James Morrill: Wandering with Australian Aborigines

Morrill, James (1824 – 1865)

This is a wonderful story that I just finished reading. It should be mandatory reading for all Australian school children. We learn about Burke and Wills and their tragic end, but few know of James Morrill as part of Australian history. James Morrill was a British seaman who grew up in Essex. In 1846 he joined the ill-fated ship Peruvian.

James Morill lived with the Australian Aborigines for 17 years, mastering their language and skills and befriending them. In the end he became a peacemaker acting as an interpreter and intermediary between the colonists and the Aboriginal people. He felt a deep affection for them.

Reading through the book I was struck by the fact that I had not read history from this perspective. It was unique and profoundly inspiring to read. Also their were early pictures of the Australian Aborigines, so slim and tall, they had the most beautiful paintings and markings on their body. They lived in balance with their environment and were described as happy and free.

I will provide a brief outline from the Australian National University, which unfortunately is the only one I could find. Then I will report to you excerpts in more detail from the book I’ve just read.

http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A020227b.htm

MORRILL (MURRILLS), JAMES (1824-1865), sailor, came from Essex, England. He went to sea at an early age, and was carpenter’s mate in the Peruvian when she left Sydney for China on 27 February 1846. In a cyclonic gale the barque was wrecked on Horseshoe Reef off the Great Barrier Reef. Twenty-two survivors took to the jolly-boat, on which they drifted for twenty-two days, often coming within sight of land but each time being driven off by contrary winds and tides. Morrill, an active and robust young man, did all he could to preserve the castaways by catching fish and even sharks, which were eaten raw, but despite such efforts only five people eventually survived the landing near Cape Bowling Green.

Of these, Miller, the shipwright, vanished in an attempt to bring rescue by paddling to civilization in an Aboriginal bark canoe found on the beach. An apprentice boy, White, succumbed to privations not long after the party was discovered by Aboriginals. This left the master of the Peruvian, Captain Pitkethley, his wife and Morrill; they were adopted into tribes of wandering Aboriginals, to whose habits of life they soon conformed completely. The Pitkethleys joined a tribe around Cape Cleveland but were both dead within two years. Morrill lived for seventeen years with a neighbouring tribe, centred on Mount Elliot and ranging between the Black and Burdekin Rivers. He was fairly well treated and adjusted himself well, but found his superior craftsmanship was useless as the Aboriginals took from him any tools or artifacts which he made himself.

With the opening of North Queensland for pastoral settlement in 1861 Morrill’s isolation was at an end. News of the interlopers was followed by one or two unpromising contacts. A white horseman who murdered a native who was mourning his father was himself speared. But Morrill’s wish to join his own people remained strong; his opportunity came on 25 January 1863 when he and a party of Aboriginals hunting for kangaroo came to an outstation of a sheep property. Overcoming great shyness, Morrill left his companions, washed himself as clean as he could and revealed himself to two astonished station hands with a cry of: ‘Don’t shoot, mates, I’m a British object!’ He was recognized as a white, and his tribe reluctantly parted with him.

Lionized in Brisbane, he was presented at Government House, but does not seem greatly to have interested Governor Sir George Bowen. Appointed to the Department of Customs at Bowen, Morrill returned to North Queensland, where his knowledge and experience of the Aboriginals made him much in demand as interpreter and go-between and often promoted peaceful conciliation. His knowledge of the country and its seasonal variations was often consulted by squatters and explorers. In January 1864 he accompanied George Dalrymple on the expedition to open the port of Cardwell, and in April 1865 he was in charge of the Ariel bringing the first cargo of bonded goods to the settlement on Cleveland Bay which later became Townsville. But his privations during his years of wandering had weakened his health, and on 30 October 1865 he died at Bowen. Aboriginals for many miles around came into town for a memorable mourning ceremony.

Morrill was married in 1864 to Eliza Ann Ross, a domestic servant employed by the police magistrate at Bowen. She remarried after his death, and died at Charters Towers about 1923. They had one son, whose descendants, in 1966, were still living in the Burdekin Delta district of North Queensland.

Overview of 17 Years Wandering Among The Aborigines

I will overview excerpts from the book written by James Morrill.

In brief, after 23 days of sailing the ship became shipwrecked on rocks and he describes in graphic detail the attempt to survive in a long boat at sea. They had 21 people on board the boat and one by one they died. He described the sharks eating the bodies thrown overboard. He catalogues survival by catching sharks, birds and other fish using the limbs of dead bodies as bait. He speaks of trying to catch water when it rained and the problem of salt soaked sails, managing to wash it out and just enough water to survive. He describes the currents carrying the boat and despair as they see the sails of a boat in the distance but can’t attract attention. He speaks of making the Great Barrier Reef near Cape Upstart and then towards Cleveland Bay. They were dependent on the current and breeze and at midnight they landed near Cape Cleveland. They started with 42 persons and after the wreck had 21 and that numbered dwindled to 7 persons, the Captain, his wife, George Wilmott, James Morrill, James Gooley, the sail maker and one of the boys. Mr Wilmott and the able seaman James Gooley were so exhausted that they died a few days later. Again they saw another ship, but were unable to attract attention.

This became the beginning of a unique experience. They made contact with the indigenous aboriginal people who had found them by followed their tracks. James Morrill described them as very curious and afraid of the white people. However, the black people (as they called them) got closer and examined them minutely. They found the wearing of clothes strange as they wanted to determine if the white people were human and their sex. Apparently they touched them all over. They tried to communicate with the white people and there was some understanding. James Morrill states he understood them to be asking where they were from. The Captains wife was afraid they would be killed. Yet the aboriginal people took pity on them in their exhausted and emaciated state and helped them to their camp. They gave them food and water and checked on them. Others in the tribe would come and peek. The Aboriginals wanted to take the clothes but were able to understand from the white people that the sun was too hot. So they allowed them to wear their clothes. They took other objects from the boat. They were very happy to take the white people to the tribe.

James Morrill describes a moment of fear when as new arrivals they were taken to a group of men. He felt them to be powerful men and they were sitting in state (trance). They didn’t move on approach. James indicated he became very afraid as he thought they would be killed and he was shaking. The Aboriginal men observed his fear and warmed their hands by the fire and put them on his face and then all over his body to reassure him. (They probably thought he was cold). The captain, his wife and the boy had the same experience. He said some of the tribe dressed in their clothes and tore pages out of books and stuck them to their hair and bodies. He said it was a strange sight.

At the camp they were covered in grasses until the last moment (to conceal their identity) and then the tribe of around 60 men, women and children formed a circle and they discussed the white people – where they were found and what they knew of them. They communicated the experience through dance. I found that fascinating, corroboree was used to communicate the story.

When the tribe first saw them they scattered as they were afraid, they then came back and became curious touching them. They gave the white group plenty to eat and drink.

Another bigger gathering was organised with 1,000 aboriginals from 10 different tribes. Some came from the south. The grand corroboree lasted about three days and they went through rites and ceremonies of the Borree or making young lads men and instructing them in their duties towards the women. (I found that part interesting as there is no ritual for boys in western society). The group of white people were distributed amongst the tribes. He found out 2 years later that the boy had died and six weeks after the captain sickened and then his wife days later. She had difficulty with exposing herself he said and tried to cover herself and James Morrill felt that the captain died as he worried for her. James said it broke his heart when they died.

James Morrill stayed with the Aboriginal people for 17 years. He learned how to hunt, where to find food, water and participated in corroboree, a unique cultural experience and one of true integration and peace. He said the language was disjointed words and guttural noises and that there were different dialects in different tribes. He was able to speak 8 dialects. Whilst he was with the Aboriginals he heard of white people shooting people from his tribe and there were misunderstandings. When the Aboriginals shouted the whites believed they were shouting at them, but they were mourning their dead. Who had been shot by nervous whites.

The Aborigines realised their land was being taken and indicated they would allow the whites to take land to the south but they wanted the lands north, which they reasoned the whites wouldn’t want. They also reported the movement of cattle and asked James what they were and why they ate them.

Eventually he found out about some white people. He was going to leave the tribe and some cried painfully at his leaving. He travelled to a hut with white people. He wasn’t sure how he would speak as he had been with the Aborigines for a long time. So he stood at the gate naked and called out to them. They were perplexed by him naked and he explained he had been shipwrecked and lived with the Aborigines. He was excited. They asked James if he knew the date and he didn’t. They said it was January 1863. He was shipwrecked in 1846 so he had been with the aboriginals 17 years, for him it didn’t seem that long. The men told him to come back the next morning otherwise they would come and kill him and the Aboriginals. He went to the tribe and told them he’d be away 3 or 4 moons (months). They were worried he wouldn’t come back. They were upset and cried. He said he felt a struggle between the feeling of love he had for his old friends and companions and the desire once more to live a civilised life.

He went to the hut and stayed there two weeks and then went to Bowen.

He describes the Aborigines as a fine race of people. Apparently children suckled a long time on the breast until they could get their own food. The women gathered and he indicated the men had several wives up to 9 and the wars, fights and feuds were about women. Aborigines stealing other’s wives, lending them and selling them for a time. They never stayed long in a place as the food supply became exhausted, they would move on.

Many aspects of Aboriginal culture are not uniform throughout Australia but vary from region to region.

They made their living by fishing, hunting, digging in the earth for roots, gathering fruits etc. They can eat anything such as sharks, alligators, shrimps, shell fish, fish of all kinds, kangaroos, rats, wallabies, snakes, grubs, snails and other wild things. Their knowledge of food sources was extensive. They ate several kinds of roots the best called moogoondah sweet firm and dry, another growing in the scrub was called malboon which is soft and moist. They ate honey from the hollows of the trees, fruits, wild banana full of black seed and little flesh, a fruit like apple called barkabah, a red fig called cowarah and a black one called ballamoo.

He went on to explain they had no written language and made guttural sounds with limited expression. They couldn’t teach their language only by imitation and memory assisted by their wants. The different animals were arranged by the size of their feet, hence sheep had the same name as wallabies (cargoon), sailing vessels were the same as canoes because they float (woolgoora). He said they had no knowledge of the earth beyond their locality. He reported on seeing a total eclipse, he asked an old man what it meant, the old man told him his son had hid it (the sun) to frighten another tribe. They felt uneasy whilst it was happening. They believed they had control of heavenly bodies. He went on to say they had no knowledge of how they came into existence and there is a fear of death.

He had much to report of his observations after 17 years of living with them as friends and had a deep love for the people.

James returned to civilisation and married and had a son. He worked with the Department of Customs and was an interpreter and intermediator between settlers and Aborigines, helping to prevent confrontation. James Morrill died on 30th October 1865 from rheumatism from a knee wound he received from a crocodile.

There were other voices who wished to see Aboriginal culture preserved, such as Eric Mjoberg. He wrote correspondence to The Royal Society of New South Wales in Sydney speaking of the ‘Protection of Nature’. He explained that rapid advance of civilisation in all five continents had threatened to retard or destroy the original nature of the country and that laws were proposed to save and protect the same. He went on to say that the fifth and youngest continent and perhaps the most interesting of all. He indicated the advancing civilisation was more severe then anywhere else as it descended on the aboriginals. He said in Southern Queensland, New South Wales and parts of South Australia and West Australia the aboriginals were almost extinct. Only the central and more inaccessible northern portions did aboriginals live their true life. He said the Australian aboriginal of the stone age, were one of the oldest and most interesting races on the earth. He made mention of the fate of the Tasmanian aboriginals (wiped out). He spoke of areas of untouched aboriginals free and undisturbed governed by inner unwritten laws and strict morals, the latter surpassing those of the whites.

He expressed his regret that the authorities intend to civilise Mornington Island and that a mission station would be erected there. He saw this as a death blow to the Aboringals on the island. He described the aboriginals as happy. He called for them to be left to live unrestricted for all times, to live in peace upon the island to enjoy the simple life of their forefathers without deteriorating. He conveyed that Australia would be looked upon with respect by all civilised countries.

Sadly the missions had already been approved and his letter was responded to with ‘there is no need for the society to take any action’.

Hence the fate of the Australian Aborigine was sealed. Civilisation came and today we see the outcome of our inability to integrate with other civilisations who have the knowledge to teach us how to live in balance with the land and our true nature.

The environmental crisis we face today is real. Just imagine had we learned to live in peace with the Indigenous Australians rather than dominating them and forcing them into ‘white mans ways’, what they would have taught us. It was indeed European Australia’s loss. For our unhappiness increased, as did theirs. Perhaps it is time to question our way of life.

Harmony is living our true nature. The traditional Aborigines can show us the way here as can all indigenous people’s from around the world.