Ethnological Studies among the North-West-Central Queensland Aborigines

Roth provides a detailed and fascinating account of the language, life and culture of the Aborigines among whom he lived.

Walter Edmund Roth (Author)

9781108006170, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 21 January 2010

248 pages, 20 b/w illus. 4 colour illus. 1 map
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.34 kg

Walter E. Roth's 1897 study of the Aborigines of North-West-Central Queensland was among the first of its kind in Australia, and established his international reputation as a leading anthropologist and ethnologist. Roth, a physician who was later appointed 'protector of Aboriginals' by the government, gained the confidence and trust of the Aboriginal people among whom he lived, and tried to stop the exploitation and injustice they suffered, in the face of fierce political opposition. His book provides a fascinating and closely observed account of the Aborigines' traditional way of life, including their language, kinship and customs. It describes social organisation, food, tools and weapons, personal decoration, travel and trade, birth and death, and even cannibalism. Containing over 430 illustrations and a glossary summarising key vocabulary, this thoroughly-researched book is widely recognised as a valuable and enduring anthropological record.

Preface
Bibliography
1. The spoken language of the Pitta-Pitta aboriginals
2. Tabular comparison between various selected words
3. Social and individual nomenclature
4. The expression of ideas by manual signs
5. The search for food
6. Domestic implements and utensils
7. Personal ornamentation and decoration
8. Recreation
9. Travel, trade and barter
10. The maintenance of law and order
11. Disease, accident, death
12. Rain-making
13. Ethno-pornography
Index and glossary.

Subject Areas: Physical anthropology [JHMP]