Item 96 - Letter from George Horsfall Frodsham to Dr Frazer

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Bishop's Lodge, Townsville, Queensland - Apologises that he has not written up his notes on his observation of the 'Australian Aborigines'; sees his mission to help them to bridge the huge gap in cultures; 'Whatever failures I have had, I must confess they have come from the whites rather than from the blacks.' Discusses their plight, and disagrees with the idea that they are less intelligent or physically backward; they find it difficult to understand the modern concept of individuality as the tribe is the norm of their social life; there is also a belief that copulation is not the cause of conception; has heard from Rev. [G. W.] Morrison that monogamy is the custom except in the case of sisters, and tells of a case in which a man married four sisters. Is 'often angry' with those who arrive with preconceived ideas of intellectual capacity; a German professor named Klatch arrived and verified his preconceptions, making him a laughing stock of more experienced men. Accompanied by a partial draft of 'Beliefs and Customs of the Australian Aborigines' in Frazer's hand, corrected in Frodsham's hand and signed at the bottom, and a photograph of a mummy found near Cairns.

Essay and letter quoted (in part) in his article "Beliefs and Customs of the Australian Aborigines" in 'Folklore' and 'Man' in 1909: 'Folklore' Vol. 20, No. 3 (Sep 30, 1909), pp. 350-352, and 'Man', Vol. 9 (1909) pp. 145-147.