Page:Aboriginesofvictoria01.djvu/54

xlvi Many of the spears made by the natives of Victoria are ruder in form, though perhaps not less effective in war or in the chase than those seen in the northern and north-western parts of the continent.

The double-barbed spear (Mongile) made by inserting pieces of quartz, quartzite, or black basalt in grooves cut in the wood; the double-barbed spear, formed by cutting barbs out of the solid wood; the Nandum, having barbs (also cut out of the solid wood) on one side only; the reed spear (Tir-rer), with a piece of hard heavy wood for a point; the barbed spear (Ko-anie); the bident (Gow-dalie); the trident (Wormegoram); the simple wooden spear (Ujie-ko-anie), having both ends sharpened, and one brought to a fine point; the eel-spear; and the Koy-yun (one of the favorite spears of the southern blacks)—are all occasionally used—and some exclusively—as weapons of war. Some are described as spears for fishing, but not one of them would not be used if a fight occurred; and it is as difficult to distinguish their weapons from their implements as to determine sometimes whether a club can be more properly called an offensive or a defensive weapon. A man will throw his spears and use his club as a defence, or throw his club, and use some other weapon to ward off boomerangs or other missiles.

The stone-headed spears of the north will, perhaps, be more interesting to scientific men than the wooden spears. The heads are as a rule not ground, but made by striking off flakes, and some in my collection are marvellous results of this art. Perfect in form, and thoroughly adapted to the purpose for which they are designed, they shame the more elaborate efforts of civilized men, who with all their appliances could not excel, and probably could not equal, the works of the untutored savages of the north. It is believed that stone-headed spears are common only in the north, but the system of exchange so general amongst the tribes may have brought these stone-headed weapons to the knowledge of the southern black. Mr. Officer says that the natives of the Murray claim to be acquainted with this kind of spear; but I have not found it anywhere in Victoria—nor have any of my correspondents, as far as I am informed—nor has Mr. Officer, as he tells me, seen a stone in his district which in any respect resembles the stone spear-heads of the north. As soon as one is acquainted with these stone-heads, as soon as the sight is accustomed to them, it is easy enough to distinguish them, and to decide whether or not they are the work of the natives. Their character is distinctly marked.

The rocks used for making spear-heads are black basalt and fine granular quartzite. I have not seen any made of quartz, which may be easily accounted for. The quartzite of which the spear-heads are made is almost like jasper; it is tough, and when properly fractured gives a fine even edge, which quartz does not, and it is not brittle. The natives had their choice of rocks in the north, and invariably they chose the best for their purposes. If they had not had quartzite, they would, like many of the tribes of West Australia, have used quartz.

The lever used to propel the spear—the Kur-ruk, Gur-reek, Murri-wun, Meera, or Womerah, of the east, west, and south, the Rogorouk or Wondouk of the north—is the same in principle in all parts of Australia. In its rudest