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KINSHIP AND SOCIETY
1909 - 1912 |
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Contents |
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Rec. no. |
Title |
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54. |
The
Dhudhuroa Language of Victoria - 1909 |
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167. |
Sociology
of some Australian Tribes - 1909 |
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170. |
The
Kumbainggeri, Turrubul, Kaiabara, and Mycoolon Tribes, Australia - 1909 |
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181. |
The
Wallaroo and the Willy-Wagtail: A Queensland Folk-Tale - 1909 |
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82. |
Initiation
Ceremonies of some Queensland Tribes - 1909-10 |
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116. |
Notes on
Some Tribes of Western Australia - 1909-10 |
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55. |
'The
Bundandaba Ceremony of Initiation in Queensland' (transl.) - 1910 |
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65. |
Does
Exogamy Exist in Australian Tribes? - 1910 |
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92. |
Language
and Sociology of the Kumbaingerri Tribe, New South Wales - 1910 |
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187. |
Matrilineal Descent in the Kaiabara Tribe, Queensland - 1911 |
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115. |
Notes on
some published Statements with regard to the Australian Aborigines - 1912 |
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184. |
Matrilineal Descent in the Arranda and Chingalee Tribes - 1912 |
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Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 54
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1909
Title: The Dhudhuroa Language of Victoria
Journal: American Anthropologist
Volume: 11 (new series)
Pages: 278-84
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
Dhudhuroa, the language spoken in Victoria by the Dyinningmiddhang tribe who
reside along the Mitta Mitta and Kiewa rivers, and along the Murray valley
from Albury to Jingellic. Mathews states that the tribes occupying the
Buffalo, King, Ovens and Broken rivers speak Minyambuta, a dialect of
Dhudhuroa. Mathews does not state how he obtained the information in this
article. In describing the grammatical structure of Dhudhuroa, Mathews
arranges his material under the following headings/sub-headings: 'Nouns'
(including sections on 'Number', 'Gender', 'Case'); 'Adjectives';
'Pronouns'; 'Verbs'; 'Adverbs'; 'Prepositions'; 'Interjections and
Exclamations'; and 'Numerals'. The article concludes with a section headed
'Vocabulary' which contains about 235 English words, followed by their
equivalents in Dhudhuroa.The words are arranged under the following
headings: 'Family Terms'; 'The Human Body'; 'Inanimate Nature'; 'Mammals';
'Birds'; 'Fishes'; 'Reptiles'; 'Invertebrates'; 'Trees'; 'Weapons';
'Adjectives'; and 'Verbs'.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Dyinningmiddhang
2. Dhudhoroa language
3. Minyambuta dialect
4. Walgalu
5. Dyirringan
6. Wiradjuri
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Mitta Mitta River
2. Kiewa River
3. Murray Valley
4. Albury
5. Jingellic
6. Buffalo River
7. Kings River
8. Ovens River
9. Broken River
10. Nimmatabel
11. Bega
INFORMANTS
Not applicable.
CORRESPONDENTS
Not applicable.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. Dyirringan grammar 1902, Royal Society of New South Wales (278).
2. Dyirringan initiation ceremony 1896, Anthropological Society of
Washington (278).
3. Dyinningmiddhand and Minyambuta initiation ceremony 1904, Royal Society
of New South Wales (278).
4. Minyambuta descent, Royal Society of New South Wales (278).
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Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 167
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1909
Title: Sociology of some Australian Tribes
Journal: American Antiquarian
Volume: 31
Pages: 206-13
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: The Australian anthropologist A. W. Howitt had published
criticism of Mathews' work under the title 'The Native Tribes of Southeast
Australia' (1908) in volume 30 of American Antiquarian. This article is a
spirited rebuttal of that critique. Howitt had taken issue with Mathews'
reporting of 'irregular' Aboriginal marriages-alliances that diverged from
the standard rules of kinship, but which were nonetheless tolerated by the
community. Howitt claimed that Mathews was not reporting ancient customs,
but innovations introduced since the arrival of Europeans. Howitt claimed
that the Aboriginal tribes of the areas long settled by Europeans were in
steep decline and that Mathews had started too late in his research to
acquire data of genuine significance. Responding to these allegations,
Mathews convincingly supports his case for irregular marriages by citing
data published by William Ridley in 1866. Mathews emphasises his credentials
as a direct observer in New South Wales and makes pointed criticism of
remarks Howitt had made about the status of marriage customs in the
Murawarri community in northwest New South Wales. Mathews had made three
visits to Murawarri country in the past decade, whereas Howitt relied on
data from a single Aboriginal informant, relayed to him by a white
correspondent. Howitt had died in 1908, so he could not respond to this
article. Mathews, however, continued to publish criticism of Howitt. See
'Does Exogamy Exist in Australian Tribes?' (1910).
Notes: TRIBES
1. Murawarri
2. Kurnu
3. Mycoolon
4. Kumbainggeri
5. Kaiabara
6. Chepara
7. Turrubul
8. Karamundi nation
9. Milpulko
10. Dippil
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Darling River
2. Birie River
3. Culgoa River
4. Bokara River
5. Narran River
6. Bunya Bunya Mountains
7. Great Sandy Island
8. Brisbane
9. Port Curtis
10. Pine River
11. Wilcannia
12. MacKay
INFORMANTS
1. 'several old men and women in different parts of the Kamilaroi country,
who knew the tribal laws well' (212).
CORRESPONDENTS
Not applicable.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. Phratry names 1905 (206).
2. Murawarri grammar and vocabulary 1902 (206).
3. 1898. Kamilaroi descent through the mother (207).
4. 1897. Kumbainggeri divisions (207).
5. 1900. Kumbainggeri divisions (207).
6. 1898-1907. Different articles on sections and totems (208).
7. 1898. Turrubul matrilineal descent (See 'other notes') (208).
8. 1907. Turrubul cycle and section names (208).
9. 1894. Kamilaroi sociology (210).
10. 1898. Turrubul sociology (210).
11. 1897. Work which confirmed Rev. William Ridley's conclusions, 'being the
result of my own personal enquiries among the Kamilaroi people during a
number of years' (211).
12. 1896. Kamilaroi initiation ceremonies (212).
13. 1903. Kamilaroi grammar (212).
14. Since 1894. Kamilaroi sociology (212).
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
'The Totemistic System in Australia' (1906)
‘The Kumbainggeri, Turrubul, Kaiabara, and Mycoolon Tribes, Australia’
(1909)
'Does Exogamy Exist in Australian Tribes?' (1909)
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Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 170
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1909
Title: The Kumbainggeri, Turrubul, Kaiabara, and Mycoolon Tribes,
Australia
Journal: Science
Volume: 30
Issue: 778
Pages: 759-60
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: This short article was Mathews' sole contribution to the
American magazine Science. It addresses A. W. Howitt's complete failure to
acknowledge any of his own publications in The Native Tribes of South-East
Australia (1904). Matthews cites examples of his own work concerning the
Kumbainggeri, Turrubul, Kaiabara, and Mycoolon tribes, which predate the
publication of Howitt's book. He shows how his own reports, particularly
those concerning the predominance of matrilineal descent of the marriage
customs, were systematically ignored.
Notes:
TRIBES
1. Kumbainggeri
2. Kombaingheri
3. Turrubul
4. Kaiabara
5. Mycoolon
6. Kamilaroi
7. Chepara
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Bellinger River
2. Point Danger
3. Brisbane River
4. Pine River
5. Blackall Ranges
6. Bunya Bunya Ranges
7. Cloncurry River
INFORMANTS
Not applicable.
CORRESPONDENTS
Not applicable.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 1897 and 1900. Four intermarrying sections of Kumbainggeri (759).
2. 1898 Kumbainggeri Burbung (759).
3. 1900 Murrawin preliminary initiation ceremony (759).
4. 1903 grammar and vocabulary of Kumbainggeri language (759).
5. 1898 Turrubul divisions (760).
6. 1898 Mycoolon matrilineal descent (see 'other notes') (760).
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
'Sociology of Some Australian Tribes' (1909)
'Sociology of Aboriginal Tribes in Australia' (1905)
'Does Exogamy Exist in Australian Tribes?' (1909)
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Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 181
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1909
Title: The Wallaroo and the Willy-Wagtail: A Queensland Folk-Tale
Journal: Folk-Lore
Volume: 20
Pages: 214-16
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Stories & motifs
Abstract: This two-and-a-half page story was personally collected by
Mathews from Aboriginal people near the upper Condamine River in Queensland.
It concerns an old, infirm wallaroo who gains the sympathy of passersby and
then kills them with his boomerang. Eventually he is killed by the willy
wagtail who cunningly outwits him. By way of reward the willy wagtail
becomes a chief man and acquires four young wives. The elders decide that in
future, no man when hunting should travel alone. The story includes some
interesting ethnographic detail including the section names of the
characters.
Notes: TRIBES
1. People near the Upper Condamine River, Queensland
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Upper Condamine River, QLD
INFORMANTS
Not applicable.
CORRESPONDENTS
Not applicable.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
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Reference Type: Journal Article**
Record Number: 82
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1909-10
Title: Initiation Ceremonies of some Queensland Tribes
Journal: Queensland Geographical Journal
Volume: 25
Pages: 103-18
Keywords: Ceremonial objects - Bullroarers
Ceremonies - initiation
Sand and ground designs
Kinship and marriage
Abstract: This article describes two ceremonies associated with male
initiation. One is known as the Toara. The other is the Bundandaba, the
final rite in becoming a man. The ceremonies were practised by tribes in
southern Queensland 'situated along the coast from the boundary of New South
Wales northerly, to the vicinity of Port Curtis, extending inland to
comprise a zone from 150 to 200 miles wide'. This is the area drained by the
Burnett, Mary, Brisbane, and other rivers, as well as the valley of the
Dawson and upper Condamine River. The ceremonies had apparently fallen into
disuse by the time Mathews gathered descriptions of them from 'old natives'
who recalled the details. The ceremonies do not appear to have involved any
bodily modification. Proceedings occurred in […] the forest […]. The article
mentions some other customs of the region and briefly describes the kinship
system. Mathews also discussed these ceremonies in the following papers:
'The Toara Ceremony of the Dippil Tribes of Queensland' (1900) and 'Die
Bundandaba-Zeremonie in Queensland' (1910).
Notes: LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Port Curtis
2. Burnett River
3. Mary Rivver
4. Brisbane River
5. Dawson River valley
6. Condamine River
INFORMANTS
1. 'old natives' (103).
2. 'native informants' (103).
CORRESPONDENTS
Not applicable.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. States that '[n]othing was known of the toara ceremony until 1900, when I
published a short account ... ' (118).
2. Mathews refers to brief report he furnished to the Anthropological
Society of Vienna in 1909 as being the 'first and only notice of the
bundandaba ceremony' (118).
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
‘The Toara Ceremony of the Dippil Tribes of Queensland’ (1900).
‘Die Bundandaba-Zeremonie in Queensland’ (1910).
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Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 116
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1909-10
Title: Notes on Some Tribes of Western Australia
Journal: Queensland Geographical Journal
Volume: 25
Pages: 119-36
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Language elicitation
Stories & motifs
Abstract: In this overview of Western Australian Aboriginal
traditions, Mathews describes language, marriage and kinship customs,
folklore and 'superstitions'. The article is unusual in that Mathews names a
great many of the white settlers who supplied information by letter. He says
at the beginning that data were collected with the assistance of
correspondents, thereby implying that he has never visited Western Australia
himself. Other information is drawn from previously published sources. The
linguistic description, which includes grammar and vocabulary, concerns the
language spoken in more than half of Western Australia. Mathews does not
give the name of the language. He states that the information was 'condensed
and re-arranged' from material published by Mr Symmons (spelled Simmons in
some other Western Australian publications). It thus duplicates the
linguistic material Mathews had published in 'Some Native Languages of
Western Australia: Part I' (1908). The article is accompanied by a map which
shows the boundaries of different forms of social organisation and the areas
where circumcision and subincision are practised as part of the initiation
rites. While the custom of the community being divided into two moieties and
four sections was common throughout most of the state, in a narrow strip of
country from Dongarra to Exmouth Gulf marriages were arranged according to
the 'tu-or' (which Mathews previously spelled as 'Tooar') system of arranged
marriages. In other communities-those in which each moiety was divided into
two sections-'irregular' or 'alternative' marriages were possible. Such
marriages did not conform to the normal marriage regulations, but were
nonetheless tolerated by the community. The article sheds some light on
Mathews' relationship with the ethnologist Daisy Bates. His attitude is
apparently respectful since he states that he is awaiting the publication of
her 'general account of the aborigines of Western Australia'. The parts of
this article published under the headings 'Folklore' and 'Some Customs and
Superstitions' replicate material previously published in 'Folklore Notes
from Western Australia' (1909).
Notes: TRIBES
1. Loritya
2. Chingalee
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Kalgoorlie
2. Cue
3. Marble Bar
4. Kimberley
5. Blyth
6. Tomkinson ranges
7. Lake Macdonald
8. King George's Sound
9. Roebourne
10. Erlistoun
11. Esperance bay
12. Blyth Ranges
13. Menzies
14. Condon
15. Broome
16. Derby
17. Fraser River Station
18. Hillside
19. Yeeda Station
20. Lower Fitzroy River
21. Joanna Spring
22. Petermann Ranges
23. Malcolm
24. Lake Wells
25. Mount Margaret gold field
26. Milly Milly on the Murchison
27. Nicol Bay
28. Fortescue River
29. Ashburton River
30. Gascoyne River
31. Murchison River
32. Sanford River
33. Balmoral
34. Nantura
35. Milly Milly
36. Braeside
37. Dongarra
38. Exmouth Gulf
39. Albany WA
40. Port Lincoln SA
41. Talata Station WA
42. Eucla WA
43. Sturt Creek
44. Ord River
45. Upper Fitzroy River
46. Durack River
47. Calder River
48. Drysdale River
49. Hall's Creek
50. Denison Downs
51. Koojoobrin
52. Busseltown
53. Cape Chatham
54. Mt. Johnston
55. Bridgetown
56. Mount Barker
INFORMANTS
1. Mr. J. C. Rose, Fraser River Station (128).
2. Mr. J. Wilson, Derby (128).
3. Mr. J. G. Withnell, Hillside (128).
4. A. E. Clifton, Yeeda Station (128). 'Mr. Clifton, in addition, supplied
me with 125 words spoken on the Lower Fitzroy River' (128).
5. Mr. K. Young, in dealing with the Erlistoun community (129).
6. Mr. D. Connors, in dealing with the Erlistoun community (129).
7. Mr. D. Stewart, Balmoral (129).
8. Mr. W. G. Learmonth, Nantura (129).
9. Mr. Edward Smith, Milly Milly (129).
10. Mr. J. T. Hodgson, Braeside (129).
11. 'and others' (129).
12. 'the Manager of Yalata Station' (131).
13. Mr. J. Wilson, Hall's Creek (132).
14. Mr. Stretch, Denison Downs, Sturt Creek (132).
15. Mr. J. C. booty, Koojoobrin (132).
16. 'and others' (132).
17. 'an old resident of the [Albany and Busseltown] district' (132).
18. Mr. Thos. Muir, J.P., of Deeside Station (134).
CORRESPONDENTS
1. Mr. J. C. Rose, Fraser River Station (128).
2. Mr. J. Wilson, Derby (128).
3. Mr. J. G. Withnell, Hillside (128).
4. A. E. Clifton, Yeeda Station (128).
5. Mr. K. Young (129).
6. Mr. D. Connors (129).
7. Mr. D. Stewart, Balmoral (129).
8. Mr. W. G. Learmonth, Nantura (129).
9. Mr. Edward Smith, Milly Milly (129).
10. Mr. J. T. Hodgson, Braeside (129).
11. 'the Manager of Yalata Station' (131).
12. Mr. J. Wilson, Hall's Creek (132).
13. Mr. Stretch, Denison Downs, Sturt Creek (132).
14. Mr. J. C. booty, Koojoobrin (132).
15. Mr. Thos. Muir, J.P., of Deeside Station (134).
ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Drawing - Map of Western Australia (136).
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 1907 grammar and vocabulary of Loritya (120).
2. Erlistoun vocabulary (120).
3. 1903 vocabulary of Roebourne dialect (120).
4. Chingalee divisions (129).
5. 1900 divisions on the Upper Murchison (130).
6. 1900 marriage systems (130).
7. 1904 descent (see 'other notes') (131).
8. 1907 descent (131).
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
'Folklore Notes from Western Australia' (1909) contains the five legends and
other data reproduced here.
In 'Some Native Languages of Western Australia' (1908) Mathews rearranges
Symmons' 1842 linguistic data in essentially the same manner.
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Reference Type: Journal Article**
Record Number: 55
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1910
Title: Die Bundandaba-Zeremonie in Queensland
Journal: Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft
Volume: 40
Pages: 44-47
Date: 1910
Keywords: Cannibalism
Ceremonial objects - Bullroarers
Ceremonies - initiation
Kinship and marriage
Abstract: 'The Bundandaba Ceremony of Initiation in Queensland' (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. This was done with reference to a draft
manuscript by Mathews (in English), held by the National Library of
Australia (NLA MS 8006/5/4). The article is concerned with an initiation
ceremony known as the bundandaba which occurs in the area of Southern
Queensland 'situated along the coast from the boundary of New South Wales
northerly to the vicinity of Port Curtis, extending inland to comprise a
zone from 150 miles to 200 miles wide'. This, Mathews explains, is the
territory 'drained by the Burnett, Mary, Brisbane and other rivers, as well
as the Valley of the Dawson and upper portions of Condamine River'. The men
of this region practise two forms of initiatory rite. The bundandaba is the
second and final stage of male initiation. It is preceded by the toara,
which Mathews had written about in 'The Toara Ceremony of the Dippil Tribes
of Queensland' (1900). Mathews states that no description of the bundandaba
had been published previously. This would have been true at the time of
writing, although a description very similar to this was published as part
of the article 'Initiation Ceremonies of some Queensland Tribes' (1909-10).
Mathews says that the data reported here were 'obtained by me direct from
the mouths of old natives of the region…who had themselves passed through
all the stages of the bundandaba ceremony'. He explains that the bundandaba
occurs six months to a year after the toara. There is detailed description
of the events associated with the ceremony […]. The article provides
insights on Mathews' views on cannibalism in Aboriginal communities. There
are unusual details about the way in which the roles of particular men in
the ceremony were determined by the kinship system. There is a brief
explication of southern Queensland kinship and marriage rules at the end of
the article and a few remarks about beliefs concerning animals. Among the
Aboriginal people of the Burnett, Mary and Dawson rivers, the common bat is
a friend of all men, while a small owl or nighthawk is the friend of women.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Southern Queensland.
2. Wirraidyuri.
3. Inhabitants of Burnett, Mary and Dawson rivers.
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Area of Southern Queensland, situated along the coast from the boundary
of New South Wales northerly to the vicinity of Port Curtis, extending
inland to comprise a zone from 150 miles to 200 miles wide. This area
contains the country drained by Burnett, Mary, Brisbane and other rivers, as
well as the Valley of the Dawson and upper portions of Condamine River.
INFORMANTS
Not applicable.
CORRESPONDENTS
Nil.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. Published a brief description of the toara ceremony in ‘The Toara
Ceremony of the Dippil Tribes of Queensland’, American Anthropologist, vol 2
(new series) (1900).
2. ‘The Burbung of the Wiradthuri Tribes’, Journal of the Anthropological
Institute, vol. 25 (1896).
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
‘The Toara Ceremony of the Dippil Tribes of Queensland’ (1900)
‘Die Bundandaba-Zeremonie in Queensland’ (1910)
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Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 65
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1910
Title: Does Exogamy Exist in Australian Tribes?
Journal: Revue d'Ethnographie et de Sociologie
Volume: 5
Pages: 1-2
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: In this article Mathews responds to a circular letter
written by the Australian anthropologist A. W. Howitt. Titled 'A Message to
Anthropologists', Howitt had written it shortly before his death in 1908. It
was posted to an international array of anthropologists and anthropological
institutions and published by the Paris-based Revue d'Ethnographie et de
Sociologie in 1908. Howitt's letter had directly criticised Mathews, arguing
that the Aboriginal marriages Mathews had reported as 'irregular' or
'alternative' (those which did not conform to the standard marriage rules
but were nonetheless acknowledged as legitimate within the kinship systems)
were in fact post-contact innovations and evidence of tribal decay. Howitt
alleged this was a partial replication of the argument Howitt had advanced
in his article 'The Native Tribes of Southeast Australia' (1908), published
in volume 30 of American Antiquarian. Mathews responds to Howitt's
assertions, repeating arguments he had developed in more detail in his
article 'Sociology of Some Australian Tribes' (1909). His defence relies on
reports of certain marital arrangements by Rev William Ridley in 1866 and
1875. Mathews claimed that they predated any breakdown of the ancient
customs. In this article Mathews reports for the first time that during his
surveying career he had employed Aboriginal people.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Kamilaroi
2. Kurnu
3. Turrubul
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
Not applicable.
INFORMANTS
Not applicable.
CORRESPONDENTS
Not applicable.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. Article finding no absolute exogamy in Victoria, ie 'Sociology of
Aboriginal Tribes in Australia' (1905) (p. 1).
2. 1894 work on Kamilaroi sections, confirming Rev. William Ridley's work on
alternative wives, ie 'The Kamilaroi Class System of the Australian
Aborigines' (1894-95) (p. 2).
3. 'Divisions of Queensland Aborigines' (1898) (p. 2).
4. 'Note on the Social Organisation of the Turrubul and Adjacent Tribes'
(1907) (p. 2).
RELATED ARTICLES
'Sociology of Some Australian Tribes' (1909)
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Reference Type: Book Section
Record Number: 92
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1910
Title: Language and Sociology of the Kumbaingerri Tribe, New South
Wales
Editor: Shirley, John
Book Title: Report of the Twelfth Meeting of the Australasian
Association for the Advancement of Science, held at Brisbane, 1909
City: Brisbane
Publisher: Published by the Association
Volume: 12
Pages: 485-93
Keywords: Ceremonies - initiation
Kinship and marriage
Language elicitation
Abstract: This article is an English version of 'Das Kumbainggeri,
eine Eingeborenensprache von Neu-Sud-Wales' (1903). It 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 Kumbainggeri, the language spoken from Nambucca to Grafton
and as far inland as the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales. Describing
how he acquired this information, Mathews says it came from 'old men and
women in the aboriginal camps'. In explaining his system of orthography,
Mathews states that the method he has used is adapted from a circular issued
by the Royal Geographical Society, London. He then describes the grammatical
structure of Kumbainggeri, arranging his material under the following
headings/sub-headings: 'Nouns' (including sections on 'Number', 'Gender',
'Case'); 'Adjectives'; 'Pronouns'; 'Verbs' (including notes on 'Voice',
'Mood' and 'Tense'); 'Adverbs'; and 'Numerals'. Mathews states that a secret
or 'mystic' language was used by Kumbainggeri […]. He also briefly describes
the kinship system which consists of two 'cycles' (moieties), each of which
is further divided into two sections. There is a table that gives section
names and explains which sections are allowed to intermarry. There is a
brief paragraph on the 'important and imposing' initiation ceremonies of the
Kumbainggeri. Mathews refers his reader to other articles he has written on
this subject: 'Initiation Ceremonies of Australian Tribes' (1898) and 'The
Walloonggurra Ceremony' (1899-1900). The article concludes with a section
headed 'Vocabulary of Kumbainggeri' which contains 300 English words,
followed by their equivalents in Kumbainggeri. The words are arranged under
the following headings: 'The Human Body'; 'Inanimate Natural Objects';
'Mammals'; 'Birds'; 'Fish'; 'Reptiles'; 'Invertebrates'; 'Trees'; 'Weapons
&c.'; 'Adjectives'; 'Verbs'.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Kumbainggeri
2. Kurnu
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Nambucca
2. Grafton
3. Main Dividing Range
INFORMANTS
1. 'old men and women in the aboriginal camps' (490).
CORRESPONDENTS
Not applicable.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 'original articles on the languages of Australian tribes' contributed to
Royal Society of New South Wales (485).
2. Previous articles on mystic language (489).
3. Short vocabularies of the mystic languages of the Kamilaroi and Kurnu,
contributed to Royal Society of New South Wales (489).
4. Article on Kumbainggeri initiation ceremonies, American Philosophical
Society (489).
5. Article on elementary form of Kumbainggeri initiation, Royal Geographical
Society of Queensland (489).
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
‘Initiation Ceremonies of Australian Tribes’ (1898).
‘The Walloonggurra Ceremony’ (1899-1900).
'Das Kumbainggeri: eine Eingeborenensprache von Neu-Sud-Wales' (1903)
(German version of this article).
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Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 187
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1911
Title: Matrilineal Descent in the Kaiabara Tribe, Queensland
Journal: MAN
Volume: 11
Issue: 66
Pages: 100-03
Date: 1911
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: This brief, polemical article continues Mathews' by now
well-argued case against A. W. Howitt's view that the kinship system of the
Kaiabara people in south Queensland was transmitted through patrilineal (or
agnatic) descent. The article is ostensibly a response to Andrew Lang who
repeated some of Howitt's alleged mistakes in an earlier issue of MAN in
1911. Mathews points out that N. W. Thomas and J. G. Frazer had similarly
accepted Howitt's views on this matter. Mathews describes how he initially
shared Howitt's 'delusion' concerning agnatic descent, but changed his
opinion after personal inquiries in the area concerned. He shows how he had
argued against Howitt's position in various publications and how these were
ignored when the latter published The Native Tribes of South-East Australia
in 1904.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Kaiabara, South Queensland
2. Kuinmurbura
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. South Queensland
INFORMANTS
Nil.
CORRESPONDENTS
Nil.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. 'Divisions of Queensland Aborigines' (1898)
2. 'The Origin, Organization and Ceremonies of the Australian Aborigines'
(1900)
3. 'Australian Divisional Systems' (1898)
4. 'The Toara Ceremony of the Dippil Tribes of Queensland' (1900)
5. Article in Queensland Geographical Journal, vol. 22, pp. 82-86.
6. 'Literature relating to Australian Aborigines [Letter to the Editor]'
(1907)
7. 'Note on the Social Organisation of the Turrubul and Adjacent Tribes'
(1907)
8. 'The Kamilaroi Class System of the Australian Aborigines' (1894-95)
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Mathews' argument concerning descent in the Kaiabara community was made in
the following publications:
'Notes on the Aborigines of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and
Queensland' (1907)
'Note on the Social Organisation of the Turrubul and Adjacent Tribes' (1907)
'Literature relating to Australian Aborigines [Letter to the Editor]' (1907)
'The Kumbainggeri, Turrubul, Kaiabara, and Mycoolon Tribes, Australia'
(1909)
'Sociology of some Australian Tribes' (1909)
'Notes on Some Published Statements with Regard to the Australian
Aborigines' (1912)
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Reference Type: Book Section
Record Number: 115
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1912
Title: Notes on some published Statements with regard to the
Australian Aborigines
Book Title: Report of the Thirteenth Meeting of the Australasian
Association for the Advancement of Science, held at Sydney, 1911
City: Sydney
Publisher: Published by the Association
Volume: 13
Pages: 449-53
Keywords: Fishing - fish weirs
Hunting
Kinship and marriage
Rock art
Abstract: This article addresses inaccuracies that had appeared in
previous reports of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of
Science and in other sources. Mathews criticises T. Worsnop's accounts of
Aboriginal rock art, explaining how, in search of more reliable data, he
encouraged T. A. Bradshaw, a telegraph officer at Alice Springs, to gather
photographs and accurate descriptions. He also criticises accounts of the
Brewarrina fish traps by G. S. Lang and K. Langloh Parker and remarks about
Aboriginal hunting made by Sir George Grey. He also repeats his now
well-established critique of A. W. Howitt's claim that the marriage and
kinship rules of the Kaiabara community in Queensland descend patrilineally.
The article is illustrated by a photograph take by Bradshaw of rock
paintings on the Finke River, Northern Territory.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Euahlayi
2. Kaiabara
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Alice Springs
2. Oonaminna rock-hole
3. Sullivans Creek, NT
4. Finke River
5. Nardoo Creek
6. County of Denison, QLD
7. Brewarrina
8. Bucklands Tableland, QLD
INFORMANTS
1. Mr. T. A. Bradshaw, the officer in charge of the telegraph station at
Alice Springs (450).
2. 'a resident of the district [Central Queensland] indicated' (450).
3. 'old blackfellows … in the different States of the Commonwealth' (453).
CORRESPONDENTS
1. Mr. T. A. Bradshaw (450).
2. 'a resident of the district [Central Queensland] indicated' (450).
ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Photograph supplied by T. A. Bradshaw of Aboriginal paintings, Finke
River (454).
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
Not applicable.
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Reference Type: Journal Article
Record Number: 184
Author: Mathews, R. H.
Year: 1912
Title: Matrilineal Descent in the Arranda and Chingalee Tribes
Journal: MAN
Volume: 12
Issue: 47
Pages: 93-96
Keywords: Kinship and marriage
Abstract: In this publication Mathews responds to an article titled
'Marriage and Descent in North Australia' by A. R. Brown (the anthropologist
subsequently known as A. Radcliffe-Brown), published in issue 32 of MAN
(1910). Mathews argues that Brown had been led astray by his uncritical
reading of W. Baldwin Spencer and F. J. Gillen's reporting of the kinship
and marriage customs of the Arranda and Chingalee tribes of the Northern
Territory. Mathews points to his own publications which claim that descent
of the kinship system is matrilineal in the Arranda and Chingalee, as it is
in the Kamilaroi communities of New South Wales. Mathews also mentions his
discovery of the 'blood' and 'shade' divisions which complicate the kinship
system of the Ngeumba people in New South Wales. He wonders if something
similar is operative in the Arranda tribe, even though local observers such
as Carl Strehlow have failed to perceive it. Mathews also writes that the
allocation of totems among the Chingalee community is not determined by
descent. Data pertaining to Central and Northern Australia were supplied to
Mathews by 'men who went out to the mineral fields, by managers of cattle
and horse stations, by men in charge of the overland telegraph line, by the
police and others, all of whom have resided in that district for longer or
shorter periods'. He names one correspondent who assisted him-a 'Mr.
Jackson...who visited various parts of that district [Hermannsburg] in 1895
in connection with mining'.
Notes: TRIBES
1. Arranda
2. Chingalee
3. Ngeumba
4. Kamilaroi
LOCATIONS MENTIONED
1. Hermannsburg
INFORMANTS
Not applicable.
CORRESPONDENTS
1. 'Mr. Jackson, a friend who visited various parts of that district [Hermannsburg]
in 1895 in connection with mining' (94).
ILLUSTRATIONS
Nil.
REFERENCE TO OWN WORK
1. A 'table published by me in 1899' in Proceedings of the American
Philosophical Society, vol 38 and Journal and Proceedings of the Royal
Society of New South Wales, vol. 33.
2. A table showing 'Chingalee organisation' published in 1900 in American
Anthropologist, vol. 2.
3. Table showing 'eight classes of the Arranda', published 1898 in Journal
and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 32.
4. Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and
Victoria (1905).
6. American Anthropologist, vol. 10.
7. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 41.
8. Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft, vol. 38.
9. American Anthropologist, vol. 7.
10. Queensland Geographical Journal, vol. 16.
11. Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris, vol. 8.
12. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol.
40.
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