by Thomas duplicate those previously published by him.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Wombaia / Wambaia
2. Chingalee
3. Binbingha
4. Arunta or Arranda
5. Kattiya
6. Warramonga / Warrumunga
7. Checal
8. Bilyanurra
9. Kwarranjee
10. Yunmunni
11. Chau-an.
12. Mayoo
13. Loonga (lunga)
14. Neening
15. Jarrau
16. Yangarilla
17. Inchalanche
18. Warkaia
19. Kumbainggeri
20. Turrubul
21. Kaiabara
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Central Australia.
2. Northern Territory of South Australia
3. Kimberley district of Western Australia
4. Sturt Creek along the border between the Northern Territory and Western
Australia on the territory of both states.
5. Northwestern corner of Queensland.
6. Gulf of Carpentaria
INFORMANTS
Nil.
CORRESPONDENTS
1. NR.
ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Nil.
REFERENCES TO OWN WORK
1. 'Divisions of Australian Tribes', Proceedings of the American
Philosophical Society, vol. 37, 1898
2. 'Divisions of North Australian Tribes', Proceedings of the American
Philosophical Society, vol. 38, 1899
3. 'Divisions of Queensland Aborigines', Proceedings of the American
Philosophical Society, vol. 37, 1898
4. 'Divisions of Some Aboriginal Tribes, Queensland', Journal and
Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 33, 1899.
5. 'Divisions of Some West Australian Tribes', American Anthropologist, vol.
2 (new series), 1900.
6. 'Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of the Northern Territory',
Queensland Geographical Journal, vol. 16, 1900-01.
7. 'Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of Western Australia',
Queensland Geographical Journal, vol. 19, 1903-04
8. 'Native Tribes of Western Australia', Proceedings of the American
Philosophical Society, vol. 39, 1900.
9. 'Notes on some Aboriginal Tribes', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal
Society of New South Wales, vol. 41, 1907.
10. 'Notes on Some Native Tribes of Australia', Journal and Proceedings of
the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 40, 1906.
11. 'Organisation sociale de quelques tribus australiennes', Bulletins et
Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris, vol. 7 (5th series), 1906.
12. 'Organisation sociale des tribus aborigènes de l'Australie', Bulletins
et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris, vol. 2 (5th series),
1901, 415.
13. 'Sociology of Aboriginal Tribes in Australia', American Antiquarian,
vol. 28, 1906.
14. 'Sociology of some Australian Tribes', Journal and Proceedings of the
Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 39, 1905.
15. 'Some Aboriginal Tribes of Western Australia', Journal and Proceedings
of the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 35, 1901.
16. 'The Group Divisions and Initiation Ceremonies of the Barkunjee Tribes',
Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 32,
1898.
17. 'The Murrawin Ceremony', Queensland Geographical Journal, vol. 16, 1900.
18. 'The Origin, Organization and Ceremonies of the Australian Aborigines',
Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 39, 1900.
19. 'The Totemic Divisions of Australian Tribes', Journal and Proceedings of
the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 31, 1897.
20. 'The Totemistic System in Australia', American Antiquarian, vol. 28,
1906.
21. 'The Wombya Organization of the Australian Aborigines', American
Anthropologist, vol. 2 (new series), 1900.
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 185
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1908
Title: Matrilineal Descent, Northern Territory
Journal: MAN
Volume: 8
Issue: 83
Pages: 150-52
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: This short article concerns the Chee'-al, Bilyanurra and
Kwaranjee tribes who reside along the upper and middle Victoria River in the
Northern Territory. Mathews points out that in three articles dating from
1899 and 1901 he had established that the marriage and kinship system of
these communities were organised through matrilineal descent. These three
articles are: 'Divisions of North Australian Tribes' (1899); 'Divisions of
Some Aboriginal Tribes, Queensland' (1899); and 'Ethnological Notes on the
Aboriginal Tribes of the Northern Territory' (1900-01). Mathews claims that
W. Baldwin Spencer and F. J. Gillen in The Northern Tribes of Central
Australia (1904) ignored his findings and erroneously claimed that descent
was through the men. Mathews concludes with a correction of his article
'Social Organisation of the Ngeumba Tribe, New South Wales' (1908) in which
some names and minor details were incorrect.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Chee'-al
2. Bilyanurra
3. Kwaranjee
4. Bingongina
5. Warramomonga
6. Womaia
7. Worgaia
8. Chingalee
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Upper and Middle Victoria River, Northern Territory
INFORMANTS
Not applicable.
CORRESPONDENTS
Not applicable.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 'Divisions of North Australian Tribes' (1899)
2. 'Divisions of Some Aboriginal Tribes, Queensland' (1899)
3. 'Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of the Northern Territory'
(1901)
CROSS-REFERENCES
'Social Organisation of the Ngeumba Tribe, New South Wales' (1908)
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 186
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1908
Title: Social Organisation of the Ngeumba Tribe, New South Wales
Journal: MAN
Volume: 8
Issue: 10
Pages: 24-26
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: In this short article Mathews relates how he reported the
'Blood' and 'Shade' divisions of the Ngeumba people in his book Ethnological
Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and Victoria (1905). This
information was gathered from Ngeumba people living around Brewarrina in
northwest New South Wales. This article supplements Mathews' description of
the blood and shade divisions by giving a genealogy of informants. Mathews
states that he is doing this at the request of English ethnologists. The
article contains a table giving the names of six married couples. The
section names and the blood names of the informants, their parents and their
offspring are all given. Some data in the table was subsequently corrected
in 'Matrilineal Descent, Northern Territory' (1908).
Notes: TRIBES
1. Ngeumba
INFORMANTS
1. Jack Onze
2. Mellie Onze
3. Tom Draper
4. Nanny Draper
5. Jack Charlton
6. Mary Charlton
7. Tom Keegan
8. Norah Keegan
9. Jack Trap
10. Kitty Trap
11. Billy Coleman
12. Mary Ann Coleman
CORRESPONDENTS
Not applicable.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 'Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and
Victoria' (book-1905).
CROSS REFERENCES
Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and Victoria
(1905)
‘Matrilineal Descent, Northern Territory’ (1908)
Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 193
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1908
Title: The Sociology of the Arranda and Chingalee Tribes (Northern
Territory Australia)
Journal: Folk-Lore
Volume: 19
Pages: 99-103
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: In this letter to the editor of Folk-Lore Mathews rebuts
the views of W. Baldwin Spencer and F. J. Gillen. In The Northern Tribes of
Central Australia these authors had claimed that the kinship system of the
Arranda and Chingalee tribes descends patrilineally through the generations.
Mathews vigorously opposed this view. Duplicating material that he had
published in 'Notes on Some Aboriginal Tribes' (1907) and 'Marriage and
Descent in the Arranda Tribe, Central Australia' (1908), he gives tables
naming Arranda and Chingalee informants. He claims that they establish the
case for matrilineal descent. The article contains description of totems and
the way in which land is handed down from father to son. The information was
collected by white settlers with whom Mathews corresponded.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Arranda, Arunta
2. Chingalee
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Upper Finke River
2. Macumba River
3. Alice Springs
4. Powells Creek
5. Daly Waters
6. Kamilaroi
7. Wiradjuri
8. Wongaibon
9. Ngeumba
INFORMANTS
1. Sixteen persons (married couples) 'personally known to one of my most
competent correspondents in the Arranda (or Arunta) country: Nathaniel,
Maria, Arkara, Tjupuntara, Paulus, Helen, Tpitarinja, Laramanaka, Moses,
Sophia, Jukuta, Ruth, Petrus, Rebecca, Tjirtjalkuka, Relkua.
2. Following Aborigines listed in Table II, all Chingalee: Long Dick,
Minnie, Jimmie Miller, His wife, Jimmy, Pattie, Fat Tommy, His wife, Jack,
His wife, Long Tommy, His wife, Jacob, Daisy, Harry and his two wives.
CORRESPONDENTS
1. 'one of my most competent correspondents in the Arranda (or Arunta)
country...'
ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Four tables.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. Re-presents the tables given in Am Phil Soc 'Divisions of North
Australian Tribes' (1899), vol. 38, in 1899, and 'The Wombya Organization of
the Australian Aborigines ' (1900) American Anthropologist in 1900, vol. 2,
p. 495.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
‘Notes on Some Aboriginal Tribes’ (1907)
‘Sociologie de la tribu des Chingalee du territoire septentrional’ (1907)