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Freotopia > documents > Moore 1884 > Yellagonga
Moore, George Fletcher 1884, Diary of Ten Years Eventful Life of an Early Settler in Western Australia and also A Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language of the Aborigines, Walbrook, London.
Diary of Ten Years Eventful Life of an Early Settler in Western Australia
Excerpts having to do with Yellagonga
25 April 1833
180
I had sent James to borrow a seed riddle, and was on the look out for some pigs that were trying to circumvent the garden
181
when I heard a jabbering, and lo ! ten natives were in the act of admiring them at the river-side. As I thought they might carry their admiration to the inconvenient extent of carrying them off, I slipped into the house and got my guns in readiness, and in a convenient situation for instant use. I then went out and engaged the unwelcome visitors in most edifying conversation, walking them up through the gate, and past the house, on to the high plain ahove ; and sending Johnny for bread, which I cut and distributed amongst them in due proportion, praying proper regard to old Yellogonga, their chief. and to two of the fair sex by whom he was accompanied. I then shook hands with them, and bade them a most hearty farewell. They were very civil ; but, to say the truth, I have no great desire ever to see their amiable faces again. Amongst them I recognised " Aloley," the native whom I had in charge, on the day when we took seven prisoners, on my first coming to the colony. He did not seem to recognise me, nor did I recollect his face, until he told me his name, — one of the young women then present is his wife.
187
14 May 1833
I found several mushrooms to-day. Some natives have been here this evening — a family party — Yelloganga and his two wives, with the boys Parabang and "Nghnoonig." The latter word affords an instance of one of Lyon's "lost sounds;" and it would be a pity if ever it should be found again. Ngoonig, Nghnoonig — I cannot combine any form of letters which gives the sound correctly ; it sounds as if you were going to blow your nose — rather nasal, "I guess."
194
2 June 1833
Old Yellogonga, with three women and children, came here to-day. They begged hard for some sugar. I gave them a little each. The old man asked me to allow him to go down to the house. I led him down, showed him the kitchen, and then my room, in which I had spread out my guns, pistols, &c. " No, no, no," he said ; " no, no." He was quite surprised and puzzled at the looking-glass, peeping over and behind it. After he was gone, Weeip and four others came, one of whom was Ya-gan's son, and it is probable that Ya-gan himself was not far away ; but aware of the danger of appearing. I am told they have since expressed their satisfaction at my conduct, saying, that "Mitzer Moore be very good man." Weeip has intimated that no injury shall be done in this neighbourhood ; and altogether we hope for peace from this friendly intercourse with them. Weeip to-day received a blanket, which Captain Irwin sent to him, — the women were very inquisitive about Midgegoroo and his son. About the former I still shook my head, and said, he "kill white man."
328
A strange scene occurred here to-day among the natives, which seemed to surprise and grieve Irwin not a little, as a stranger, although we are pretty well accustomed now to such occurrences. I was examining the knee of Weenat, who is still suffering from the wound, and was lying in a hut close to this, when suddenly I observed a body of natives at some distance coming rushing towards us at full speed. Weenat was greatly alarmed, and entreated me to run for my gun and protect him. I did so, and on my return found that they were in the act of communicating tidings of the death of a friend to him. A man sat upon his thighs, breast to breast, for some time, then whispered to him the name. (Bogan had been killed that morning at Guildford, by natives from Perth). Weenat hung his head and cried. The women covered their heads with their cloaks and made a regular wail. These men were the relatives of Bogan, seeking for revenge. The boy Bellick, who had been attending my sheep, also came up at this time, and was embraced ; but, friendly as they appeared to be, I suspect that the gun in my hand was the principal cause of their apparent friendship.
329
After a little, they proceeded in search of a victim, and Bellick, unsuspectingly, followed them a little, through curiosity. When they got out of sight of the house, some of the party turned upon him, dragged him to the ground, and endeavoured to kill him, but others interfered, and carried him off back to my place, wounded in two places. The spears had been turned by his ribs. The party rushed on, and soon fell in with old Barragim, or Yellagonga, and he fell dead under nine spears. All this occurred in a very short space of time, and the running, the shouting, the shrieking, the wounds of the boy, the lamentations around him, and the consternation and confusion of the natives when the death of Barragim was known, altogether formed a scene which you in the regular routine of civilised life could hardly picture to yourselves. After dinner we went out to walk a little, when we happened to come to the spot where old Gear was burying the body. The grave was about three feet deep, the body placed on its back, with the legs doubled up. He lighted a fire in the grave, singed off part of the beard, stripped off the nails of the thumb and little finger of the right hand, and tied the finger and thumb together ; covered the body with sticks, then trod on the earth ; made a hut over the head of the grave ; tore the bag into fragments and strewed them on the grave, and then burst into a cry of grief, whilst his wife sung and scraped her nose and rolled on the ground. And so the ceremony ended. He said the finger and thumb were tied that he might not throw any more spears, — rather an unnecessary precaution, one would think. The grave is close beside Mr. Tanner's early residence, which is now a ruin.
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