Australian History
1. Give two (2) forms of death for the heroic bushman described in nineteenth century Australian art and culture.
The heroic deaths came as a result of starvation and malnutrition as well as dehydration because of exposure to the harsh desert conditions.
2. Give the names of two (2) artists, two prose writers (2) and one (1) poet mentioned in the reading. a)Artists- Frederick McCubbin and S. T. Gill.
b) Writers- Marcus Clarke and Henry Lawson
c) Poet- Henry Kendall
3. Give two (2) reasons why stories of death in the bush were more popular than the British and European idea of the good Christian death.
Australian literature at the time revolved around heroism, and thus the deaths of the bushmen were made even greater and glorified; they were martyrs. They were also trying to build an identity away from their European and Christian roots and therefore, the abandoned their culture and were trying to build a new one.
4. Name two (2) sources on the historical record that complement art and literature in researching details of death in the bush.
The Western Australia Police records and Lonely Graves of Western Australia are excellent, and more historically accurate sources of information.
5. Supply meanings for the following words or terms used by Jalland of the writers she discusses, making sure to note the context in choosing your meaning.
a) Soak refers to digging a well around oneself in the hopes of preventing dehydration from setting in. It was done to prevent bodily water loss as the bushmen awaited rescue.
b) Pagan refers to the culture of people, devoid of any Christian influence, one that existed before the advent of Christianity.
c) Bushed means getting lost in the outback as the bushmen went in search of gold.
d) Black comedy consisted of possibly short comical accounts of the dead told at his burials by his mates.
e) Keening is an Irish pagan ritual that involved mourning for the loss of life near the site of burial, and it went on for a whole day and night.
6. Name two (2) of the rituals of the bushmen’s funerals described by Ernestine Hill.
Burial rituals included holding a ceremony for the deceased where the mates of the deceased would march with the body to a grave site. They also drank in celebration for their fellow fallen mates.
7. Name two (2) ways in which burial on the goldfield differed from the bush burials.
Bushmen rituals consisted of communal drinking and lively celebration. It insisted upon friendship and detested the religious ceremony. The funeral was highly respected. Goldfield burials, on the other hand, were done haphazardly without any respect, and there are also indications of mass burials. There were no elaborate ceremonies as most people were strangers to each other.
8. Briefly, and in your own words, give the story of the death described in N. G. Sligo’s reminiscences of the Western Australia goldfields in the 1890s.
Albert Lochner, a gold prospector who died from thirst, became delirious and shot himself. It is the only story that comes close to being heroic; the man walked back to retrieve their packs to save his mates and their horses, but as the effects of dehydration took over, he decided to take his life rather than turn into a demented man who disrobes and runs about aimlessly. He saved his image in the hopes of being glorified as it was the fashion then. He is termed brave; thus, he did achieve his goal.
Reference
Jalland, P. (2002). Australian Ways of Death: A Social and Cultural History, 1840-1918. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
