So far as I can tell, no white has ever seen a smoke signal in Australia being made.
Try this article from Trove, 1893 (didn’t really have to look far). No didgeridoo but there is mention of the use of a tube of bark. And skill.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/25666458
SMOKE SIGNALS OF THE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES.
MR. A. T. MAGAREY’S INVESTIGATIONS.
Among anthropological subjects worthy of systematic study is that of the smoke signals of Australian aborigines. It is a question full of interest, meriting thorough investigation, and the first attempt to deal with the matter exhaustively in a scientific spirit has been made by Mr. A. T. Magarey, of Adelaide, who laid the results of his researches before the recent meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science. Some sketch of a number of the leading points in the paper should accordingly prove attractive. It was on the afternoon of April 20, 1770, that the smoke signals of the Australian aborigines were first seen by Captain Cook, and were taken by him as proof that the land which he had discovered was the home of a new race of humanity. The same smoke spoke to the watchful eyes of the nomads of the wilds of the presence upon their southern seas of a strange big “canoe,” and the warning sign sped on from point to point along the coast. These signals are after all no new things, but date far back into the past.
Bla blah blah
All over Australia the native took with him as he travelled his spear, his boomerang, and his fire stick. As occasion required he sent rushing into the air his token of warning or welcome, of invitation or defiance, of sorrow or rejoicing. Brothers in the chase were summoned to aid in the pursuit of bounding boomah or flying euro. Friends were warned away from dried up well or empty rock-hole in the thirsty desert or bidden to hurry to the gladdening waters of the big lagoon, rich with fish in its depths, shells on its banks, fowl on its shaded bosom, with emu, wallaby, and kangaroo in the sturdy bush surrounding it. The column of smoke by day, according to its form and color, told of the death of the warrior or of lubra. Whirling smoke signs were read with bright watchful eyes as they bade the tribes around to the feast, the dance, the camp fire, or the corroborree, or warned the enemythat dusky braves were on the path.
The natives use for the purposes of signalling several forms of smoke, and amongst others the following are in regular use:—
(a) A slender column of pale-hued smoke;
(b) a heavy column of pale-hued smoke;
© a slender column of black (or dark) smoke;
(d)a heavy column of black (or dark) smoke ;
(e)a spiral-coil form of pale and dark (each) smoke;
(f) interrupted or intermittent smokes, e.g., in puffs, balloons, balls, parallels, &c.;
(g) groups of smokes, one, two, or three of any one form, or of several forms at times merged.
At times we have combinations of form from the same smoke-column by means of sudden wavings of sheets of bark, causing side puffs of the smoke to rise on alternate sides of the producing blaze. By skilful manipulation of the smoke-pillar two columns rise in the air parallel to each other, one column pale-hued, one column dark. This last effect is obtained by using a tube or barrel of tree bark so held in a slanting position as to catch the dark smoke (purposely raised on a special part of the fire) and allowing it to be emitted from the mouth of the tube beside but apart from the pale smoke rising from the rest of the fire.
The spiral form is secured at times by lighting bushes or clumps of grass that have been twisted into a denser mass by the action of the wind and throwing the top of the bush or clump to a point. The fire rushes with intense velocity through the growth, and the smoke rises in swirls and coils into the upper air. The same effect is produced by the manipulation of a large skin or a rug; two natives standing on opposite sides of the fire, and giving the skin a circular movement on an inclined plane, the smoke is formed into coils as it ascends. Balloons or balls of smoke are so produced as to secure a succession of five or seven in a column at once, the balls of black smoke rising at fairly regular distances from each other into the upper shaft of the column. This effect is procured either by placing young succulent growth, green or damp leaves, or green grass or spinifex upon the fire, then suddenly removing the same or smothering it for a brief space under
a pile of quickly imposed bushes. Or a large rug in held over the rising smoke column, and the darker smoke allowed for a moment to accumulate; then by tbe quick removal of the rug the accumulated balloon is released and permitted to rise; the process is repeated as often as required by the signal to be conveyed. Festoons of smoke are employed upon occasion, usually used by a native moving rapidly who wishes to convey a quickly passing message to his own people. A string of grass is made and hung upon the boughs of a convenient tree, then lighted, and the
signaller speeds on. Balls of grass tied with strings of human hair are made and used at intervals. In Victoria, on the Darling, and in the Northern Territory, hollow trees are used for signal smokes. Green or damp material is thrust into the hollow, dry fuel is placed beneath, and the hot blast rushing through carries the dark smoke up through the tube and into the air in the form of a thin, regular, but far ascending dark column of smoke. Owing to the disinclination of the natives to yield up information in their possession concerning smoke signals, it is difficult to learn much as to the
meanings attached to the various forms known to be in use.
Some instances of the value of smoke signals will be of interest :—Streaky Bay—Twenty years ago a blackfellow died 135 miles north- west of Fowler’s Bay. Two days afterwards informant found on his arrival that the blacks were already aware of the death. They knew of it by signal. There was no other possible means by which they could know.
To the east of Barrow Creek telegraph station, on the Sandover River country, amongst other means of raising the large dark smoke signal, the custom is to set fire to large plots of
luxuriant growth of grass, having previously overlaid tbe grass with green boughs broken from the adjacent acacia bushes, or a place thickly overgrown with a peculiar succulent acacia may be selected. This acacia contains large proportion of resinous properties and burns very freely even when green. Tbe natives have been known in one instance to follow an explorer closely for some 40 miles (two days) constantly raising columns of light (the rapid) smokes, and by this means collecting the scattered members or warriors of the tribe. Finding themselves unable to keep
pace with the white man, on the fourth day immense columns of dark smoke were raised in rapid succession along the course of the Sandover River, stretching across a tract of country of 100 miles in length, tbe nearest smoke column being over 50 miles distant. Evidently the river formed the western and southern boundary of the tribal territory, and the natives were informing their
friends that the intruder had departed into the territory of the range tribe to the westward. These huge dark columns of smoke rose majestically into the upper air, ultimately assuming at the apex a cumulus cloud form at a height of from 1,500 to 2,000 ft. As the column rose from the burning material which formed it the color was exceedingly dark. As the smoke rushed upwards the dark hue
gradually merged into pale hue, and further aloft to steamy white. Still higher the pure white continued, till, spreading out, as the dew point was reached, a huge cloud-form was assumed. This cloud-form, still rising towards its centre, attained its greatest altitude at the apex, right over the column.
The rays of the western sun, gleaming upon the pure white cloud-form, and illuminating it into a beauteous silvery brightness, made up, in contrast with the deepening shades of color
below, a picture surprising, unique, grand, inspiring. The rank of giant signal columns rushing up so suddenly and regularly from the earth, and with such marvellous rapidity assuming the graceful form and proportions just described, gradually outspread and merged into immense clouds, overshadowing the whole horizon. The immense distance to which the rank extended reduced in gradation the apparent height of the columns until the most distant seemed as a cloud to float upon the utmost horizon.
The meanings of spiral coils are curious and some account of them is here given:—
Spiral coils of thin pale or dark smoke —Powell’s Creek Tribe.—Native name of the signal “Mullagar Winlabardim” and meaning “All about; come quick: plenty of kangaroo.”
Similar coils of dense dark smoke “Umbarunnie“mean “Two men come quick ; help carry game.”
Barrow Creek Tribe—Thin pale coil of spiral smoke.—A husband notifies that his lubra is dead. Manner of producing the signal: —A circular fire of grass, with a large log of wood in the centre, is constructed, having a train (for use in igniting the fire) leading away from the material for the fire about twelve yards in length. This form of signal is generally raised in scrub and close
to a white gum-tree.
Tennant’s Creek Tribe—A dark spiral coil.—Native name of the signal, “Talla paramunda,” meaning, “We are travelling and hunting.”
Port Darwin Tribe—Signal of pale (light) color.— Whilst the survey of Port Darwin country (1869) was in full progress, and only a small proportion of the men were at the main camp at Fort Point, the officer in charge was one day informed that war signals were being made by the natives. Upon ascending the hill to investigate two spiral coils of light smoke were observed, the spiral form being given to the smoke signal by the blacks. Skins held by two natives were kept turning with a circular motion in an inclined plane over the rising smoke so as to cut the column at each revolution of the skin, and to give a spiral form and motion to the smoke as it rose, the fire being of dry wood. No answering signals were observed to be made by the other blacks, but nevertheless precautions were taken to protect the camp in case of a possible attack. In the afternoon of the day on which those signals were made only three blacks were at the camp. At daylight of the next morning, however, between 600 and 700 natives surrounded the camp. These had crossed Port Darwin in their canoes in the moonlight during that night. The warriors were painted and fully armed. As is usual the meditated attack was preceded by violent harangues, and the leading natives walked backwards and forwards shaking their spears and all ready for attack. Some danger must, however, have been suspected, for suddenly their weapons were thrown down, they ran off to their canoes and got away.
Mr. Magarey has further dealt with balloon smokes, complex forms, hollow-tree smokes, and smoke puffs, and illustrations of their use are plentiful.
The concluding part of the paper deserves special attention and is given verbatim :—As to any practical use which in tbe interests of civilisation may be made of the natives’ system of smoke signals Australia is a land which, owing to its physical characteristics, for many years to come must be occupied towards the centre by a sparse widely-separated population. Bushmen, travellers, carriers in those regions where waters are few and far apart, will always find use for a system of smoke signals by which to span the long distances of the far interior. Let for instance the larger dark column of smoke be chosen as the code-signal indicating distress, as the half masted flag indicates trouble at sea. In native fashion let the same signal-form be used as the “Reply smoke.” A man, for example, is “ lost,” is ill, is perishing of thirst, and is miles from any station or help. Let him raise, from material at hand, tbe dark-smoke signal, and keep it going till rescued, and let him stay by his smoke. Ere long his gladdened eyes will see the welcome “Reply smoke” rising far aloft, and telling him “Your smoke is seen, and help will reach you soon.” How different the position of this “done-up” bushman from that of so many distressed men who to-day perish miserably and alone, only because they cannot say, as the intelligent aboriginal similarly placed, does say—
“One fellow sit down ill. Send a man !”
Using native methods, our bushmen and the police might readily adopt a code of a few simple smoke-signals for use in tbe bush, just as life-ropes and lifebuoys are used on our seaboard. Then let Australian bushmen everywhere regard these special smoke signals as devoted (in their distant wilds) to the sacred use of rescue and life saving. And many an otherwise “Unknown.” instead of being found dead, will have good cause to bless the Australian aborigine for his useful and graceful smoke signals.
As the visitor to the great “Mammoth Cave” of Kentucky is shown branch after branch of that cavern by his darkie guide, all of which he must pass by and leave unexplored, so in gathering these spoils from the customs and folk lore of our dusky fellow-countrymen I have had to leave on one side fire signals and message sticks, hunting, snaring, fishing, and other by-paths, all of which would tempt one to turn aside from the task self-assigned. As it is only the boundary line has been crossed, and the whole wide field of these smoke signals, their use and their code meanings still lies open before the future explorer. As the brave indomitable Eyre traversed the coast-line of Australia from Port Lincoln to the “Sound,” so has this paper skirted only the shore, and left it for some Stuart, or Giles, or Forrest, to search through the great unknown, and bring back new facts concerning the smoke signals of our Australian aborigines.
