Cirrus@Austlit

Meston objects to Kendall's reference in 'The Last of His Tribe' to 'slings,' which he argues were never used by Aborigines. This is the basis for the main theme of this essay: '[t]he intense conservatism and spirit of isolation of the Australian tribes,' which will lead inevitably to their 'unspeakably pathetic' disappearance. Meston supports his premise by noting that the Aborigines of the tip of Cape York did not adopt bows and arrows from the nearby Straits Islanders, nor generally did Aborigines adopt firearms from white men. The different dialects of Stradbroke, Moreton and Bribie Islands remained separate, as did the three languages spoken on Fraser Island.