>
> "Their spears and shields, their clubs and lines, etc are their own
> property; they are manufactured by themselves and are the whole of
> their
> personal estate. But, strange as it may appear, they have also their
> real
> estates. Bennillong . often assured me, that the island Me-
> mel (called by us Goat Island) close by Sydney Cove was his own
> property;
> that it was his father's . To this little spot he appeared
> much attached; and we have often seen him and his wife Ba-rang-a-roo
> feasting and enjoying themselves on it. He told us of other people
> who possessed this kind of hereditary property..."
>
> (David Collins [1798], ed. by B. H. Fletcher, 1975 _An Account Of The
> English Colony In New South Wales: With Remarks On The Dispositions,
> Customs, Manners, Etc, Of The Native Inhabitants Of That Colony_,
> Sydney,
> A. H. and A. W. Reed, p. 497.)
>
When I see this kind of anthropological observation, I wonder whether the English word "property" precisely expresses the concept that is in the culture being observed, or whether there might not be a rather sloppy translation taking place (especially when a professional anthropologist is not involved).
Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org __________________________________ A sympathetic Scot summed it all up very neatly in the remark, 'You should make a point of trying every experience once, excepting incest and folk-dancing.' -- Sir Arnold Bax