Page:The Native Tribes of South Australia (1879).djvu/171

 INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE. 105 nion. Since then the Church of Christ at this Mission station has increased to fifty-five members. There are at this date thirty-nine natives and sixteen whites.* But to return to the past. After the formation of the church in 1866, it became very desirable to insist upon marriage being solemnised with Christian rites. This was brought about by two of the church members being married by the Rev. John Gardner, of Adelaide, while on a visit to the station. The writer was not at that time empowered to legally perform marriages, as his church and congregation consisted of Aboriginal natives. Had they consisted of the same number of whites, he would have at once received authority. However, this difficulty was got over, and the writer afterwards received power to legally solemnise matrimony. This was of importance, because native marriage was not recognised by law; consequently, if a native Christian had his wife forced away from him by the heathen blacks, he had no legal redress, because he was not legally married. And not only on this account was it of importance, but also that a check might be put upon divorce, which is easy and common amongst the heathen natives. The introduction of Christian marriage gave sanctity to the nuptial tie, and made it appear more indissoluble. The old heathen blacks saw this, and after the first two marriages they set to work to try if they could not undo them. Amongst the Aborigines it has been often the case that where a young woman has been given in marriage against the wishes of some of her relatives, they have tried to take her away from her husband and give her to somebody else. Laelinyeri had been legally married to Charlotte by the Rev. J. Gardner, as stated above; so a party of the old blacks pretended that they were offended at this, especially an old savage called Fisherman Jack. Soon after the marriage, down came the Lower Murray tribe to the station and encamped near. With their usual deceit they pretended to be quite friendly with the newly-married couple, so as to throw them off their guard. fifty-six natives, forty-one whites.
 * Ninety-seven persons have been in communion with the church since its commencement