The northern and north-western tribes use light reed spears when settling quarrels between two individuals. The spear is about five feet long and has a tapering head of mangrove wood, which is inserted into the top end of the reed shaft. All coastal tribes, from the Adelaide River westwards to the Ord River, use this spear, but it is not known in central Australia. The opponents, standing about forty or fifty feet apart, throw the weapons at each other with wonderful precision, but before the dangerous little missile can reach its mark, the would-be recipient dodges it with equal skill. A number of such spears is carried by each combatant. Whilst the duel is proceeding, the two natives dance in defiance to taunt the rival, grotesquely jumping from one foot to the other, holding the arms semi-erect and bent at the elbows and wrists, whilst the body is thrown forward and the head kept back. When a spear passes very near to or grazes its mark, the native greets his escape with a short but strangely articulated exclamation sounding like “irr.” The throwers are constantly on the move, and, whenever possible, one stoops to pick up a new spear from a bundle of them lying at his side. The little missiles are so light that, when they hit the ground, they skip along the surface and can be recovered uninjured. Although these spears seem more like toys than weapons, they are nevertheless most formidable on account of their sharp point and the velocity with which they travel.
A method which is in vogue among the central Australian tribes, like the Arunndta and Dieri, is the dagger duel. The dagger employed is a long stone-knife with a grip or haft of porcupine resin; the Arunndta name for it is “putta ildurra.” The combatants hold one of such daggers in one hand and a light shield of kurrajong wood in the other, and thus equipped they approach each other. After some preliminaries in the way of dancing and an accompaniment of excited shrieking, the men close in upon one another. With the shield they not only catch the well-directed stabs before any bodily injury is done, but they also thrust the opponent back to keep him at arm’s length. It is not an uncommon event for such a duel to be fought for a considerable time without any bloodshed, the skilful parrying checking many a fatal blow until eventually utter exhaustion appeases the thirst for revenge and soothes the hatred, which was only too evident at the beginning of the duel. At other times severe gashes are inflicted, which occasionally terminate fatally. Vide [Fig. 4].
Fig. 4. Two Arunndta carvings of scenes in a dagger-duel (× 1/3). Tracing.
The most serious of all duels is undoubtedly that in which the heavy spear is used. The method is similar to that of the light spear fights, with the distinction that those engaged in the strife stand further apart, and do not run the same amount of risk by exposing themselves to the same extent as in the former case. It is recognized that a “hit” by one of the large heavy-bladed spears will result in a dangerous wound, and, therefore, the men face the ordeal in all conscientiousness, knowing that if they can prove themselves equal to their opponent’s dexterity for a reasonable length of time, the moment will arrive when the strife might be terminated by arbitration. One occasionally meets with a person who has a broken portion of a spear-head deeply embedded in the musculature of his thigh or other region of his body, where a violent inflammation around the lesion has caused the sufferer much pain because he has not been able to extract the offending piece of wood or stone from the tissue.
PLATE XXII
1. Sunday Islander making fire by the twirling process during a ceremonial.
2. “Kaloa” or mangrove raft, Worora tribe, Glenelg River district.
In the Balmaningarra district of the northern Kimberleys of Western Australia, the warriors hold the shield (which they call “karwinnunga”) in their left hand, but, if necessity arises, they quickly change it to the right. As a spear whizzes by harmlessly, or is skilfully warded off, the defendant sounds a short triumphant “p-r-r-r” with protruding and vibrating lips. When about to “receive” a missile, the native stands in much the same attitude as that adopted by a modern rapier-duellist. The moment, however, he realizes that his antagonist’s aim has been inaccurate, or he has been successful in dodging or warding off the death-bringing stick, he balances himself on one leg, cocks the other under his buttocks, and defiantly throws his arms above his head, jeering at his enemy and inviting him to throw once more, crying: “Look! I am defenceless, and I am exposing my body to you! I have no fear of you; your spears can only scratch the ground as the yam-stick of a woman digging for grubs!”