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John Fraser (ethnologist)

February 01, 2023

Reverend Dr John Fraser (1834 – 1904) was an Australian ethnologist, linguist, school headmaster and author of many scholarly works. He is known for his revised and expanded version of Lancelot Threlkeld's 1834 work, An Australian Grammar, with the new title An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal, the people of Awaba or Lake Macquarie (near Newcastle, New South Wales) being an account of their language, traditions and customs / by L.E. Threlkeld; re-arranged, condensed and edited with an appendix by John Fraser (1892). In this, Fraser created new divisions and terminology for some Aboriginal groups in New South Wales.

Biography

Fraser was born in Perth, Scotland in 1834 and educated at the University of Edinburgh.[1]

He migrated to Australia and settled at Maitland, New South Wales. In 1861 he was appointed rector of the Presbyterian Maitland High School, before going on to establish his own school, known as Sauchie House (now Maitland Boys High School). There he remained as headmaster for about 20 years.[2]

Apart from being an advocate of Christian missions, Fraser was an ethnologist and linguist, with a particular interest in Australian Aboriginal languages. His book, The Aborigines of New South Wales,[3] won the 1882 Royal Society of New South Wales Prize,[1] and he wrote numerous scholarly articles and books.[2]

An Australian Language (1892)

The work which won him most recognition was his much expanded and authoritative edition of L.E. Threlkeld's grammar[1] of the Awabakal language, An Australian Grammar.[4] Fraser's revised edition, containing much original material based on his own research, was published in 1892 as An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal, the people of Awaba or Lake Macquarie (near Newcastle, New South Wales) being an account of their language, traditions and customs / by L.E. Threlkeld; re-arranged, condensed and edited with an appendix by John Fraser.[5]

In the preface, Fraser writes: "...but we have now come to know that this dialect was essentially the same as that spoken by the sub-tribes occupying the land where Sydney now stands, and that they all formed part of one great tribe, the Kuriggai".[6]

The book included a "Map of New South Wales as occupied by the native tribes", accompanied by descriptions and names decided upon by Fraser after "ten years' thought and inquiry on the location of our native tribes". In the text accompanying his map, Fraser writes:[5]

The New England tribe, the Yunggai has caused me much perplexity... I have...called this tribe the Yung-gai, from Yung – the name which the coast tribes give to New England...The Ngarego tribe belongs to Victoria rather than to New South Wales... Of these tribes, the Kamalarai tribe, Walarai, Ngaiamba, Bakanji, Waradhari, the Associated Tribes, the Ngarego, the Kuringgai, are names already established and in use; and most of them are formed from the local word for 'no'... The names Murrinjari, Wachigari, Paikalyung, Yakkajari, I have made, for these tribes have no general names for themselves.

His major work was not without its later critics.

Historian Niel Gunson wrote in 1974 that the work was "hampered by his peculiar theories of racial and linguistic origin".[1][7]

Anthropologist and ethnologist Norman Tindale (Aboriginal tribes of Australia, 1974) wrote[8] that there was such a

"literary need for major groupings that [Fraser] set out to provide them for New South Wales, coining entirely artificial terms for his 'Great tribes'. These were not based on field research and lacked aboriginal support. His names such as Yunggai, Wachigari and Yakkajari can be ignored as artifacts.[8] During the 1890s the idea spread and soon there was a rash of such terms...Some of these have entered, unfortunately, into popular literature, despite their dubious origins.

He goes on to list the Bangarang[9] (Pangerang) (Vic.); Booandik (Vic. & SA); Barkunjee (Barkindji) (NSW), Kurnai (Vic.), Thurrawal (Dharawal) (NSW), Wiradjuri (NSW) and Malegoondeet (?) (Vic.) as some of these names, and mentions R.H. Mathews, A.W. Howitt and John Mathew as promulgators of the "nations" concept.

Tindale later (under his entry for Awakabal, p. 200) refers to Kuringgai as an "arbitrary term...applied by Fraser", the Awabakal being the central tribe of the several to which Fraser applied the group term.[8]

Comparison of contents

1834 edition

The contents of Threlkeld's work are as follows:[4]

  • Introductory remarks
  • Part 1: Pronunciation and Orthography (three chapters: Pronunciation; Orthography; Etymology)
  • Part 2: The parts of speech
  • Part 3: Vocabulary and illustrations (two chapters: Vocabulary; Illustrations)

1892 edition

The contents of Fraser's edition are as follows:[5]

  • Frontispiece: Map of New South Wales as occupied by the native tribes
  • The illustrations [Text explaining map, and three other illustrations, pictures of people]
  • Introduction
  • Part 1.
    • An Australian grammar : comprehending the principles and natural rules of the language, as spoken by the aborigines, in the vicinity of Hunter's River, Lake Macquarie, &c. New South Wales / L.E. Threlkeld [1834]
    • A key to the structure of the aboriginal language : being an analysis of the particles used as affixes, to form the various modifications of the verbs ; shewing the essential powers, abstract roots, and other peculiarities of the language spoken by the aborigines in the vicinity of Hunter River, lake Macquarie, etc., New South wales / L.E. Threlkeld [1850]
  • Part 2. The gospel by St. Luke translated into the language of the Awabakal / L.E. Threlkeld [1891]
  • Part 3. An Awabakal-English lexicon to the gospel according to Saint Luke / L.E. Threlkeld [1892]
  • Part 4.
    • Appendix A. A short grammar and vocabulary of the dialect spoken by the Minyung people of the north-east coast of New South Wales / H. Livingstone
    • B. Grammar of the language spoken by the Narrinyeri tribe in S. Australia / G. Taplin
    • C. Grammar of the language spoken by the aborigines of Western Australia
    • D. Grammar and vocabulary of the aboriginal dialect called the Wirradhuri
    • E. Prayers in the Awabakal dialect
    • F. Gurre Kamilaroi 'Kamilaroi sayings'
    • G. Specimens of a dialect of the aborigines of New South Wales : being the first attempt to form their speech into a written language.

Death and legacy

Fraser died in the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) in May 1904.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Roberts, David Andrew. "reverend dr john fraser (1834-1904)". AWABA [database]. University of Newcastle. Callaghan campus. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b "John Fraser". Maitland City Council. Hall of Fame nominations. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  3. ^ Fraser, John (1883), The Aborigines of New South Wales, retrieved 24 November 2019 (available online)
  4. ^ a b Threlkeld, Lancelot Edward; White, Henry Luke; Cowper, Charles; Dunlop, James; Ellis, William (1834). An Australian grammar: comprehending the principles and natural rules of the language, as spoken by the Aborigines in the vicinity of Hunter's River, Lake Macquarie, &c. New South Wales. Printed by Stephens and Stokes. Retrieved 23 November 2019. Scan1 Scan2
  5. ^ a b c Threlkeld, Lancelot Edward; Fraser, John; Taplin, George; Ridley, William; Livingstone, H; Günther, James; Broughton, William Grant (1892). An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal, the people of Awaba or Lake Macquarie (near Newcastle, New South Wales): being an account of their language, traditions and customs. Charles Potter, Govt. Printer. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via Internet Archive. Re-arranged, condensed and edited with an appendix by John Fraser (NLA catalogue entry)
  6. ^ Threlkeld, Lancelot Edward; Fraser, John; Taplin, George; Ridley, William; Livingstone, H; Günther, James; Broughton, William Grant (1892). An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal, the people of Awaba or Lake Macquarie (near Newcastle, New South Wales): being an account of their language, traditions and customs. Charles Potter, Govt. Printer. pp. ix–x, +. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via Internet Archive. Re-arranged, condensed and edited with an appendix by John Fraser
  7. ^ Gunson, Neil, ed. (1974). Australian reminiscences & papers of L.E. Threlkeld, missionary to the Aborigines, 1824-1859. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.
  8. ^ a b c Tindale, Norman Barnett); Jones, Rhys (1974). Aboriginal tribes of Australia: their terrain, environmental controls, distribution, limits, and proper names. University of California Press. pp. 156, 191. ISBN 978-0-7081-0741-6. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  9. ^ Note:RH Mathews' spelling.

Further reading

  • Trove list of works

February 01, 2023
john, fraser, ethnologist, reverend, john, fraser, 1834, 1904, australian, ethnologist, linguist, school, headmaster, author, many, scholarly, works, known, revised, expanded, version, lancelot, threlkeld, 1834, work, australian, grammar, with, titlean, austra. Reverend Dr John Fraser 1834 1904 was an Australian ethnologist linguist school headmaster and author of many scholarly works He is known for his revised and expanded version of Lancelot Threlkeld s 1834 work An Australian Grammar with the new titleAn Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal the people of Awaba or Lake Macquarie near Newcastle New South Wales being an account of their language traditions and customs by L E Threlkeld re arranged condensed and edited with an appendix by John Fraser 1892 In this Fraser created new divisions and terminology for some Aboriginal groups in New South Wales Contents 1 Biography 2 An Australian Language 1892 2 1 Comparison of contents 2 1 1 1834 edition 2 1 2 1892 edition 3 Death and legacy 4 References 5 Further readingBiography EditFraser was born in Perth Scotland in 1834 and educated at the University of Edinburgh 1 He migrated to Australia and settled at Maitland New South Wales In 1861 he was appointed rector of the Presbyterian Maitland High School before going on to establish his own school known as Sauchie House now Maitland Boys High School There he remained as headmaster for about 20 years 2 Apart from being an advocate of Christian missions Fraser was an ethnologist and linguist with a particular interest in Australian Aboriginal languages His book The Aborigines of New South Wales 3 won the 1882 Royal Society of New South Wales Prize 1 and he wrote numerous scholarly articles and books 2 An Australian Language 1892 EditThe work which won him most recognition was his much expanded and authoritative edition of L E Threlkeld s grammar 1 of the Awabakal language An Australian Grammar 4 Fraser s revised edition containing much original material based on his own research was published in 1892 as An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal the people of Awaba or Lake Macquarie near Newcastle New South Wales being an account of their language traditions and customs by L E Threlkeld re arranged condensed and edited with an appendix by John Fraser 5 In the preface Fraser writes but we have now come to know that this dialect was essentially the same as that spoken by the sub tribes occupying the land where Sydney now stands and that they all formed part of one great tribe the Kuriggai 6 The book included a Map of New South Wales as occupied by the native tribes accompanied by descriptions and names decided upon by Fraser after ten years thought and inquiry on the location of our native tribes In the text accompanying his map Fraser writes 5 The New England tribe the Yunggai has caused me much perplexity I have called this tribe the Yung gai from Yung the name which the coast tribes give to New England The Ngarego tribe belongs to Victoria rather than to New South Wales Of these tribes the Kamalarai tribe Walarai Ngaiamba Bakanji Waradhari the Associated Tribes the Ngarego the Kuringgai are names already established and in use and most of them are formed from the local word for no The names Murrinjari Wachigari Paikalyung Yakkajari I have made for these tribes have no general names for themselves His major work was not without its later critics Historian Niel Gunson wrote in 1974 that the work was hampered by his peculiar theories of racial and linguistic origin 1 7 Anthropologist and ethnologist Norman Tindale Aboriginal tribes of Australia 1974 wrote 8 that there was such a literary need for major groupings that Fraser set out to provide them for New South Wales coining entirely artificial terms for his Great tribes These were not based on field research and lacked aboriginal support His names such as Yunggai Wachigari and Yakkajari can be ignored as artifacts 8 During the 1890s the idea spread and soon there was a rash of such terms Some of these have entered unfortunately into popular literature despite their dubious origins He goes on to list the Bangarang 9 Pangerang Vic Booandik Vic amp SA Barkunjee Barkindji NSW Kurnai Vic Thurrawal Dharawal NSW Wiradjuri NSW and Malegoondeet Vic as some of these names and mentions R H Mathews A W Howitt and John Mathew as promulgators of the nations concept Tindale later under his entry for Awakabal p 200 refers to Kuringgai as an arbitrary term applied by Fraser the Awabakal being the central tribe of the several to which Fraser applied the group term 8 Comparison of contents Edit 1834 edition Edit The contents of Threlkeld s work are as follows 4 Introductory remarks Part 1 Pronunciation and Orthography three chapters Pronunciation Orthography Etymology Part 2 The parts of speech Part 3 Vocabulary and illustrations two chapters Vocabulary Illustrations 1892 edition Edit The contents of Fraser s edition are as follows 5 Frontispiece Map of New South Wales as occupied by the native tribes The illustrations Text explaining map and three other illustrations pictures of people Introduction Part 1 An Australian grammar comprehending the principles and natural rules of the language as spoken by the aborigines in the vicinity of Hunter s River Lake Macquarie amp c New South Wales L E Threlkeld 1834 A key to the structure of the aboriginal language being an analysis of the particles used as affixes to form the various modifications of the verbs shewing the essential powers abstract roots and other peculiarities of the language spoken by the aborigines in the vicinity of Hunter River lake Macquarie etc New South wales L E Threlkeld 1850 Part 2 The gospel by St Luke translated into the language of the Awabakal L E Threlkeld 1891 Part 3 An Awabakal English lexicon to the gospel according to Saint Luke L E Threlkeld 1892 Part 4 Appendix A A short grammar and vocabulary of the dialect spoken by the Minyung people of the north east coast of New South Wales H Livingstone B Grammar of the language spoken by the Narrinyeri tribe in S Australia G Taplin C Grammar of the language spoken by the aborigines of Western Australia D Grammar and vocabulary of the aboriginal dialect called the Wirradhuri E Prayers in the Awabakal dialect F Gurre Kamilaroi Kamilaroi sayings G Specimens of a dialect of the aborigines of New South Wales being the first attempt to form their speech into a written language Death and legacy EditFraser died in the New Hebrides now Vanuatu in May 1904 1 References Edit a b c d e Roberts David Andrew reverend dr john fraser 1834 1904 AWABA database University of Newcastle Callaghan campus Retrieved 24 November 2019 a b John Fraser Maitland City Council Hall of Fame nominations Retrieved 24 November 2019 Fraser John 1883 The Aborigines of New South Wales retrieved 24 November 2019 available online a b Threlkeld Lancelot Edward White Henry Luke Cowper Charles Dunlop James Ellis William 1834 An Australian grammar comprehending the principles and natural rules of the language as spoken by the Aborigines in the vicinity of Hunter s River Lake Macquarie amp c New South Wales Printed by Stephens and Stokes Retrieved 23 November 2019 Scan1 Scan2 a b c Threlkeld Lancelot Edward Fraser John Taplin George Ridley William Livingstone H Gunther James Broughton William Grant 1892 An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal the people of Awaba or Lake Macquarie near Newcastle New South Wales being an account of their language traditions and customs Charles Potter Govt Printer Retrieved 23 November 2019 via Internet Archive Re arranged condensed and edited with an appendix by John Fraser NLA catalogue entry Threlkeld Lancelot Edward Fraser John Taplin George Ridley William Livingstone H Gunther James Broughton William Grant 1892 An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal the people of Awaba or Lake Macquarie near Newcastle New South Wales being an account of their language traditions and customs Charles Potter Govt Printer pp ix x Retrieved 23 November 2019 via Internet Archive Re arranged condensed and edited with an appendix by John Fraser Gunson Neil ed 1974 Australian reminiscences amp papers of L E Threlkeld missionary to the Aborigines 1824 1859 Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies a b c Tindale Norman Barnett Jones Rhys 1974 Aboriginal tribes of Australia their terrain environmental controls distribution limits and proper names University of California Press pp 156 191 ISBN 978 0 7081 0741 6 Retrieved 23 November 2019 Note RH Mathews spelling Further reading EditTrove list of works Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Fraser ethnologist amp oldid 1015900153, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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