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Vocabulary of the Pidong Tribe, Murchison River
Title : Vocabulary of the Pidong Tribe, Murchison River Vocabulary of the Pidong Tribe, Murchison River
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Creator : Lindsay, David, 1856-1922
Source : Parliamentary paper (South Australia. Parliament) no. 45 of 1893, p. 74
Place Of Creation : Adelaide
Publisher : Government Printer
Date of creation : 1893
Additional Creator : Wells, L. A. (Lawrence Allen)
Format : Magazine
Catalogue record
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Description :

The Elder Scientific Exploring Expedition had been specifically instructed to collect vocabularies of the Aboriginal peoples they encountered during their exploration. The Handbook of instructions prepared for the expedition included instructions for the medical officer, Dr Elliott, on keeping a journal in which he was to record all possible detail including the numbers of men, women and children and information about their mythology or beliefs, their customs and their implements whether for hunting or food preparation, and all other matters relating to them. An appendix in the Handbook gave a 'System of orthography for native names...' which was to be followed. The official report of the expedition included a number of these vocabularies, all attributed to LA Wells, Surveyor to the expedition, rather than Elliott who had resigned and left the expedition at Geraldton. From Geraldton, Wells led the expedition to the Murchison district. The vocabulary of the Pidong Tribe, now named Wajarri or Watjarri people, of the Murchison River district is the most extensive of the vocabularies collected by the expedition.

Pidong is one of many alternative names for the Wajarri or Watjarri people of the Murchison River valley. Specifically, according to Norman Tindale, their territory is north to the hills overlooking the head of the Lyons River, Waldburg Range, the upper Gascoyne River to the west of Three Rivers, and south to Cheangwa, the Roderick and upper Sanford Rivers. As indicated at the head of the vocabulary, Wells collected it at 26 degrees latititude and 117 degees longitude.
Subjects
Related names :

Wells, L. A. (Lawrence Allen), 1860-1938

Coverage year : 1891-92
Place : Murchison River (WA)
Further reading :
Elder Scientific Exploring Expedition, (1891-1892) Journal of the Elder Scientific Exploring Expedition, 1891-2 North Adelaide: Corkwood Press, 1999
Facsimile edition of the handbook of instructions for the Elder Scientific Exploration Expedition, together with A study of incompatibles by K. Peake-Jones Adelaide: Royal Geographic Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch, 1991

The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, society and culture Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 1994
Internet links :
Exhibitions and events :

State Library of South Australia: Mortlock Wing. Taking it to the edge August 2004-


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