This spelling is nearest to theaccepted pronunciation, the accent falling on the secondsyllable. Various spellings, however, occur,viz. – – Corobbery, Corrobery, Corroberry, Corroborree,Corrobbory, Corroborry, Corrobboree, Coroboree, Corroboree,Korroboree, Corroborri, Corrobaree, and Caribberie.To these Mr. Fraser adds Karabari (see quotation, 1892),but his spelling has never been accepted in English. The wordcomes from the Botany Bay dialect.
[The aboriginal verb (see Ridley's `Kamilaroi and otherAustralian Languages,' p. 107) is korobra, to dance; in thesame locality boroya or beria means to sing; probably koro isfrom a common Australian word for emu. – – J. Mathew.]
1793. Governor Hunter, `Port Jackson, p. 195:
«They very frequently, at the conclusion of the dance, wouldapply to us . . . for marks of our approbation . . . which wenever failed to give by often repeating the word boojery,good; or boojery caribberie, a good dance.»
1830. R. Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 280:
«Dancing with their corrobery motion.»
Ibid. p. 311:
«With several corrobery or harlequin steps.»
1833. C. Sturt, `Southern Australia,' vol. ii. c. iii. p. 55:
«They hold their corrobbores (midnight ceremonies).»
1836. C. Darwin, `Journal of the Voyage of the Beagle' (ed. 1882),c. xix. p. 450:
«A large tribe of natives, called the white cockatoo men,happened to pay a visit to the settlement while we were there.These men as well as those of the tribe belonging to KingGeorge's Sound, being tempted by the offer of some tubs of riceand sugar were persuaded to hold a `corrobery' or great dancingparty.» [Description follows.]
1838. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' vol. ii. p. 4:
«There can be little doubt that the corrobboree is the mediumthrough which the delights of poetry and the drama are enjoyedin a limited degree, even by these primitive savages of NewHolland.»
1844. Mrs. Meredith. `Notes and Sketches of New South Wales,'p. 91:
«Great preparations were made, as for a grand corrobory, orfestival, the men divesting themselves of even the portions ofclothing commonly worn, and painting their naked black bodiesin a hideous manner with pipe-clay. After dark, they lit theirfires, which are small, but kept blazing with constantadditions of dry bark and leaves, and the sable gentryassembled by degrees as they completed their evening toilette,full dress being painted nudity. A few began dancing indifferent parties, preparatory to the grand display, and thewomen, squatting on the ground, commenced their strangemonotonous chant, each beating accurate time with twoboomerangs. Then began the grand corrobory, and all the menjoined in the dance, leaping, jumping, bounding about in themost violent manner, but always in strict unison with eachother, and keeping time with the chorus, accompanying theirwild gesticulations with frightful yells, and noises. Thewhole `tableau' is fearfully grand! The dark wild forestscenery around – – the bright fire-light gleaming upon the savageand uncouth figures of the men, their natural dark hue beingmade absolutely horrible by the paintings bestowed on them,consisting of lines and other marks done in white and redpipe-clay, which gives them an indescribably ghastly andfiendish aspect – – their strange attitudes, and violentcontortions and movements, and the unearthly sound of theiryells, mingled with the wild and monotonous wail-like chant ofthe women, make altogether a very near approach to the horriblysublime in the estimation of most Europeans who have witnessedan assembly of the kind.»
1846. G. H. Haydon, `Five Years in Australia Felix,' p. 103:
«They have no instrument of music, the corobery's song beingaccompanied by the beating of two sticks together, and by thewomen thumping their opossum rugs.'»
1847. J. D. Lang, `Cooksland,' p. 447 [Footnote]:
«These words, which were quite as unintelligible to the nativesas the corresponding words in the vernacular language of thewhite men would have been, were learned by the natives, and arenow commonly used by them in conversing with Europeans, asEnglish words. Thus corrobbory, the Sydney word for ageneral assembly of natives, is now commonly used in that senseat Moreton Bay; but the original word there is yanerwille. Cabon, great; narang, little; boodgeree, good; myall, wild native, etc. etc.,are all words of this description, supposed by the natives [ofQueensland] to be English words, and by the Europeans to beaboriginal words of the language of that district.»
[The phrase «general assembly» would rise naturally in the mindof Dr. Lang as a Presbyterian minister; but there is noevidence of anything parliamentary about a corrobbery.]
1848. W. Westgarth, `Australia Felix,' p. 78:
«The exact object or meaning of their famous corrobboree ornative dance, beyond mere exercise and patience, has not as yetbeen properly ascertained; but it seems to be mutuallyunderstood and very extensively practised throughout Australia,and is generally a sign of mutual fellowship and good feelingon the part of the various tribes.»
1849. J. P. Townsend, `Rambles in New South Wales,' p. 100:
«When our blacks visited Sydney, and saw the military paraded,and heard the bands, they said that was `white fellows'corrobbory.'»
185. E. Stone Parker, `Aborigines of Australia,' p. 21:
«It is a very great mistake to suppose . . . that there is anykind of religious ceremony connected with the ordinarycorrobory. . . . I may also remark that the term corrobory isnot a native word.»
[It is quite certain that it is native, though not known to Mr. E. Stone Parker.]
1862. G. T. Lloyd, `Thirty-three Years in Tasmania andVictoria,' p. 49:
[In Tasmania] «the assembling of the tribes was alwayscelebrated by a grand corroboree, a species of bestial bal masque. On such occasions they presented a mostgrotesque and demon-like appearance, their heads, faces, andbodies, liberally greased were besmeared alternately with clayand red ochre; large tufts of bushy twigs were entwined aroundtheir ankles, wrists, and waists; and these completed theirtoilet.»
1879. J. D. Woods, `Native Tribes of South Australia,'Introduction, pp. xxxii. and xxxiii.:
«The principal dance is common all over the continent, and`corrobboree' is the name by which it is commonly known. It isnot quite clear what a corrobboree is intended to signify.Some think it a war-dance – – others that it is a representationof their hunting expeditions – – others again, that it is areligious, or pagan, observance; but on this even the blacksthemselves give no information.»
1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 41:
«The good fortune to witness a korroboree, that is afestive dance by the natives in the neighbourhood.»
1892. J. Fraser, `The Aborigines of New South Wales,' p. 21:
«`Karabari' is an aboriginal name for those dances which ournatives often have in the forests at night. Hitherto the namehas been written corrobboree, but etymologically it should bekarabari, for it comes from the same root as `karaji,' a wizardor medicine-man, and `bari' is a common formative in the nativelanguages. The karabari has been usually regarded as a form ofamusement . . . these dances partake of a semi-religiouscharacter.»
[Mr. Fraser's etymology is regarded as far-fetched.]
1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 323:
«I feared he might imagine we were afraid of his incantations,for he sang most lamentable corroborris.»
1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 68:
«. . . listen to the new corroborree. Great numbers arrive;the corroborree is danced night after night with the utmostenthusiasm. . . .These corroborrees travel for many hundreds ofmiles from the place where they originated. . . .Thesecomposers [of song and dance] pretend that the Spirit of Eviloriginally manufactured their corroborree.»
1889. Rev. J. H. Zillman, `Australian Life,' p. 132:
«The story was a grand joke among the blacks for many a day.It became, no doubt, the theme for a `corroberee,' and Tommywas always after a hero amongst his countrymen.»
1892. `Saturday Review,' Feb.' 13, p. 168, col. 2:
«A corrobory of gigantic dimensions is being prepared for [General Booth's] reception [in Australia].» (`O.E.D.')
1895. Modern:
«There's a big corrobbery on to-night at Government House,and you can't get a cab for love or money.»
1874. Garnet Walch, `Adamanta,' Act II. sc. ii. p. 27:
«How can I calm this infantile corroboree?»
1885. H. O. Forbes, `Naturalist's Wanderings,' p. 295:
«Kingfishers . . . in large chattering corrobories in the topsof high trees.»
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, `Robbery under Arms,' p. 242:
«The boy raises the most awful corroboree of screams and howls,enough for a whole gang of bushrangers, if they went in forthat sort of thing.»
1897. `The Herald,' Feb. 15, p. i, col. 1:
«Latest about the Cretan corroboree in our cable messages thisevening. The situation at the capital is decidedlydisagreeable. A little while ago the Moslems threw theChristians out and took charge. Now the last report is thatthere is a large force of Christians attacking the city andquite ready, we doubt not, to cut every Moslem throat thatcomes in the way.»
1830. R. Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 61:
«They began to corrobery or dance.
(p. 206): They `corroberried,' sang, laughed, and screamed.»
1885. R. M. Pried, `Australian Life,' p. 22:
«For some time the district where the nut [bunya] aboundsis a scene of feasting and corroboreeing.»
1846. C. P. Hodgson, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 257:
«The mosquitoes from the swamps corroboreed with unmitigatedardour.»
1871. C. Darwin, `Descent of Man' (2nd ed. 1885), p. 406:
«The Menura Alberti [see Lyrebird] scratches foritself shallow holes, or, as they are called by the natives,corroborying places, where it is believed both sexes assemble.»
1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 43:
«`Look out there! `he continued; `quart-pot corroborree,'springing up and removing with one hand from the fire one ofthe quart-pots, which was boiling madly, while with the otherhe dropped in about as much tea as he could hold between hisfingers and thumb.»
Ibid. p. 49:
«They had almost finished their meal before the new quartcorroborreed, as the stockman phrased it.»