RediscoveringIndigenous Languages

Call number: B 857

Author: Thomas George Hewitt

Date: 1909-1936

Description: Thomas George Hewitt (1841-1915) grew up in New England where his father was a station manager for the Australian Agricultural Company. He studied for the Bar without ever practicing law and later took up journalism, accepting the editorial chair of the Clarence and Richmond Examiner. He was a prominent citizen of Grafton becoming the town's mayor on two occasions. This item consists of Hewitt’s collection of Indigenous words and their corresponding definition in English. However, Hewitt did not record where his data was collected. Dawson has later structured the notes at the NSW State Library and in retrospect given the words a geographical location. In collaboration with Hewitt’s son, the location was determined as upriver from Grafton, therefore referring to the dialect of Upper Clarence. It includes (please note that page numbers refer to scanned numbers, not the page numbers of the book); Animals: pp. 17-24. People and body parts: pp.25-27. Weapons and domestic articles: pp.28-30. Elements of heavenly bodies: pp.30-34. Aboriginal tribes with localities: pp.35-36. Place names: pp.37-41. Miscellaneous words: pp.42-44. Words with no meaning: pp.45-46. Note on letter sounds in dialect: p.48

Communities: Bundjalung