Australian Exploration
May. 4th, 2009 09:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
julietI've just finished reading a splendid book by Tim Flannery, called The Explorers: Stories of Discovery and Adventure from The Australian Frontier. It's a collection of extracts from the journals/reports/etc of various of the explorers of Australia. (Flannery does note the problem whereby it's the European accounts, and largely male accounts, that we get, and there's at least one eyewitness account from an Aboriginal guide to an expedition.) It's fascinating reading, showing the physical and mental problems that the European explorers had to handle, their attempts to make sense of the country and the people, and the wide variety of attitudes to the indigenous Australians that they met. Anyway, a couple of extracts particularly caught my fancy:
An account of the experiences of two Tongan royals who visited Sydney in 1806, but were treated quite badly (Bligh, the governor at the time, seems not to have thought much of these non-white rulers...) Part of the problem was money, which was outside the experience of Finow & Filimóëátoo. This extract just after they've established that the 'value' of money consists only in what society agrees it to be:
Interesting both in terms of the accuracy of the analysis (although it's oversimplified, as even barter-type societies tend to have some 'storable' goods of value), and in terms of looking at the way that (some) cultures deal with wealth, by the assumption that it should be shared out. One of the issues between white and Aboriginal Australia is the way in which wealth is dealt with: gift cultures, basically. Which makes a lot of sense if your society has a concept of 'wealth' which is based on a) scarcity, and b) spoilable goods.
John Lhotsky, 1834:
This struck me because I've noticed how much more readily available drinking water is over here than at home. Lots of drinking fountains (yes, I know the UK *used* to have more of these), tap water provided by default in many, perhaps most, restaurants, and free drinking water on trains (this impressed me particularly!). I've wondered whether it's to do with the climate; and perhaps also a holdover from a more sparsely populated era, as indicated here.
Ernest Giles, 1874, in the Gibson Desert, having just walked 80 miles in 6 days, alone, on a pound of dry meat, and very little water:
(He made it out, although no one else from his party did.) I found this -- incredibly impressive, I guess, that someone could keep going for that long at that level of hunger, thirst, and pain. And the matter-of-fact way he talks about this is kind of impressive as well. (And, vegan or no, very understandable.)
Cecil Madigan, 1939, in the Simpson Desert:
This just made me giggle sympathetically.
W J Peasley, 1977, a doctor, out looking for the last nomadic Aboriginal couple out in the Gibson Desert. They'd spotted a lump of canvas wedged in a tree, which the Aboriginal member of the search party was deliberately not noticing:
It was the failure of respect that shocked me here - the assumption that it's OK just to go and disturb things like this. Especially since they were clearly to some extent aware that what they were doing wouldn't be acceptable to either the people they were looking for, or to their navigator/guide. I will note that the search was being undertaken partly at the behest of the local Aboriginal people of the area, as there was a severe drought on and they were worried for the wellbeing of the elderly couple in question.
OK, I could probably quote lots more bits but will stop there. It's well worth a read.
An account of the experiences of two Tongan royals who visited Sydney in 1806, but were treated quite badly (Bligh, the governor at the time, seems not to have thought much of these non-white rulers...) Part of the problem was money, which was outside the experience of Finow & Filimóëátoo. This extract just after they've established that the 'value' of money consists only in what society agrees it to be:
After a pause of some length, Finow replied that the explanation did not satisfy him. He still thought it a foolish thing that people should place a value on money when they either could not or would not apply it to any useful (physical) purpose. 'If,' said he, 'it were made of iron and could be converted into knives, axes, and chisels, there would be some sense in placing a value on it; but as it is I see none. If a man,' he added, 'has more yams than he wants, let him exchange some of them away for pork or [cloth]. Certainly money is much handier, and more convenient, but then, as it will not spoil by being kept, people will store it up, isntead of sharing it out, as a chief ought to do, and thus become selfish; whereas, if provisions were the principal property of a man, and it ought to be, as being both the most useful and the most necessary, he could not store it up, for it would spoil, and so he would be obliged either to exchange it away for something else useful or share it out to his neighbours, and inferior chiefs and dependants, for nothing.'
He concluded in saying, 'I understand now very well what it is that makes the Papalangis so selfish -- it is this money!'
Interesting both in terms of the accuracy of the analysis (although it's oversimplified, as even barter-type societies tend to have some 'storable' goods of value), and in terms of looking at the way that (some) cultures deal with wealth, by the assumption that it should be shared out. One of the issues between white and Aboriginal Australia is the way in which wealth is dealt with: gift cultures, basically. Which makes a lot of sense if your society has a concept of 'wealth' which is based on a) scarcity, and b) spoilable goods.
John Lhotsky, 1834:
Several persons passed the road near us, asking the usual hospitalities of Australian camps: a drink of water and a light for their pipe.
This struck me because I've noticed how much more readily available drinking water is over here than at home. Lots of drinking fountains (yes, I know the UK *used* to have more of these), tap water provided by default in many, perhaps most, restaurants, and free drinking water on trains (this impressed me particularly!). I've wondered whether it's to do with the climate; and perhaps also a holdover from a more sparsely populated era, as indicated here.
Ernest Giles, 1874, in the Gibson Desert, having just walked 80 miles in 6 days, alone, on a pound of dry meat, and very little water:
I was very footsore, and could only go at a snail's pace. Just as I got clear of the bank of the creek, I heard a faint squeak, and looking about I saw, and immediately caught, a small dying wallaby, whose marsupial mother had evidently thrown it from her pouch. It only weighed about two ounces, and was scarcely furnished yet with fur. The instant I saw it, like an eagle I pounced upon it and ate it, living, raw, dying -- fur, skin, bones, skull and all. The delicious taste of that creature I shall never forget. I only wished I had its mother and father to serve in the same way.
(He made it out, although no one else from his party did.) I found this -- incredibly impressive, I guess, that someone could keep going for that long at that level of hunger, thirst, and pain. And the matter-of-fact way he talks about this is kind of impressive as well. (And, vegan or no, very understandable.)
Cecil Madigan, 1939, in the Simpson Desert:
This was the first clear night since leaving the Hale, and our first opportunity to fix our position since then. The night was cold, the light poor. Papers, books, maps and instruments were soon wet with dew. Sitting out in the open among the spinifex under these conditions, not to mention considerable physical fatigue, did not help the accuracy of the calculations. I kept making mistakes and finding myself in the Pacific Ocean, which was no place to go to bed in.
This just made me giggle sympathetically.
W J Peasley, 1977, a doctor, out looking for the last nomadic Aboriginal couple out in the Gibson Desert. They'd spotted a lump of canvas wedged in a tree, which the Aboriginal member of the search party was deliberately not noticing:
We were fascinated by it but as Mudjon was acting in a peculiar manner we did not wish to investigate immediately for fear of offending him.
[ ... ] We waited until he had moved off to the north [ ... ] John Hanrahan climbed the tree and passed the bundle down for inspection. The covering was a piece of tattered canvas [ ... ] It was unfolded carefully and with some trepidation, and the contents were found to be not human remains as we expected, but the bones of an animal! What on earth was the reason for wrapping animal bones in canvas and placing them high in a mulga tree at Wangabaddi? Was it possible that one of the Aboriginal couple's dogs had died and they had given it a tree burial? Closer examination showed the remains to be those of a kangaroo, but the mystery remained.
[ ... ] We did not inform [Mudjon] that we had taken it down and had some knowledge of the contents because, again, we did not wish to offend him. He offered no suggestion as to what the bundle might contain but in response to my question as to whether it might be 'secret business' he replied, 'Might be,' and did not wish to talk about the matter any further.
It was the failure of respect that shocked me here - the assumption that it's OK just to go and disturb things like this. Especially since they were clearly to some extent aware that what they were doing wouldn't be acceptable to either the people they were looking for, or to their navigator/guide. I will note that the search was being undertaken partly at the behest of the local Aboriginal people of the area, as there was a severe drought on and they were worried for the wellbeing of the elderly couple in question.
OK, I could probably quote lots more bits but will stop there. It's well worth a read.
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no subject
Date: 2009-05-04 04:17 pm (UTC)I hadn't really thought about the drinking water thing, but yeah, it is very available. I remember some drama in the 1990s when nightclubs tried to get people to pay for water from the bar, and attempted to enforce it by blocking the bathroom taps in some way (or making them warm water only? I forget.) Anyway, uproar ensued.
The wallaby story is indeed disturbing :-/ Though, yes, entirely understandable.
In passing, someone the other night asked me what effect the emancipist movement in the UK around 1800 had on Australian treatment of Aboriginal people. I kind of went O_o in confusion for a moment, because the question was based on US assumptions that aren't true in Australia, but when I started thinking about it it got really interesting. I think there's a DW post in there somewhere.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-05 04:18 am (UTC)I am interested in any of your thoughts about the emancipation movement etc!
no subject
Date: 2009-05-04 07:38 pm (UTC)Weirdly enough, it's made me want to visit the desert again, though I fear that won't be for Some Time again...
no subject
Date: 2009-05-05 04:19 am (UTC)Drinking water
Date: 2009-05-05 04:10 am (UTC)On the question of availability of drinking water, it is a condition of any liquor licence (in NSW at least, but I believe most other states and territories) that:
If a licence authorises the sale or supply of liquor for consumption on the licensed premises, it is a condition of the licence that drinking water must, at all times while liquor is sold or supplied for consumption on the premises, be made available free of charge to patrons at or near the point of service at which, or by the same means of service by which, liquor is sold or supplied on the premises.
As
This doesn't extend to un-licensed premises (i.e. those that don't serve alcohol) as they aren't regulated under the Liquor Act.
Re: Drinking water
Date: 2009-05-05 04:22 am (UTC)It's a v interesting book! I'd expect your local library to have a copy - certainly the City of Sydney library system has at least one, viz, the one I borrowed, which can be requested for $1 :) (dunno how far out CoS stretches in terms of libraries.)
Gcnwaubn
Date: 2009-07-14 01:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-04 02:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-05 04:40 am (UTC)Yeah, that makes sense. I like noticing small differences like that :)
no subject
Date: 2009-05-05 09:38 am (UTC)Drinking water: seems to me that what spoiled the availability of water in England was the Thatcher years, when everyone got excited about charging for everything.