1969 School Magazine

.N i:S :..:--N -is .N t:s

:.S .s

SER. SANSUEH. WAH.KS,R. GR.HF'trHSFN NSENSSR.EAH- trR.HEH,, g96E re,€/"effG For many centuries, in fact since the

site was first chosen in LB92 bv Mr' \flard. F{e was one of a party of missionaries, which also in- cluded Mr. H"y, a pioneer missionary, who acted on the advice of Governor Douglas and sailed south to choose a site fot a new mission. "$fleipa" was a well-chosen place because here, thick man- groves greur right down to the level of the low iid.. Barmm,rndi, and consequently crocodiles, were able to take relatively safe shelter amongst the mangroves. Both of these anirnals provided a major part of the natives' meat diet. Bananas, pawpaws, coconuts and yams grew in plentiful i,.tppli.r. - On the grasslands farther inland !.uqg- rroor, brolgas, emus, and aligators inhabited the area.' Latir these animals proved themselves to be a reliable source of income to game hunters, be- cause of their high skin values and meat prices. Early in L893, a similar 6ip w-as made south to Duyfken Point and Mr. Hey and some Mapoon natives cut their way back through Mangrove swamps to Mapoon. In 1894, Mr. \ilard and fuk. Hey .hot. the-atea between the Mission River and the Embley River for a nevr mission. In 1896 the Reverend Brown and Mrs. Brown came north as missionaries to \feipa. As soon as a house u/as built for them, he set up and established a medical cenffe to treat wounded aborigines . "This is a major and successful method to gain the confi- dence and approval of the aborigine-to minister unro his r.6dr, both physically and spiritu alby" .t. In his first fe# y.arJ there, he encouraged and helped the native men to join the other mission- ariis as cafpenters, employed in building the houses for th. mission, or as stockmen for the sufrounding stations, and as fisherrnen on the pearling luggers from Malaya, Singagorg and Japan; tfrit *-tt th. beginning of the gradual increase of preparation of the men to organise and govern ifr"it communities and ours, according to ouf laws and customs. Diseases were very prevalent in the Peninsu- Lar, but the natives themselves wefe a fairly dis- ease-resistant face. This prevalence of disease was partly because of the gopical climate but also L..r,rr. the white settler inuoduced them. As soon as they had eaten a sickly animal, - the resistance to balteria began to decfease. Tuber- culosis and typhoid *.r. only two of the deadly diseases that- were brought in bV both the white settlers and the pearl fishermen. Malaria was often a cause of so many deaths in the native tibes, especially while the mission was being .;;;tt"cted. There were even a few isolated

Neolithi. Ag., th. aborigines at \ff/eipa have made history. But it was only at the.end of the nine- teenth century that Cipe York Peninsula has come into t..bgttition with the white settlers in Australia. In 1606 , Janszoon sailed thg lDovfken" or "Little Dove'j down the Gulf of Carpentafia to C"d Keer-weer. During his returq journey north to tft. East Indies, he ianded at the point which is now known as Duyfken Point, There he saw ilt" Iaynkwit tribe who had their hunting grounds .ior. 'around the point. Then in 1623, I?n Cartenszoon also ttil.d down the Gulf in the "Pefa" and landed on the opposite point across Albrtros Bay. The point wal narned Pera Heads. The first actual contact made with the aborilines was between 1870 and L87 6 when r.n.tll parties of diggers left ?almer -to prospect the utLnown centfe of the f.ar northern penin- r"tt. How.vef, they wefe unsuccessful and only ;;;;h.d Co"n where they found a very rich coal- field. \ilileipa, of "happy hunting grounds"l is situateJ i" an area frbi" Duyfken Point in the *rih, i" Pera Heads in the south, tld east from AiLuti'otu Bay. The land in this atea is undulating il;h. far eait with flat, grass plains in the centre ;;i ; -low-1vins, swampv, coastal plain. There ;. ifrr"" * ii tidal, - 'salt-w ater rivers and Ilumerous fresh-w atet creeks . In this ^rea, twelve tribes had settle4 each ,emi-nomadic wiih its own sacred animal, and h""ti"g grounds. The most northern tribe was ;h. iri"iwitz tribe who lived around Duyfken ij;i";. -' jiiettttv to the south-east of them was the b;l"pyayt 1ribe. Theq, along the northern banks "f tffi estuary of wlrat is -now known as the Misi"" Ri".t, the Isenyayt tribe had settled ;irh th. Nr*r- ayit mibe- on the opposite bank u"J the Yinworn tribe to the east around C9* Cr..k. To-the south-west of this creek was the Mt;t;o* 6ibe and on the point betu/een the River Mission Estuary and the Embley River, ;h. Atvii tribe had settled with .the Dsgt tribe r"a the Aritinyitig farther south on the 4"V niu.r. Then tho Mamyayt tribe, the Linyity tribe, the Latomyit tribe and' the Nratayit gtb.. lived ;;"; tt;; tho..t of Albamoss Bav. Each tribe iia-u diff.r.rtt dialect, and this proved to be a ruJot piobl.m later with the missionaries when they did translation work. The place was named "\(/eipa" when the

Page Thirty-Six