Re: Archaeology unearths gout in early Pacific people

On Nov 29, 1:24 am, benlizross <benli...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


But not as good as the Australian native who was asked what a certain
animal was, and answered: 'How the f**k should I know?' which is why
we now call it a kangaroo.

Too good to be true, unfortunately. Search "Guugu Yimidhirr" for the
straight dope on this one.

I wouldn't trust an American (or indeed, any) journalist to give me
the straight dope.

Sidney Parkinson, Captain Cook's naturalist's gofer, first described
the kangaroo (or, more probably, a wallaby) in June 1770:

....and an animal of a kind nearly approaching the mus genus, about the
size of a grey-hound, that had a head like a fawn's; lips and ears,
which it throws back, like a hare's; on the upper jaw six large teeth;
on the under one two only; with a short and small neck, near to which
are the fore-feet, which have five toes each, and five hooked claws;
the hinder legs are long, especially from the last joint, which, from
the callosity below it, seems as if it lies flat on the ground when
the animal descends any declivity; and each foot had four long toes,
two of them behind, placed a great way back, the inner one of which
has two claws; the two other toes were in the middle, and resembled a
hoof, but one of them was much larger than the other. The tail, which
is carried like a grey-hound's, was almost as long as the body, and
tapered gradually to the end. The chief bulk of this animal is behind;
the belly being largest, and the back rising toward the posteriors.
The whole body is covered with short ash-coloured hair; and the flesh
of it tasted like a hare's, but has a more agreeable flavour.
http://southseas.nla.gov.au/journals/parkinson/188.html

Later, he gave a native vocabulary, including:
Kangooroo, The leaping quadruped

The vocabulary was actually Guguu-Yimidhirr, taken at what is now
Cookstown, Queensland. I transcribed it about a year ago, and sent it
to the ABVD.

Banks, his boss, says only:
22 June 1770
The People who were sent to the other side of the water in order to
shoot Pigeons saw an animal as large as a grey hound, of a mouse
coulour and very swift; they also saw many Indian houses and a brook
of fresh water.
http://southseas.nla.gov.au/journals/banks/17700622.html

25 June 1770
In gathering plants today I myself had the good fortune to see the
beast so much talkd of, tho but imperfectly; he was not only like a
grey hound in size and running but had a long tail, as long as any
grey hounds; what to liken him to I could not tell, nothing certainly
that I have seen at all resembles him.

(They didn't meet up with the natives until later. The natives didn't
like English cooking, which showed they had some good taste)

12 July 1770
Indians came again today and venturd down to Tupias Tent, where they
were so well pleasd with their reception that three staid while the
fourth went with the Canoe to fetch two new ones; they introduc'd
their strangers (which they always made a point of doing) by name and
had some fish given them. They receivd it with indifference, signd to
our people to cook it for them, which was done, and they eat part and
gave the rest to my Bitch.

But this is more interesting:
Their Canoe was not above 10 feet long and very narrow built, with an
outrigger fitted much like those at the Islands only far inferior;
they in shallow waters set her on with poles, in deep paddled her with
paddles about 4 feet long; she just carried 4 people so that the 6 who
visited us today were obligd to make 2 embarkations.


14 July 1770
Our second lieutenant who was a shooting today had the good fortune to
kill the animal that had so long been the subject of our speculations.
To compare it to any European animal would be impossible as it has not
the least resemblance of any one I have seen. Its fore legs are
extreemly short and of no use to it in walking, its hind again as
disproportionaly long; with these it hops 7 or 8 feet at each hop in
the same manner as the Gerbua, to which animal indeed it bears much
resemblance except in Size, this being in weight 38 lb and the Gerbua
no larger than a common rat.

The ship left on the 6th August.

Cook mentioned the kangaroo they ate, and roughly described it.

Nowhere does anybody say anything else about the name of the
kangaroo.

So it is a nice story - the reply 'How the f**k should I know?' is
very typically Australian, and hasn't been conclusively disproved, so
I'll stick with it.

regards

Richard
.