By their method of standing at ease on one leg, the natives of Australia have evolved a remarkable posture which reminds one of birds. In this position, a man rests the sole of his unoccupied foot against the knee of the standing leg, and usually props his body with a spear-thrower ([Plate XVI], 2).
Strictly speaking, it is the duty of the women to gather firewood, although very often, when there is a supply close at hand, the men will also drag a few logs to the family camp. The women, on the other hand, are required to collect sufficient to keep the fire going, during the day for cooking purposes and during the night for warming and lighting purposes. At times this entails weary searching and long-distance marching. We have already referred to the way they lift the pieces of wood from the ground, between the toes of one foot, to the hand on the opposite side, by passing the piece behind the body; the same hand next stacks the wood upon the head, where the other holds and steadies it. By this method, the gin has no need to stoop, and can in consequence build up astonishingly high piles of wood upon her head ([Plate XVII]). A small pad is usually first laid upon the head to prevent the scalp from chafing and the wood from slipping. Arrived at the camp, a gin throws her load to the ground and breaks the longer pieces across her head with her hands.
A native’s idea of a good fire is to keep it as small as possible, but, at the same time, to derive a cheerful glow from it. His opinion of the European traveller’s camp-fire is that it is so ridiculously big that one cannot lie near to it, without being scorched. In the winter the native often selects a large dry log if available and keeps this aglow at one end throughout the night; in the absence of such a log, he will at frequent intervals find it necessary to attend to his fire during the cold hours of the night. So diligently, indeed, does he nurse his fire that his eyes often become inflamed in consequence of the continued irritation by smoke when he fans a smouldering flame with his breath.
A small fire like this, especially when it has burned for some time, is quite sufficient to cook all the smaller articles, which constitute the daily bill of fare, as for instance roots, tree-grubs, and lizards.
When, however, big game like a kangaroo is to be prepared, larger fires are essential and special culinary rules observed. A method, which has been in use practically everywhere in Australia, and is still found in use among the uncontaminated tribes, is to burn a big fire for a while upon a sandy patch, and then to lay a number of flat stones upon the red-hot coals and cover everything with sand. After a while the sand is scraped aside and the oven is ready for use. In the Northern Territory the stones are substituted by brick-like lumps broken off one of the tall termite-hills, which abound in that country.
In south-eastern Australia and along the River Murray the stones selected are usually composed of travertine or limestone.
In the Musgrave Ranges oven-stones are not in use, the game being simply laid upon, and covered with, hot ashes and sand.
“Big” cooking is done by the men, whilst the women are required to attend to the preparation of all smaller articles like yams, grubs, and seeds.
