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On the dialects and language of the Aboriginal Tribes of Tasmania, and on their manners and customs
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(dialects and language)
1-1859-Dialects...pdf | Download (1MB) Available under University of Tasmania Standard License. | Preview |
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(verse)
2-1859-Aborigin...pdf | Download (52kB) Available under University of Tasmania Standard License. | Preview |
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(legend)
3-1859-Aborigin...pdf | Download (80kB) Available under University of Tasmania Standard License. | Preview |
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(article)
4-1859-Milligan...pdf | Download (526kB) Available under University of Tasmania Standard License. | Preview |
Abstract
The day is not far distant, when according to the ordinary course of nature, the last of the surviving remnant of the aboriginal inhabitants of Tasmania, now maintained at a Government establishment, and little more than a dozen in number, must be removed by death, and a distinct people cease to exist. The entire extinction of a population, an isolated strip of the human family, is neither a matter of every day occurrence nor of trivial import. When Van Diemen's Land was first occupied by Europeans, half a century ago, its aboriginal population spread in tribes sub-tribes and families over the length and breadth of the island, from Cape Portland to Port Davey, and from Oyster Bay to Macquarie Harbour; and their aggregate number at that time has been variously estimated at from 1500 to 5000. Includes Aboriginal verses in honour of a Great Chief, sung as an accompaniment to a Native Dance or Riawe, the Legend of the origin of fire and of the apotheosis of two heroes, by the Aborigines of Tasmania, as related by a native of the Oyster Bay Tribe and a list of common words and phrases in tabulated form listing words in English translated into the dialect of Tribes from Oyster Bay to Pitwater, Tribes about Brune Island, Recherche Bay and the South of Tasmania and North West and Western Tribes. Also listing translations of short sentences, Aboriginal place names and some names of Aboriginal men and women. Joseph Milligan (1807-1884) was appointed superintendent and medical officer of the Aboriginals, in December 1843 a position which he occupied until 1855. In October 1847 he supervised the transfer of the Aboriginal settlement, then totalling forty-six persons, from Flinders Island to Oyster Cove, where the numbers dwindled rapidly until in 1854 only sixteen remained. During this period of duty he compiled this extensive 'Vocabulary of the Dialects of Some of the Aboriginal Tribes of Tasmania', with observations on native languages and customs.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Authors/Creators: | Milligan, Joseph |
| Keywords: | Royal Society of Tasmania, Van Diemens Land, VDL, Hobart Town, natural sciences, proceedings, records |
| Journal or Publication Title: | Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania |
| Collections: | Royal Society Collection > Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania |
| Additional Information: | In 1843 the Horticultural and Botanical Society of Van Diemen's Land was founded and became the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land for Horticulture, Botany, and the Advancement of Science in 1844. In 1855 its name changed to Royal Society of Tasmania for Horticulture, Botany, and the Advancement of Science. In 1911 the name was shortened to The Royal Society of Tasmania. |
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