"Mabuyag folk history recorded by Laade (Laade, 1968: 146-148, information from the Reverend Seriba Sagigi, Missi Mam and Jimmy Luffman) recounts that light-skinned traders from the ocean to the east established a base at Parema (northeast of Daru), intermarried with local Trans-Fly Papuans, then fairly soon after colonised Torres Strait (from Murray in the east to Mabuyag in the west) to avoid more intermarriage – particularly of their daughters – with the Papuans. At Mua, Badu and Mabuyag they found Aboriginal people, killed the men and kept the women (and presumably the children). Some chose to go north to Saibai, Dauan and Boigu so as to avoid even further intermarriage."
What do you think about the idea of the Portugese discovering Australia first, not us Nederlanders? And why do you think the Romans had some conception of Australia?
I haven't looked into it deeply but I think it's quite possible, especially if Makassans were already visiting in the 1600s (or earlier). I'm not aware that Romans knew of Australia. But their trade networks did extend into Island Southeast Asia and even the Moluccas Islands, a hop away from Australia
I think the Greco-Roman concept of the world involved balance, and since there was a landmass to the north of the Mediterranean, it stood to reason that another land mass was to the south. Terra Australis. The idea ultimately inspired the voyages which discovered it.
Top-notch research. This was a pleasure to read.
"avoid intermarriage with the mainlanders"
(As a Tasmanian I ask) what does this even mean? Did they have wrong-way love issues?
Here's the full quote from Mitchell (2015):
"Mabuyag folk history recorded by Laade (Laade, 1968: 146-148, information from the Reverend Seriba Sagigi, Missi Mam and Jimmy Luffman) recounts that light-skinned traders from the ocean to the east established a base at Parema (northeast of Daru), intermarried with local Trans-Fly Papuans, then fairly soon after colonised Torres Strait (from Murray in the east to Mabuyag in the west) to avoid more intermarriage – particularly of their daughters – with the Papuans. At Mua, Badu and Mabuyag they found Aboriginal people, killed the men and kept the women (and presumably the children). Some chose to go north to Saibai, Dauan and Boigu so as to avoid even further intermarriage."
wrong-way outgroup issues
What do you think about the idea of the Portugese discovering Australia first, not us Nederlanders? And why do you think the Romans had some conception of Australia?
I haven't looked into it deeply but I think it's quite possible, especially if Makassans were already visiting in the 1600s (or earlier). I'm not aware that Romans knew of Australia. But their trade networks did extend into Island Southeast Asia and even the Moluccas Islands, a hop away from Australia
I think the Greco-Roman concept of the world involved balance, and since there was a landmass to the north of the Mediterranean, it stood to reason that another land mass was to the south. Terra Australis. The idea ultimately inspired the voyages which discovered it.