PIONEERS MEMORIES. PIONEERS MEMORIES. PIONEERS MEMORIES. PIONEERS MEMORIES.
IMPORTANT CULTURAL NOTICE
This post contains language that will be offensive to Aboriginal people.
It has not been included to offend. It is posted as per the newspaper report from 1940.
PIONEERS MEMORIES
With Spear and Woomera
Great Southern Herald
6 November 1940 – P4
The following paper, compiled by Filius Terrae on the memories of Mr. W. D. Grover, of “Punchmirup,” Katanning, was read at a recent meeting of the Katanning Branch, W.A. Historical Society.
William Grover
“Mr. Grover and I had been discussing aboriginal days. In particular we had been talking of the Bardocks, a tribe that lived round and about the present vicinity of Nyabing and spread down Esperance way, and how they traded a special spear wood that grew in their territory.
I said to Mr. Grover: “While we are on the subject of spears, was the n….. who chased the g…n (offensive term for an Aboriginal woman. It is derived from the Dharuk word diyin, meaning woman, or wife, but it has come to be used as a highly derogatory term, often in connection with sexual exploitation of Aboriginal women by whites – ed.) who made use of you as a shield while the n…..r flung spears at her, a native of your locality”?
“Oh yes, that was Big Paddy.”
“How long would that be before he took part in the murder of the police boy”?
“About two years.”
“Big Paddy seems to have been an extra hard case citizen,” I remarked.
“Yes, indeed, he was all that. Strictly speaking Big Paddy belonged to the Kojonup n……r I am not quite sure how he came to take up with our lot.”
“What were the circumstances that caused him to chase the g….n?”
“Well, at the time, father had a couple of them helping him with his sheep, and as usual with the n…..,r from being one or two, they soon had all their relatives trickling into them, until there were quite a number of men, women and piccaninnies. On this particular day it happened that members of the tribe had nearly all gone to the bush to look for Big Paddy who had pinched one of the n…..r’s g..ns and had been away with her for two or three days. Anyhow, before work with the sheep had been finished, they returned with the errant couple. Big Paddy did not join up with the mob, but sat in lonely, sullen brooding state on a little mound some distance off. I could show you the spot at Indinup today. He rested his spears beside him, and his attitude suggested he was ripe for mischief; in fact, he must have sat there for a couple of hours without moving.
Meanwhile the g…n who had been with him was being dealt with according to tribal custom and was getting punishment meted out to her by Big Paddy’s own woman. The sheep work by now had finished; father had returned to the house, and I had lingered behind. Finally, I too, moved for home and had nearly got to the house, when Big Paddy’s woman, who had been dealing it out to the delinquent g…n, came running along with Big Paddy in hot pursuit.”
“What happened to cause this turn of affairs?”
“Well,” continued Mr. Grover, “although Big Paddy knew what to expect from the working of tribal law, the sight of the woman who had been with him getting a hammering from his own g…n was too much for his feelings, and incensed him to such an extent, that he grabbed his spears, sprang to his feet and rushed at her.
The g…n fled toward Indinup homestead for safety with Paddy gaining on her, and with very little hope of gaining sanctuary in time. Seeing me, and knowing the buck would not hurt a child, least of all a white one. She just naturally grabbed little Willie as a shield.”
“I’ll bet you felt scared.”
“Well, I don’t think I had the opportunity or time to feel anything, for while the g…n twisted, dodged and turned, little Willie was twisted, turned and bundled about also. Anyhow, after he had flung six or seven spears at her in an affectionate endeavour to transfix her, he managed to strike her with the last one which went through her bokra and entered the fleshy part of her thigh about four inches. Just then father came on the scene, and after sending Big Paddy about his business, he pulled the spear out of the g…n, and little Willie was mighty glad to scuttle for the house.”
“But why punish the g…n and let the n….r off?”
“Just n….r custom. They always held the view that the woman was to blame – SHE MAKEN EYES. But Big Paddy would pinch anybody’s g…n, eyes or no eyes.”
I remarked that the spearing business seemed to be an important pastime with the aborigine.
“Oh yes,” said Mr. Grover, “it was their main weapon, and they were extraordinarily proficient. I’ll give you an instance. Over at Kojonup there was a n…..r called Imbert, and he was no chicken at the time either. At forty yards he could strike a penny stuck edgeways on a post, nine times out of ten. He was supposed to be the William Tell of the district.
Of course, they were at it as soon as they could walk. I’ve seen the young tackers go to a tree and cut a round piece of bark about the size of a plate. One would send the bark trundling for all he was worth, while his companions flung their spears at the moving target. Even at that early stage of their careers it was surprising how accurate the young beggars could be.”
“Did the native ever throw his spears by hand?” I asked.
“No, they always used the woomera, and quick and dexterous they were too, particularly at loading it.
By the way, in the making of spear and woomera, it was not just a matter of going ahead and making from a common pattern. According to a man’s height, so his spear would correspond and according to the length of his forearm, so had the woomera to be made. It was no use one n…..r trying to use the other chap’s gear, because he would be all over the place. If you came to a stranger’s camp and found any of his weapons, you could tell the height of the man.”
“Talking of woomeras,” said Mr. Grover, “I once saw a n…..r bite a lump out of one. It was this way. Father had a certain n…..r shepherding for him, and one day a buck came along and asked where he was. It appeared the n…..r had gone off with this particular buck’s g…n, and he was therefore after their blood. When father told him they had cleared out, he was so enraged, he stuck his woomera into his mouth and bit a chunk clean out of it.
The natives had magnificent teeth, and they never bothered to clean them either. I have never seen a n….r do anything to his teeth, except grab a bit of stick and extract shreds of meat from them after a feed; and they were all healthy and strong.”
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