NOTBS 
 
 ON THE 
 
 Aborigines . . . 
 
 of 
 
 JV<^v^ South yVciles, 
 
 By 
 
 R. H. AATHEWS. 
 
 AssocU etranger de la Societe <V Anthropologie de Paris. 
 
 Author of 
 
 "Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and Victoria," 
 "Notes on the Aborigines of the Northern Territory, Western Australia, 
 
 AND Queensland," Etc., Etc. 
 
 Publislied by Autliorit}^ of tlie 
 GOVERNMENT OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 
 
 9626 
 
 SYDNEY : 
 WILLIAM APPLEGATE GULLICK, QOVEENMENT PEINTEB. 
 
 1907.
 
 NOTES 
 
 ON THE 
 
 ABORIGINES OF NEW SOUTH WALES, 
 
 BY 
 
 R. H. MATHEWS, 
 
 Assoc/'e ct ranger dc la Socicte iV Anthropologie dc Paris. 
 
 Author of 
 
 " Ki HNoi.ofJiCAi, Notes on thk Ahoriginai. Tribf.s of New South Wales and Victoria," 
 " Notes on the Aborigines of the Nokthf.kn Territory, Western Austrai.fa, 
 
 AND Queensland," Etc., Etc. 
 
 Publish, </ by Aulhorily of the 
 GOVERNMENT OE NEW SOUIH WALES. 
 
 SYDNEY. WILLIAM APPLEGATE GULLICK, GOVERNMENT PRINTER. 
 
 1907. 
 *9626
 
 NOTI'S ON THE AliORlGlNliS OF NKVV SOUTH WALES 
 
 (Bi/ L'. II. Mathews, L.S., Associe etrawjer de la Sociefe d" Anthropolofjie de Paris.) 
 
 The problem of the iirsl peopling of Austrulia cannot be discussed in a 
 brief pamphlet sucli as this; l)ut it may be said in i)assin<r tliat tliero 
 appears to nie nothing improbable in the assumption tliat the native 
 inhabitants had an independent development in Northern Australia, or 
 at any rate in the tropical regions between the present limits of the con- 
 tinent and Southern Asia, the intervening space having since l)een 
 puftially submerged. When we closely impure into their customs, the 
 conuuon origin of all Australian tribes becomes evident. 
 
 This pamphlet contains some brief notes on a few of the most important 
 customs of the aborigines of New South Wales, arranged under the 
 following heads : — 
 
 1. Sociology of the Ngcumba Tribe. 
 
 2. The Bora of the Kamilaroi Tribes. 
 
 3. Aboriginal Weapons, iV-c. 
 
 i. Aboriginal Kock Paintings. 
 
 ."3. Aboriginal JJock Carvings. 
 
 (I. The Yaroma : a Legend. 
 
 7. I'irriml^ir, or Avenging Expedition. 
 
 S. IJuU-roarers used by the AlH)rigines. 
 
 9. Aboriginal Songs at Initiation Ceremonies. 
 
 10. Some Curious Beliefs. 
 
 11. The Aboriginal Fisheries at Brewarrina. 
 
 All the above divisions of the subject have been mueli condensed from 
 comprehensive articles contributed by me to the Royal Society of New 
 South Wales, the Geographical Society of Queensland, the Royal Society 
 of Victoria, the Anthrojiological Institute of Great Britain, aii<l the 
 Victoria Institute, London. The complete treatises from wliich the above 
 abridgments have been nuide, as well as many other articles dealing with 
 all the customs of the Australian aborigines, may l)e obtained from the 
 author. 
 
 1. Sociology of the JVgeumba Tribe. 
 
 The Ngeumba speaking j)e'ople formerly occui)ied the country from 
 Brewarrina on the Darling River southerly up the Began almost to 
 Nyngan. They stretched thence westerly beyond Cobar and Byrock, 
 including also the ujiper ])ortions of Mulga Creek and surrounding 
 country. I shall here supply an al)ridged account of their social organisa- 
 tion, whicli was lirst jmblished in my " Etlmological Notes on the 
 Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and Victoria."* 
 
 The community is divided into two prinuiry cycles, called Ngurra- 
 wun and Mrmd)un, with their feminine equivalents Ngurrawunga and 
 Mriinl)unga. The Xgurrawun cycle is again divided into two sections, 
 called Ippai and Kumbo, and the Mumbun cycle into two, called Kubbi 
 
 * Journ. Roy. Soc. N.S. Wale.s, xxxviii, 203-381. 
 
 1-V792S2
 
 ami Muni. In eacli of tliese sections tlie names of the women are sligiitl}' 
 dili'erent from those of the men, as will appear from the following 
 synopsis, which also shows what sections can intermarry, and to what 
 section the resulting offspring belongs : — 
 
 Ch/dc. Mother. Father. Svn. Dmujhfer. 
 
 ■^T \ Butha Murri Ippai Ippatha 
 
 ^gurrawim ^ ipp^tha Kubbi Kuinbo Hatha 
 
 ,,,_ , \ Matha Kumbo Kubbi Kubbitha 
 
 Munibun i i- i i ti t ■ m • Ai„fi . 
 
 { hul)bitha ippai Muni Matha 
 
 It will be observed that the children inherit tlie name of the other 
 moiety of their mother's cycle. Thus, if a Xgurrawun man, of the sec- 
 tion Ippai, marry a Mumbun woman of the section Kubbitha, the off- 
 spring will be Mumbun the same as their mother; they will not bear 
 tlie name of iier section, Ijut will take the name of the other section in 
 the Mumbun cycle — the sons being calkMl Murri and the daughters Matha. 
 Again, the children inheidt their motlier's totem ; for example, if the 
 mother be a pelican, her sons and daughters will be pelicans also. In 
 other words, tlie women of a cycle re])roduce each other in continuous 
 alternation. The totems remain constantly in the same cycle as the 
 women, and are accordingly transmitted from a mother to her offsjoring. 
 
 Like the people themselves, everything in the universe, animate and 
 inanimate, belongs to one or other of the two cycles, Xgurrawun and 
 ^luuibun. And every individual in the community, male and female 
 alike, claims some animal or plant or other object as his dhuit/yd or 
 toteJii. The totems of the Ngurrawun cycle are common to the two sec- 
 tions, Ippai and Kumbo, of which it is composed : and the Mumbun totems 
 are common to the sections Kulibi and ]\Iurri. 
 
 Among the (]liin<i(j(( or totems of the Ngurrawun cycle may be mentioned 
 the following : — Emu with dark head, kangaroo, bandicoot, Ijilbai, 
 pelican, opossum, swan, plain turkey, mosquito, musk duck, porcuiiine, 
 bat, dog, kurrea, bulldog-ant, yellow-l)elly tish. 
 
 The undermentioned totemic names, or (Uiinnnd, may be enumerated 
 as some of those belonging to the ]\Ii1ml)un cycle : — Emu with grey head, 
 house-fly, tree iguana, ground iguana, eagleliawk, scrub-turkey, shingle- 
 liack, large fish-hawk, wanggal or small night-jar, lilack duck, pada- 
 niellin, crow, carjiet snake, codfish, bream. 
 
 Beside the cycles, sections, and totemic groups above illustrated, the 
 whole conniiunity is further divided into what may, for convenience of 
 reference, be called " castes." Tliese castes regulate the camping or 
 resting places of the peo])l<' under the shades of large trees in the vicinity 
 of water or elsewhere. The shadow thrown by the Imtt and lower portion 
 of a tree is called Nhurrc, whilst the sliade of the top of the tree, or outer 
 margin of tlie shadow, is Winggu. 
 
 Again, the men, women, and childi-eii, whose prescribed sitting places 
 are in the l)utt and middle shade of the tree are called (Juai'mundliun, or 
 sluggish l)l()(j(l, whilst those wlio sit in tlie to]) or outside shade are 
 designatc<l (Tuai^gulir, or active blood. Tiiis further l)isection of the 
 community into (Inainm ndhun .lud (luaigulir, which may be referred to 
 as " lilood " divisions, has hapjH'ned so long ago that the natives have no 
 explanation i-egarding it. The Guaigulir peo])le — those who occu])y the 
 Winggu or shade of the branches — are supposed io kei'j) a strict watch for 
 any game which may appear in sight, the ap])roach of friends or enemies, 
 or anything which niay require vigilance in a native camj).
 
 5 
 
 Each c^'cle, and consoijuciitly every section and every totemic group, 
 contaiiis nicn, women, iiml children belonging to the Guainiundlmii and 
 (Juaigulir bloods, with their respeclivc sliades. A nuainiiindhun man of 
 the ^shllrre shade marries a fiuaigulir woman of tlie branch shade. A 
 Guaigulir man of the Winggii shade can marry a fJnuiimindhun woman 
 of the l)utt or middle shade. A Gnainunulhun mother produces Guai- 
 mundhun children, who, moreover, take their mollier's sliade. A Guai- 
 gulir mother produces Guaigulir children, belonging to the Winggu shade. 
 
 Taking an examjdc fmin the foregoing table, we see that Murri marries 
 iiutha, who is his taljulai' ui' ' No. 1 " w^ife. IJut he lias the right, in 
 certain cases, of taking a .Matha maiden instead, whom we shall call 
 '■ No. '2." He cotdd, sul)ject to prt'scril)ed restrictions, have an l)ipatha 
 allotted to him as "No. •")."" Or he might, instead of any of tlie.se women, 
 espouse a Kubl)irha, whom we shall distinguish as " No. i."* 
 
 Anotlier custom of wide prevalence is that a man of a given totem must 
 espouse a woman whose totem is not the same as his. This law, like that 
 of the cycles, sections, bloods, and shades, is sul)ject to departures; for 
 example, a man who is a Kangaroo might be allowed to take a Kangaroo 
 w'ife. There is no such thing as a cast-iron partition of the commtmity 
 into two exoofamotis moieties. The onlv law of the Nijjeumba sociolojjv 
 which admits of no variation is that the cycles and othe)' divisions just 
 entimerated are irrevocably transmitted through the mothers. 
 
 All that has been said in the preceding pages respecting: the Ngeumha 
 is equally descriptive of the sociology of the Wongailjon, Kuruu, Kami- 
 laroi, Pikumbil, Yualeai, and kindred tribes. The nomenclature of some 
 of the divisions may be more or less different, but the fundamental prin- 
 ciples are identical in them all. Those readers who may be desirous of 
 studying this interesting subject further are re([uested to peruse my 
 " Sociology of some Australian TrilK's,'"t and '" Ethnological Notes on the 
 Aboriginal Tribes of Queensland."! 
 
 2. 7'hc Bora of ihf Kaiuiltiroi Tribes. 
 
 The Bora is a great educational instittition for the admission of the 
 youths of the tribe to the privileges, duties, and obligations of nnmhood. 
 The ceremonies are apparently intended to strengthen the authority of 
 the elder men over the younger, and to impress in an indelible manner 
 those rules of conduct which form tlie moral and civil law of the tribe. 
 
 When it has l>een (letermine(l to call the peojde together for the purpose 
 of celebrating the rites connected w'ith the Bora, messengers are des- 
 patched to the different sections of the commtmity informing them of 
 the time and place of the intended gathering. It is the duty of the head 
 men, who thus muster the people, to prepare the Bora-grotmd, and get 
 everything ready prior to the arrival of the several contingents who have 
 been invited to be present at the meeting. A suitable camping ground 
 is accordinglv selected near some river, creek, or waterluile in a part of 
 the tribe's domain in wliich there is suflficient game ami vegetable pro- 
 ducts to furnish food for all the people during the continuance of the 
 ceremonies. 
 
 * For examples of a iiuiiiticr of inarriaLCes of men and women of tlie (iifferent Moodri in the NirCumha 
 tribe, see the genealog^ical tables jriven in vol. xli of the Jonrnal of the Koval Soeiety of X. S. Wales, p. 79. 
 t Journ. Roy. Sec. X.S. Wales, xxxix, 104-12.i. 
 X Queensland Geo<r. Journ., xx, 49-75 ; Ibid., xxii, pp. S2-80.
 
 I Ciiiiuot do hc'ttcr tliaii dcscribi; a Boi'a caiiij), witli its circles and other 
 ujduiicts, at which 1 was i)resent in 1895, oi" whicli I have preijai'cd 
 an accurate jihiii fioni a survey made by me at the time. Tliis camp was 
 situated on tlie Icl't h-Ank ol' Kc(ll)ank Creek, a small tributary of the 
 Weir River, in the parish of Tallwood, county of Carnarvon, (^)ueens- 
 land. The local Tallwood tribe, boiiijj: the j)ersoiis who had sent out the 
 "invitations" l)y the messengers, were the iirst to occuj^y the ".n'ound, 
 and pitcheil their camp at the point marked No. 1 on the phm ; the 
 Goondiwindi and Wi'lltown people camped to the eastward, at No. 2 ; 
 those from Kunopia and Meroe took up their (piai'ters southward of tiie 
 Tallwood tribe, at No. -i ; the St. (Teor<:e contingent cani])ed to the north- 
 west, at No. 4; whilst tlie Moofjaii, Mun^.'-indi, and (lundabloui mob were 
 located on the south-west, at No. 5 on the jjlan. 
 
 During' every tine night there were special corroI)orees held at the spot 
 inarked No. G on the plan, each tril^e taking its turn to provide the 
 performers. Every evening at dusk and every morning at dayl)reak a 
 l)ull-roarer was sounded by an old man in the adjacent scrul), but out of 
 sight, and the women in tlie ram]i res]ionded by singing bobbarubwar 
 chants. 
 
 An unusual event happened at tliis cam]i which adds to its interest. 
 The local Tallwood tribe at first selected the site of the cam]) on tlie 
 southern or right bank of IJedbank Creek, at No. 17, and the Kunojiia 
 contingent soon afterwards came and pitched to the southward of them, 
 at No. IG on the ])lan. Before any of the other tribes arrived, one of tlic 
 voung men of tlie local mob died from some pulmonary conijilaint, and, 
 according to native custom, this necessitated a removal of the camp. 
 As tlie Bora circles had then been formed and many of the trees marked, 
 the choice of a new site for tlie camp was restricted to the oj^posite side 
 of Redl)ank Creek, in order to be near the waterhole, the only water 
 available. The point marked No- 7 on tlie plan was /if/oo/oohu/, or private 
 meeting-place of the initiated men ; and at No. IS was a similar spot ser 
 apart for the women, where they met during the day to work at making 
 head-bands, net-bags, and other occupations. 
 
 About 15 chains in a south-westerly direction from the general camp, 
 a small open space on the edge of a scrub was chosen as the site for the 
 performance of the ancestral rites. A large ring. No. 8 on plan, called 
 boom, 77 ft. G in. across one diameter and 72 feet across another at riglit 
 angles to it, giving an j.verage diameter of nearly 75 feet, was formed 
 by scraping away the surface soil, whicli was utilised to make an em- 
 bankment al)out !) inches high around the circular space thus cleared. An 
 opening about 2 feet wide was left in the north-east side of this bank, 
 from whicli ran a narrow track, called thoonhunn/d, formed by scraping 
 the surface of the ground smooth and piling the loose earth on either side. 
 The bearing of tliis track was N. G2 deg. W., and in ftillowing it in that 
 direction for 270 yards it was found to terminate at anotlier and smaller 
 circle, No. 15 on plan, called (jooiHiJid, 17 feet in diameter, whieh was 
 bounded by a bank composed of loose earth, al)out (J inches in height. 
 The track, fhootihuriK/d, entered this enclosure through an opening in 
 its wall similar to that in the hnorn circle. 
 
 Within the ijooikiIxi ring, and near the lartlier side of it, were two tall, 
 inverted stumps, which had lieeii jirepared in tlie following inanner : — 
 Two small trees had been dug out of the ground, by removing the earth 
 from the roots for some distance around the base; their stems were then
 
 8 
 
 cut tliroiigli about 8 feet from the base, and all the bark peeled oft' 
 from the stem, as well as the spreading roots. These stumps were then 
 carried to the goonalxi, and holes dug in the ground, into which the 
 upper ends of tlie stems were inserted and the earth HUed in tightly 
 around them to make them stand firm. The stumps were thus completely 
 inverted, leaving the roots at ihc top, some of which extcndid outwards, 
 almost horizontally, about 4 feet, and were ornamented by narrow strips 
 of frayed bark twiste<l around them. These stunqjs, called irctnJciKjdJdf'r, 
 one of which was Ix'lar and the otlier coolabah, were 12 feet apart and 
 5 ft. 5 in. out of the ground — the stems and roots of both being smeared 
 with human blood. The blood for this purpose was obtained by making 
 small incisions, with a piece of sharp Hint or shell, in the arnis of several 
 initiated men, and collecting the blood in vessels as it dripped from the 
 wounds. 
 
 Starting from the larger, or hoora , circle, and proceeding along the 
 track, thooiihuniga, it was found to enter the scrub almost at once, and 
 at the distance of 87 yards, on tlif right-liand side. No. 9 on plan, was a 
 representation of the arbour or " playhouse " of a bower-bird, weeda, 
 containing a collection of small pebbles, fragments of bone, and the seeds 
 of some wild fruits. In the mythologic past, the weedn was an eminent 
 '"medicine man," or (/ooudaidhar, among the Kamilaroi and neigh- 
 bouring tribes. At the distance of 143 yards from the starting point on 
 the right side was the horizontal image of Baiamai, No. 10, with his wife 
 on the opposite side, No. 11 on tlie plan. These two figures are delineated 
 as 48 and 49 on Plate 2, and will be described presently. 
 
 Twenty-three yards l^eyond the two last figures was the goomee, or 
 Baiamai's fire, No. 12 on the plan. In a forked box-tree, 80 yards back 
 from the (/noiiahd, on the left of the track, at the height of about 18 feet 
 from the ground, was a tolerably good imitation of an eaglchawk's nest; 
 the position of this tree is shown on the plan as No. 13. Fifteen yards 
 from the last mentioned, towards the f/nuiudja, was a small box-tree, along 
 the bole of which a wavy band, about 2 inches wide, had l)een cut with a 
 tomahawk through the bark, and extending from the ground to a height 
 of 25 feet, rejiresenting a tree which had been struck by lightning 
 (No. 14 on plan). 
 
 I will now proceed to describe some carvings copied by me from a 
 number of trees which were scattered here and there along the track 
 from the iveeda'.'i arbour to the (jooiKiha. Tliese carvings are shown on 
 Plate 2, hereto annexed, as Figs. 1 to 18 inclusive. Fig. 8 represents 
 the crescent moon, cut through the bark, and a short distance below it 
 are four zig-zag lines. This is the tree which contains the eaglehawk's 
 nest already mentioned as No. 13 on the plan. On another tree, Fig. 13, 
 there is a centipede 3 ft. 1 in. in h'ngth, with eigliteen legs, chopped 
 through tlie bark into the wood, with some diaiuond or lozenge shajied 
 devices below it. On a forked box-tree was the outline of an igvnma (Fig. 
 17), .") ft. 2 ill. long, cut through the bark. Fig. 18 represents a carpet 
 snake !• ft. 1 in. in length, with its head toward the ground, cut in the 
 same manner. The marking on tlie remainder of the trees shown in the 
 plate consists of the usual zig-zag, lozenge, oval, and otlier devices. 
 
 In ihe annexed jilate 1 have icprodiieed some of the gi'ound drawings 
 copied by myself at the same Bora camp as that containing the trees 
 alrea<ly dealt with. i''igs 19 to 4.") will I'aii'ly re])resent the different 
 patterns of ijoivnn carved upon the turf on that occasion. The largest
 
 ■n ^rr 
 
 i 
 
 •ij 
 
 
 J J 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 ! 1 
 
 ■s si 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 
 i 
 
 ^ 
 
 . i « .a 
 
 1 
 
 ; 
 
 1 S E 
 
 
 
 CO
 
 iO 
 
 of the designs was 37 feet in length by 7 feet in width, part of wliieh 
 is shown in Fig. -'il ; another was 29 feet by 5 feet, and is shown in its 
 entirety in Fig. 'M. Some of the smallest of these carvings in the soil 
 were only 2 or 3 feet in length, tilling out spaces between trees. A good 
 deal of the soil cut out in carving these designs was used in Imildiug 
 the raised rei)resentations of JJaiamai and Gool)erangalnga described 
 farther on. 
 
 Fig. 46 represents a legendary, serpent-like monster called the Kurrea, 
 which is supposed to have its abode in deep lagoons and other slieets of 
 water, and devours human beings who may come within its rt'aeli. This 
 drawing measures 39 feet in lengtli, and its greatest width is alxnit a 
 foot. It is formed by a groove about ■■» inclies wide dug into tlie turf 
 along its outline. Fig. 47 is a woman cut in the ground in a similar 
 nninner. The height is 7 ft. 4 in., l)ut wouhl ))e more if the legs were 
 not so nmch distended. 
 
 Fig. 4S is a huge horizontal representation of IJaiamai, lying on his 
 back, formed by liuilding up the loose earth, which was 1 ft. 2 in. high 
 at the chest. The length of the figure was I) ft. (1 in., and tlie width 
 from hand to hand I) feet. 
 
 Fig. 49. — On the opposite side of the iiathway, close to the last 
 descril)ed, was a figure of Gooberangalnga, the wife of Baianuii, formed 
 in the same way, but witli the addition of a coat of kneaded clay on top, 
 in which were moulded the features of tlie face, the nuunm;e, iVc. Tlie 
 leiiuth of tlie fi'iiire was 10 ft. 9 in., witli a distance of 8 feet between 
 tlie hands. 
 
 Fig. .")() delineates a man witli a lioomerang in eacli liand, and a belt 
 around the waist. Tlie object 2 ft. .') in. long rising from the top of 
 the head was, the native artist told me, intended to represent a feathe)' 
 stuck in the hair. This drawing liears a striking resemblance to some 
 of the aboriginal rock jdctures found in other districts. 
 
 Fig. 51 rei)resents two death adders, formed of raised earth, with their 
 heads in the same direction. One of these reptiles is 9 feet long, the 
 other 10 ft. G in. 
 
 Fig. ."')2. — This drawing, which is outlined by a nick dug into the soil 
 in the way already stated, represents a cod-fish !) U-vt in length, and 
 3 ft. 8 in. across tlie body. 
 
 Fig. 53 was intended to denote an emu, and was formed in the same 
 manner as the last described. Its length from the l)ill to the tail was 
 12 ft. ('} in., and its height from the feet to the top of the back 7 ft. 9 in. 
 The legs are short in ]>ro])ortion to the body, being only 2 ft. G in.-- 
 perhaps to indicate that the l)ird is sitting or crouching down. 
 
 Fig. 54 re))resents two more death addtTs, wliicli are also formed by 
 heajiing up tlie loose earth into the re(|uii'e(l sliajie. Their heads and 
 tails ai'e almost touching, as if in the act of coupling, and the length of 
 each rejitili! is a little over IG feet. At intervals on either side of the 
 fliooiihii i-ini(( (liei'e were imitations of the lairs and nests of ditferent 
 animals. The space eoiitaining the marked tri'es and all the drawings 
 on the tiiif is indicated dii the ])lan by broken lines from No. 9 to No. 15. 
 
 Having described the circles, the drawings raised and graven en the 
 turf, the mai-ked ti'ees, and (ttliei' adjuncts ef the JJora I'licampnieiit , I 
 shall now pass on to give a bi'ief account el' the procedure in carrying 
 out the details of the inaugural rites.
 
 11 
 
 While till' jircpai'iit i(p|i nl' the Bora ^iouikI is in prof;ress, tlic licadniaii 
 sends out niesseii<j;ers, as already stated, whom Jie selects from anionic his 
 own ])eople, a messenger hein*:' sent to eucli tril)e i-e(piire(l to l)e present. 
 He is of tlie same totem as the sender of the invitation, ami delivers it 
 to a man of lliat totem in the ti'ihe to whieh he is sent. l']ai-li messen"'er 
 carries a hull-roarer (in ii rrdira ii) and a niimhei' of kihs oi' ■" tails," and 
 otln'r articles eomjirisin}^- tlie sim})le dress of an Australian savage. 
 He wears a painted head-hand around his hair, in whieli are insertetl 
 small hunches of loii;^- ^reeii grass or leaves. Two are generally sent 
 together, one of them being charged with the message, and cai'rving 
 the saered einMems, whilst the otlier merely kee])s him companw Wiien 
 a messenger arrives near the camp to whicli he has been sent, he 
 waits till the men have returned from their day's hunting, and then 
 approaches the single men's (piarter.>, close to wdiich he and Iiis com- 
 panion sit down. Some of the men then go to the messengers and firing 
 them into the camp. The headmen of tlie tribe are then brought together 
 on the outskirts of the camp, and the messenger tells tliem where he has 
 come from, at the same time producing the bull-roarer i^iniirrti ii'(iii) and 
 other emblems of authority, which are handed round and inspected by ail 
 the old men jiresent. The messenger remains with this tribe until the 
 time arrives to start for the appointed meeting place. All the men, 
 women, and children are then mustered up, and the journey conunences 
 towards the Bora ground — dances and songs being indulged in at the 
 various camping places along the route. 
 
 On getting near the general camp, all the nien paint and ornament 
 their l)odies, in accor(hvnce with the custom of their country, and the 
 novices are painted red from head to foot. When within sight of the 
 camp they give a shout, ami inarch on to the hoora ring, which they enter 
 and call out the names of remarkable hills, waterholes, and camping 
 placi's in their country. They also announce in the same way the totems 
 of the i)rinci]ial men of their tribe. The local mol), and all the men who 
 had arrived in previous contingents, are sitting round the ring, having 
 asseml)led there when they heard the strangers appiroaching. They also 
 now eiiti'r tlie circle and juini) al)out, and, in turn, call out the names of 
 important localities in their several districts, as well as the totems to 
 which they belong. 
 
 Everyone then comes out of the circle, and the men of tlie newly-arrived 
 mob go and assist their women to put up their quarters on the side of the 
 main camp nearest their own country. After this, all the men of the 
 combined concourse proceed along the pathway to the goonaha ring. The 
 strangers are shown the images of Baiamai and Goober angalnga, the 
 gomee, the markt'd trees, and everything on the sacred ground. Two 
 old men, having their Iwdies smeared with huiinin blood, then ascend the 
 irdrdciKjiilihc, ami stand on the to]i of the roots beating two nulla-ntillas 
 togetlier. A number of men are standing around swaying a burning 
 brand in one haml and a boomerang in the other. After this is con- 
 cluded, all the men disperse to their respective camps. 
 
 Several days may intervene between the arrival of the various tribes 
 who are summoned to be present ; and in order to occupy and amuse the 
 jjeople during this time, corroborees are held every fine night by the light 
 of the camp fires, each tribe pi-esent taking its turn to jnovide the 
 evening's amusement.
 
 12 
 
 When all the tribes who are expected to attend the liura have arrived 
 at the main camp, the headmen assemble at the /ujnoloobii/, or private 
 meeting place, and after a consultation among tliemselves, they hx tlie daj^ 
 on which the novices will be taken away for the imrpose of initiation. 
 
 Early in the morning the novices are painted with red ochre, and are 
 brought into the ring, and placed sitting down on the bank, their mothers 
 and the other women being outside, hidden l)ehind a screen of boughs 
 erected for that purpose. All the women and children are then told to 
 lie down, and are covered over with rugs, bushes, or grass, which have 
 been placed in readiness for the purpose, and a few men armed with 
 spears are deputed to watcli that the covering is not removed. 
 
 When all the arrangements have Ix'cn completed, the sound of the bull- 
 roarer is heard in the direction of Baiamai's ground, and the men at 
 the camj) stand in a semicircle outside tlie ring, Ideating together two 
 nulla-nullas, or any otlier two weapons which happen to be at hand. 
 One of the lieadnien then call out in his own language " Here he 
 comes," — others shout "Go away," to make the women ))elieve they 
 are addressing Dhurramoolan, a malevolent being, who is supposed to 
 preside over the ceremonies. A numl)er of men are now seen coming 
 along the track from tlie direction of tlie (jooinec, and enter the circle 
 and run inside the bank, beating the ground with jiieces of bark, 
 ■mungairaiis, about 2 ft. G in. long, 4 inches at the widest end, and 
 2 inches at the other, so that they can lie gripped in the hand. The men 
 have a mungauutii in each hand, with which they forcibly strike the ground 
 alternately at every step, but utter no other sound. Having gone 
 round the circle once, they run away noiselessly along the track to the 
 (juoiiu'c. As soon as they have gone, some of the men standing round 
 pick up firesticks, and tlirow them into the ring, scattering the embers 
 about, for the purpose of making the women l)elieve Dhui'ramoolan did 
 this when he came for the novices. There are also two men, one 
 on each side of t!ie circle, vigorously swinging bull-roarers. When these 
 two men become giddy, caused by turning I'ound, others take their places. 
 Amid the terrific and deafening din made by the rattling of wea|)ons, 
 and tlie weird noise of the bull-roarers (mi/rffnrri/is), the guardians 
 advance and catch their respective novices l)y the arm above the elbow, 
 and lift tlieiii to their feet. The boys are strictly enjoined to hold their 
 heads down, and their arms close by their sides, and they are mareheil 
 away by their guardians along the track, followed by the men with the 
 bull -roarers. 
 
 When the guardians and novices are out of sight, the covering is 
 removed from the women and children, and they are ))erinitted to rise. 
 On looking all around, and seeing the hre scattered about and the l)oys 
 gone, they give vent to their feelings in the usual native fashion. The 
 fathers and relatives of the boys, and some other men not immediately 
 connected with the ceremonies, pack up their things and start away 
 after the novices. The women and children, assisted by a number of the 
 men who remain with tliem, now jiaek \i]> and remove the rani]> to a place 
 several miles distant, each tribe selecting its (piarters on the side towards 
 its own country. It is imperative, according to ancient ti'ibal custom, 
 to remove the camp to a new site after the Ixiys have been taken away- 
 
 In the meantime, the gnanllans have (aken the novices away along the 
 track, their eyes being cast u2)on the ground at their feet, and on reach- 
 ing a clear space near the commencement of the i/t/i/ti/iuni/nniu/i , they are
 
 13 
 
 made to \\v (in U-avs s|ii'ea(l on the j^roninl, face downwards, with their 
 arms ch.se hy their sides, tlieir guardians standing near them. After 
 remaining iiere lialf an hoiii', or lunger, to allow everyone time to get 
 ready for tlu- e.\i)edit ion into the Imsli, the noviees are helped to their 
 fei't and taken .dong tlie traek, and shown the image of Baianiai and his 
 wife, tht' i/<)()/ii(( , the drawings on the ground and on the trees, the eagle- 
 hawk's nest, the tree struek by lightning, Are., as well as certain dramatic 
 re])n'seiitations which need not now be entered upon. 
 
 The noviees are eonduett-d to the (jooiutlxi ring, where the.' are placed 
 standing near the opening in the embankment, tlieir heads being l)owe<l 
 upon their breasts. An ohi headman is sitting on eacli of the n-a nlnuiahli c , 
 perfornung magical feats, such as bringing up through his mouth ([uartz 
 crystals, ]iiec'es of string, or otlu'r substances. Tlu; guardians now catch 
 hold of the lioys' heads and straighten them up, telling them at the same 
 time to raise their eyes, and take particular notice of the old men. After 
 they have looked at these i)erformances for a while, some of the chief men 
 who are standing close by catch hold of the stumps, ivardciK/dhh-c, on which 
 the old men are sitting, and shal-ie tiiem slightly from side to side. While 
 these performances are going on, the other mi'ii dance round outside the 
 ring, and in a short time the two old men descend from the stumps and 
 dance round tliem. 
 
 I ne o 
 hold 
 
 hi men then jndl one of the ii'n nh n (jdhlce out of the ground, and 
 it in a horizontal position, and dance round a few times, carrying 
 the stump in their hands, after which they lay it down in the middle of 
 the ring. Another stump is now pulled uj), and a similar perfoiinance 
 gone through, after which it is ])laced (>n the ground beside tlie Hrst one. 
 A sufficient ([uantity of wood, which had previously lu'cn collected for the 
 jMirposc, is then laid upon these irardciKjahJce, to which a fire is aj)plied, 
 and some of the men remain in the vicinity till they are completely 
 consumed. 
 
 When all the.-e formalities have been carried out, the men and bovs 
 start away to the part of tlie district in which it has been decided to 
 remain whilst carrying out the ceremonies in the bush. All the men who 
 take part in the secret rites are called Kooriur/nJ , and are painted jet 
 black with powdered charcoal and grease. The novices have to walk ah)ng 
 with their eyes cast down, and are not allowed to lools at anvtlnng except 
 the ground just in front of them, their guardians being beside them. At 
 some convenient j)lace by the way a stoppage is made, and the boys are 
 put standing in a row, with their heads l)owed as usual. The men then 
 pass along in front of them, indtating some animal, such as pelii-ans, 
 kangaroos, or the like, and the novices are permitted to raise tludr heads 
 and look at tliem. During the remainder of tlu; day the men engage in 
 hunting, for the purpose of providing food for themselves, as well as for 
 the boys and their guardians. On arriving at the camping place a yard 
 is made for the boys, in which tliey are placed lying down ujion leaves 
 which are strewn thickly upon tlie ground, and rugs ai'e thrown over 
 them. This yard is sendcircular in shape, and is built of forks and 
 sa]dings, witli Ijushes laid up against them, the convex end of the jiartial 
 enclosure being towanls the men's camp, which is, peidiaps, r)0 vards 
 away. Across the o])en end of the yard a few fires are lit to afford warmth 
 to the novices and their guardians when they are occupy! n^- it. If the 
 weather is warm, the yard may be dispensed with.
 
 14 
 
 Wliuu the game which has been cauglit during the <hiy is cooked by the 
 men at their own quarters, a fair share is taken by the guardians and 
 given to the novices, who are then permitted to sit up, with their backs 
 towards the men's camp, and must eat their food with the blanlvets or 
 ru-'s over their heads, so that tlier cannot see anything around tliem. 
 None of the men eat any of the game at their own camji until tlie novices 
 have been supplieil with their allowance. 
 
 Close to the men's camp, between it and the yard in which the boys are 
 kept, a space is cleared of all grass and loose rubbish, with a tire lit on 
 one side of it. About dusk, the novices are brought out and placed 
 sitting in a row near this cleared patch, facing the fire, on the other side 
 of wliich the men are to perform. Presently the men dance along past 
 the tire imitating tlie gait and actions of one or more of the following 
 animals : Ijamlicoots, grasshoppers, wallabies, turkeys, iguanas, native 
 bears, or any other creature which may have been selected as the subject 
 of the play for the evening. The animal chosen is generally the totem of 
 some of tiie people present, or perhaps has a legendary connection with 
 their ancestors. 
 
 Several days may be spent at this camp, or perhaps a fresh camping 
 place is readied every night. In either ease various spectacular displays, 
 representing totems, hunting scenes, and also songs and dances, take place 
 every day, and also in the evening at the camp fires. Different animals 
 are represented each evening, and the singing is varied as much as their 
 scanty repertoire of songs will admit of, the members of each tribe con- 
 tributing a fair sluire. The time spent at these camps in the busli 
 generally occupies al)out a week, being regulated by tlie weather and 
 other considerations. 
 
 About tlie middle of tliis period, preparations are made for the 
 extraction of one of the novices' upper incisor teeth. A small patch of 
 ('round is cleared of all loose rubbish a short distance from the camp, 
 and the guardians raise the novices to their feet and conduct them hither. 
 In this clear space, which is called the hiuinumhedJ, some men are seated, 
 beating the ground in front of them with pieces of bark, sluiped some- 
 thing like a cricket l)at, and making a noise. One man then bends down, 
 and places the boy sitting on his knee, another man standing Ijeside him 
 to keep the boy steady. The tooth extractor then steps forward, and 
 inserts his own lower teeth under one of the boy's upper incisors, and 
 gives a strong steady pull for the ostensible purpose of loosening the tooth. 
 A small piece of wood, hardened in the fire, is then used as a chisel, 
 being placed against tlie tooth, and a smart ta]) with a mallet on the other 
 end completes the dental operation. The tooth is tlien taken dut nf the 
 boy's mouth with the maiTs fingers, and liehl u}) to the public view, which 
 is the signal foi' a shout from all the men present. The boys have to 
 swallow the l)lood which fiows from the wounded gum. During these 
 proceedin^z's a bull-i'i)ai"ei' is soundt'd in the adjacent busli just out ;>f 
 sitrht, and at the conclusion the bovs iire led back to their ramp, and 
 put sitting' down witli their hands over their mouths. 
 
 Durin'T the seclusion in the bush, many obscene e.\liil)itions are enacted 
 in the j)resence of the novices, which cannot be described in a work 
 intended for general perusal. .\t one part of tlie ceremonies, a man of 
 the local mol) is killetl Ijy the visiting tril)es, and eaten l)y all jireseiit, 
 The novices arc also given some of his blood to drink.
 
 15 
 
 Wlicii tlic IickIiiu'ii coiisiilii- I hill the novices have gone tlirough a 
 sufficient (•(iiiiNC (if i nsl met ion and liiscijiline in the bush, a number ot" 
 men, culled the li(<ii(iii, whu have aiiivcij at the women's cani|) since the 
 boys wei'c taken away, are despatchid to liberate tlicm. The I^''<'!f<'il 
 start away I't'oni the main eamp, and proceed to a uati'iliilc in tin' bush 
 wiiich has been deidded upon by the hea(bncii as the place where the 
 kooriniial ami guardians are to wash tlie !)lack ])aint off their bodies. At 
 this waterdiole the Bei'ijdij h'ave their personal effects in charge of a few 
 of their own men, and vd into liie bush in seareli of th(.' l\oori nual and 
 novices. 
 
 On the day wliicli has been arranged to meet the Beeyfiij, tlie Kooriiif/dl , 
 guardians, and boys start out and carry all their things with them, as if 
 shifting camp. When they reach the ap])oiiited place, which is in a piece 
 of o])en country, their swags are hiid <h)wn and a tiri' lit, at whieli the old 
 men rcnnvin. The boys are tlien tal^en away on the pretence of accom- 
 panying the men liunting, and one or more of the hoorunjal go ahead 
 unseen by tlie boys, in order to see where the Beegay are. The boys, 
 Wididhdinurriii , are )dacecl sitting in a row (ui the grotmd with their 
 heads down and their backs towards the direction fiom which the Beagan 
 are to approacli. Tiie Kooruigal are standing in a row behind tlie boys. 
 The guardians then tell them to listen, that Dluirramoolan is coming to 
 I)urn them. Tlie Bvciidij, painted with wliite stripes, are by this time 
 (juite near, carrying in the right hand a Ijoomerang and in the left a 
 smoking sticl;. One of them raises a low, continuous wdiistle, on hearing 
 which the guardians tell tlie boys to get up and run back to the place 
 where they left tlieir swags, looking only at the ground in front of them. 
 The boys then run as hard as they can in front with the guardians, until 
 the temporary camp is reached, wdien the boys fall face downwards on 
 rugs ready sjiread for them. Tlie whistling of the Bcctjdij has been lieard 
 close liehiml them all tiie way. As soon as the boys lie down, the old men 
 who remaine(l there say, "We will now give you a drink before you are 
 burnt." After this, some of the men will clap their hands, while otiiers 
 take tire-sticks and touch the boys on the legs, to make them believe that 
 Dhurramoolan is commencing to burn them. The Kooringal say, "' Don't 
 be in a liurry to burn the Ijoys ! Go away!" 
 
 During tliis time the Ji(( gag are renewing tlie tire-sticks, in or(k'r that 
 they may make a good smoke. Tlien the boys are helped to their feet, and are 
 placed stamling in a row, and the KnonngciJ are stamling in a semicircle 
 behind tliem. The boys' faces are now turned towards the Bagntj, who 
 are swaying their smoky sticks, and the guardians say, '" Tliere they are; 
 they have a big fire over there," pointing in a certain direction. The 
 Becgag then run up towards the boys, (hmcing and shouting, and swaying 
 their smoky sticks and boomerangs. The guardians then turn the boys' 
 backs towards the Jiccgag, wlio come up ami jiass along the row of 
 boys, each nuui catching the l)ack hair of each boy in succession, and 
 pulling his head up straight. A Dhilbai Br( gag would sluike the hair of 
 a Kubl)i or .\Iurri lioy heartily, but would oidy liglitly shake the back 
 hair of a Kunilio or lp]iai ; the Kupathin men would siiow a similar pre- 
 ference for the boys belonging to their own class. This i)ulling of the 
 l)ack hair is done for the purpose of freeing the novices from the stooping 
 l»osition in which they have liad to walk during the time they liave been 
 out with tlie Kooringal . After this the Bc'cgag retire several yards, 
 shouting as before, the boys remaining with their backs towards them.
 
 16 
 
 The Jhtijdi/ then funii into u seiiiicirclu, and join the semicircle 
 formed by the Kooringal, making a complete ring of men around the 
 boys. Two men now step out into the open space within the circle, and 
 commence swinging bull-roarers (/inirrairans), and the Kooringal beat 
 their weapons together and call out, '•Don't burn the boys yet." When the 
 men with t!ie bull-roarers get giddy they are replaced by others, who keep 
 the instruments sounding continually. Amidst this tumultuous clamour 
 of human voices, clashing of weapons, and roar of the inarrawaiis, the 
 boys' faces are turned round, and they are told to look. The guardians 
 tell them that these instruments represent the voice of Dhurramoolan, and 
 that all the similar sounds which they have yet heard have Ijeen made in 
 this way. The men now caution the boys not to reveal what they have 
 seen to the women or the uninitiated, or they will be punished with death, 
 and while doing so liold up tomaliawks or spears in a threatening 
 attitude. The guardians now put the full dress of a man on each of the 
 ]iovices, consisting of a l)elt with four hdrruiKjijah or aprons, a head- 
 band, and arndets. They are now called tiiriijdhiUax. 
 
 Tlie Beegay now start for the water-hole where they left their swags, 
 and the Kooringal, guardians, and tiiggabiUax follow them at a distance. 
 A few men who had been left here have made a ring (buddhamoor) about 
 15 or 20 yards in diameter, its boundary being formed by a continuous 
 wood fire. In the middle of this ring of fire are two men swinging a big 
 nuUa-nulla in each hand, dancing about, and imitating different animals. 
 The Beegag are the first to reach this place, and presently the Kooringal, 
 'guardians, and neophytes arrive at tlie other side of the ring. These 
 ceremonies l^eing concluded, the Beegag drive tlie Kooringal into the 
 water-hole close by, where they wash the l)lack paint off themselves, the 
 Beegag sitting on the bank watching them. After tliis the Kooringal and 
 their contingent camp at the water-hole for the night, l)ut tlie Beegag go 
 away back to the camp of the women, perhaps a mile or two distant. 
 
 Early the following morning the men and neophytes liave the hair of 
 their heads singed short, and all the hair entirely scorched oft" the other 
 parts of their liodies. Each is dressed in the full regalia of a man, with 
 eagle-hawk or swan feathers in thrir liair. A start is then made for 
 the women's camp, and a man goes ahead to reiiort that the novices will 
 shortly arrive. 
 
 The women, assisted liy the Beegag, have in the early morning cut 
 saplings ami liushes, and erected a yard called fJiarra ironga , similar in 
 sliai)e to those in the bush, but larger, because intended to accommodate a 
 greater number of men. Its convex end is in the direction from which 
 the l)oys are expected to ajiproach. In this yard the mothers of the 
 guardians and Koori ng(d liave jilaced their yam-sticks around about 
 .'} feet frotu the fence, each stick having some article belonging to the 
 owner attached to it, in order that the men may recognise them. Around 
 the outside of the convex end of tliis yard, logs of wood are laid for the 
 boys to stand on |>resently. 
 
 The men and women belonging to tlie new camp, who are called collec- 
 tively ntnotrinalla , muster near tlie bough yard somi' time after break- 
 fast, and have bushes cut readv to lay over the women and children. 
 When the messenger arrives, stating that the men and boys are coming 
 in from the busli, the women ai'e ])laced lying ilown ai'ound tlie outside 
 of the convex end of the \ai(I, and are covered with rugs and bushes; 
 the mothers of the novices, or those women acting in their stead, bein*: 
 nearest the fence with their heads iigainst the logs before mentioned. As
 
 17 
 
 far as jjracticahk', tlifsi' wuiiicn aie placeil on the side ul' tlie yanl nearest 
 their re.spectivc districls. 'I'hc other women ami the ciiildreii are lying 
 ihjwn a few yanl> I'uiiliri' ;i\vay from the yanl. Wlien all is ready at 
 the hough \ar<l, a slioiii or signal is given, and the K oo r i injnl, guar- 
 dians, and ne<)iiliytes aj)i)roai'li in single tile, n hnll-roarer being 
 sounded by one of the iihkx ( hikIIh men somewhere in the adjaeenl serub. 
 The hooniK/iil and guardians, rallying nothing in their hands, enter 
 the yard and sit down Ijehiml the yam-sticks of their own or tribal 
 mothers. I']ach boy is taken by tJie men to tiie outside of tlie enclosure, 
 and i)laced standing beside iiis mother on the log against which her head 
 is resting. 'J'liese ari'angeiiients are all carried out (juickly, so as injt 
 to keeji the women and children covered up too long. While the women 
 are covered up, some of the men may pick up one or two of the little 
 children, who cannot speak, ami ])ut a few marks of paint on them, to 
 make the women believe that Dhurranioolan did it when he brought the 
 novices back. When they are all in their phici's, the covering is taken 
 off the mothers, who staml up with their heads bowed, and their eyes cast 
 on the ground at their feet : each mother standing in this position, then 
 holds up her arms, and rubs her hands on her son's breast and shoulders, 
 symbolical of rubbing the red paint off liim. 
 
 At the conclusion of these formalities all the novices run away, not 
 looking behind them as they go, to a camp prepared for them and their 
 Liiiardians a few hundred yanls distant. All the other women are 
 uncovered, and advancing, pull down the iioughs forming the yard. 
 The men rise to their feet and dance in the middle of the space w'ithin 
 the yam-sticks, uttering guttural sounds or grunt-like exclamations. The 
 women then take them to some convenient jjlace close by, wlu're thev jilace 
 them in four grou])s, the men of each sectit)n l)eing together, and light 
 fires to the windward of tliem, gieen Ijtishes being thrown on the tires 
 to make a dense smoke. 
 
 Next day the novices, carrying a piece of burning bark wrapped in 
 green bushes or grass for the purpose of making a smoke, are brought 
 lip near the women's camp. On reaching it they are placed sitting on a 
 log in groups according to the sections to which they belong. The women 
 then light fires on the windward side of them so as to envelo]) them 
 in a cloud of smoke nnide by btirning green bushes. The Dhilbai women 
 smoke the Dhilbai novices, and the Knpathin women the Kupathin 
 novices. When these observances are concluded, the novices return to 
 the camp to which they were take.n the day before. When the l)oys are 
 being escorted to the women's camp as just stated, an old man swings a 
 small l)idl-roarer, calh'(l nionn ihu rnh( mi ^ in a secluded sjiot in tlu' rear. 
 When the women hear this sound they consider that a sjnrit woman is 
 congratulating them upon having their sons admitted to the degree of 
 manhood. 
 
 In a few days after the smoke ordeal just described, the strange tribes 
 wdio have attended the cei'emonios make preparations for their departure.* 
 Before the assoml)lage l)rcaks up, the lieadmen of each tribe consult 
 together and select the tribe which will have to prepare the next Bora 
 ground, and entertain the people who will assemble there. Eacli tril)e 
 now- takes charge of its own neoijhytes, and takes them away with it. 
 
 * The whole time necu|iiert t)y the fcrenioiiies, from the date of tlie arrival of the first tribe of \ isitoi-s 
 at the main eanii>. until all the trilies ilisjicrse anil start away to their own coutitrv. is usnall\ ahont two 
 or three weeks. The necessity fur keeiiinu the time within the shortest, jiossiole limits 's evident when wc 
 bear in mind the extra demand made niion all kinds of game and vegetable food for the support of the 
 great number of strangers present at the eerenionies.
 
 R 
 
 18 
 
 Oil theii- arriviil in their own country the boys are still kept under 
 restraint, and are not jjerinitted to mix with the women or children. 
 They must also abstain from eating certain kinds of foods enumerated by 
 the headmen, until they are released from these restrictions. When they 
 have completed tlieir term of probation, they are again mustered at a 
 place near tlie woman's camp, and are smoked in the same manner as 
 before. Near this place a net is spread upon the ground, and food pro- 
 vided by the mothers is spread u})on it. The neophytes are brought up 
 and partake of the food, after which they are taken into a camp near that 
 of the single men. After a time, wliich may be of some months' duration, 
 the boys are brought nearer and nearer the men's quarters, until they are 
 eventuallv allowed to camp amongst the other young men of the tribe. 
 It is necessary that each neophyte must participate in one or more gather- 
 ings before lie is fully cpialified to take his place as a man of the tribe. 
 The reason of tliis is evident when it is rememljered that at the first Bora 
 which a novice attends, he is prevented from seeing the whole of the 
 ceremonial in consecpience of having to keep his eyes cast down during 
 some of tlie most important parts of it. In some cases a ])oy is not more 
 than 12 or 14 years of age when he is first initiated, which is an additional 
 ground for delay in admitting him to the full status of manhood. 
 
 The ceremonies dealt with in this article liavc been abridged from my 
 descriptions of the Bora of the Kaniilaroi tribes published in t\ie journals 
 of tlie lloyal Society of New Soutli Wales, the Anthropological Institute of 
 Great Britain, and the Royal Society of Victoria. I have also contributed 
 papers describing the Buiiaii and Keejoarra ceremonies, the former 
 relating to the Shoalliaven tribes, and the latter to the Manning River 
 tri])es. The Burbung of the Wiradjuri community has likewise been 
 dealt witli. In the several articles published in dilt'erent journals I have 
 described the initiation ceremonies of all the native tribes of New South 
 Wales. 
 
 Altliough the details of these inaugural rites vary somewhat in different 
 districts, the fundamental principles are substantially the same in tliem 
 all throughout this State. If the perusal of these pages should awaken 
 the interest of any gentlemen residing in tlie ])avk country of New South 
 Wales or tlie soutliern portion of (,>ueensland, who may have opportunities 
 of oI)serving similar rites among the trilies in tlieir districts, I shall 
 be deeply indebted to them if they will take the troul)le to wrte and tell me 
 all the jiarticulars they may be enabled to elicit, or which may be already 
 within their knowledge. The names of any gentlemen who may furnish 
 information in this way, will be suitably recorded in an article now in 
 preparation on the subject. Although such gt'iitlemen may not have had 
 previous e.\]>erience in collecting jiarj icnlars of <:liis character, yet, if 
 they will communicate with mo, I will gladly forward them such hints and 
 advice as may assist them in doing good work in this direction. Par- 
 ticulars regarding the divisions and totems of any trilx' will be equally 
 ait])reciated. Lettt'rs addressed to me, Parramatta, New South Wales, 
 will receive immediatt' attention. 
 
 It shonhl be cxiilaiiicd thai dni'iiig' recent years, when the blacks can 
 obtain food from the white ](eo])le, a Jiora lasts iiiuch longer than in the 
 old, wild times, when a native's life was one long struggle for subsistence. 
 For example, the Hoi'a which took place at (Jundabloui, in IS!)4, lasted 
 about Ihi'ee iMoiiths, because the .\borigiiies" Protection Board sujiplied 
 rations to the age(I blacks and the children, besides which the manager 
 of Gundabloiii station, close by, gave them an allowance of beef all
 
 19 
 
 the time.* 'I'lic ii;itivcs wliu InM \\n- Uonx at TallwoiHl.t in l.'^D."), were 
 
 lik('wis( Mi|.|iliiM| with f I l,v ilir while residents of the district, and 
 
 (■(iiisc(|iiciiliv the nicctiii;^ was lUdioiiLied for soirie months. T mvself 
 c'onti-ihiitcd lihcrall_\- tn the commissariat of the hiacks who came to the 
 Tallwdod IJoia. A severe droupfht was prevailing throughout the district 
 at the liiiir, and some of the olil natives coidiilnl to me that thev would 
 make the JJora hist as hmg as they couhl Liet provisions from the 
 Europeans. 
 
 3. Aboriyinal Weaj)ons. 
 
 Between the years 1898 and 1900 1 introduced my young friend Mr. 
 W. J. Enriglit to the " head men " of tlie remnant of tlie Kutthung tribe, 
 at Port Stephens. Witli some lielp from me he publislied an account of 
 tlieir initiation ceremonies, weapons, etc., in the "Jouinal of the Royal 
 Society of New South Wales," Vol. xxxiii, pji. lir)-124, and Vol. xxxiv, 
 |)p. lU.j-118. Witli tlie permission of Mr. Enriglit, I am republishing two 
 plates, and a description (jf the weapons, kc, used by the Kutthung and 
 adjacent tribes. 
 
 Plate 3. 
 
 Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, .J, and G are boomerangs of the returning variety. 
 They are al)out 18 inclies in length from point to point and have a maxi- 
 miun width of '1 inclies. 
 
 Eig. 7 is a hsliing spear composed of a shaft made from the stem of the 
 grass-tree, 7 ft. G in. in length, and four pieces of hardwood 25 inches 
 in length lashed together, but with the jDoints sej^arated l)y means of 
 pieces of wood tlirust in Ijctweeu them, and fastened into the shaft by 
 means of gum and twine. This spear is used in catching the large fish. 
 Going into the water as far as he can, to use the S|tear with effect, the 
 native stands like a stattie holding the spear obliquely in poised hand.* 
 ready to strike liis jirey as it passes. Standing motionless, he is soon 
 stirrounded by tish, and the first that passes his feet is pierced by ai» 
 accurate and powerfid thrust. Sometimes they make use of a boat (the 
 bark canoe is never used nowadays), from wdiich they spear the fish. 
 
 Eig. 8 is the woimnera (U- throwing stick used for the purpose of tlirow- 
 ing spears. It is made of two ])it'ces of wood, the larger of which is 32 
 inches in length, with a breadth of •) int'hes at the end which is held in 
 the hanil and tapering to a point at the other end, whereon is lashed a 
 sharpened jjiece of wood, 3^ inches in length, jjrojecting at a .slight angle. 
 The point of this smaller piece of wood is inserted into the end of the 
 shaft of the spear, whicli is held l)etwecn the tliunib and forefinger of the 
 thrower, the i)road ilat end of tlie woiiiniera all the while resting in the 
 palm of the hand. 
 
 Fig. 9 is the lidr'-ro-ira or large liull-roarer used in the closing part of 
 the Keeparra ceremony. It is 21 inches in length witli a niaxinium 
 breadth of 3i inches. 
 
 Eig. 10 is a spear com])osed of tliree jiieces, a sliarjiened hardwood 
 point 24 inclies in h'ngtli, thrust into thin stem of grass-tree about 31 
 inches in length, and this in turn is fastened into a shaft of like material 
 about G ft. 1 in. in length. It is thrown at game or other objects by 
 means of the wommera previously described. 
 
 Figs. 11 and 12 are axe heads of basaltic rock. 
 
 • Jouni. Anthrop. Inst., I>ondon, .\.\iv, p. 413. 
 t Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoi-ia, ix, Now Series, j). 137
 
 20 
 
 3. Aboriginal Weapons. 
 
 Fig. lo is also of l)asaltic rock, I)ut, unlike t\\v two former iiii])Ieiiieiits, 
 a]j])ears to have been used witlidut tlie usual wooden liandle, and is 
 probuljly a chisel.
 
 21 
 
 Fig. 14 is a wiii'tstdiir \isvt\ for sliar|)iMiiMg tlie puiiits ul' lliu ftliL'lI lisli- 
 hooks, ami is of liaid iru|)tive rork. it is 4i inches in lengtli, 1| inches 
 in broailth at une end, and tapers at the otlier entl to a point, which has 
 nnfort uiiatfly been Ijrok^'n oft" tlie spcciincii in my possession. It lias a 
 nniform thickness of f of an inch. 
 
 Fig. 1") represents a sliiLld of mangidVL' wood. it is .')() inches in 
 length, with a breadth of 9 inches, and is used foi- warding-oli spears. 
 The handle, which is a green twig of the mangrove, is fastened by boring 
 two holes "5 inches apart in the centre of the shiehl, and inserting into 
 each liole an end of tlie twig, the fibres of which are then separated on the 
 face of the shield. This insti'unient is covcreil with pipe-clay and adorned 
 with three red stripes. 
 
 Figs. 1() and 17 are waddies, used not only as ulubs, Inil for throwing 
 at small animals. The former, called boon' -dhee, is 20 inches in length, 
 and made of the wood of the ironbark. The latter, called (/(tdfhrra, is 
 made of the wood of the myrtle, and is ■"j."') inches in lengtli. 
 
 Fig. 18 is a koolanion, made of mangrove wood. It is 7 inches in 
 diameter, with the same de])tli internally, and is used for carrying water 
 or holding li(piid of any kind. 
 
 Fig. 19 is the I<-oo-j)i/i, and is made of the wood of tlie black oak. It 
 is nsed for warding-off spears, and also to hinder the Hight of an 
 opponent. 
 
 Fig. 20 is a lighting boomerang, made of myall wood, and, 1 believe, 
 is from the nortli-western part of New Soutli Wales. 
 
 Platk 4. 
 
 Fig. 1. — A boomerang, fd-rce, of the type that does not return when 
 thrown. 
 
 Figs. 2, 3, -i, 5, and 0. — Boomerangs, hdr-rd-ktui, of tlie kind which 
 can be made retnrn when thrown. 
 
 Fig. 7. — Yanistick, kuii'-itl, nsed by the women in digging for roots, 
 and is also their favourite weapon. 
 
 Fig. 8. — Shield, h( ii'dool-ijun, nsed in defence against the blows of a 
 clnl). 
 
 Fig. 9. — A waddy, called hin'-nd-jnn by the Kiittlinng 
 
 Figs. 10, 11, and 12. — Stone axe heads. 
 
 Figs. I.") and 14:. — Stone axes, with lieails of a dark eruptive rock and 
 handles made of a piece of vine, which is doubled aronnd the head and 
 the two portions ai'e then fastened together with bark, and the head made 
 more secnre with wax or gum. 
 
 Fiir. 1-"). — l\(t(')-ije-ro6, a shar]X'ned kangaroo l)one nsed for combing 
 the hair. 
 
 Fijr. IG.— A waddy of oiii' of the Hunter River (New^ South Wales) tribes. 
 
 Fig. 17. — The (jooii-dii-dJidl-'ec-a, a bull-roarer used at the initiation 
 ceremonies. 
 
 The other articles manufactured by the aborigines are the canoe, fishing- 
 net, dillv baL^ stone knife. Ixdt of spun o])ossum hair, barbed spear of 
 hardwood, tisli-hook of shell, and a small bag used for carrying the jdeces 
 of crvstal bestowed on the young men when tliey have been initiated at 
 the Keepara.
 
 22 
 
 4. Aboriginal Weapons. 
 
 4. Ahorifjl iKiI IxDch- ['(inif I n(j>< . 
 
 So far as T am aware, the tirst account of tlic discovery of rock paint- 
 ings in any i)art of this continent is contained in Capt. M. Flinders' 
 " Vovag-e to Terra Austi-alis," vol. ii, ])p. ISS, ISI). On tliL' walls of a 
 cave at Chasm Island, on the western side of tlie (!ulf of Carpentaria, 
 Flinders states that on the 1 Ith Jamiarv, ISO"), he '" found rude drawin<'s
 
 23 
 
 nuulu with charcoal and something like red paiul, iiiiou ihu white ground 
 of the rods.. They rei)rcsented pdipdi.ses, turlifs, kunguroos, and the 
 human hand." Tliere were also " the i-uprL'scntalion of a kangaroo with 
 a hie of thirty-two jjcrsons following after it. The third person of the 
 hand w;is twice the height of thr othc'rs, ami lichi in his hand sonii.-thing 
 resembling tlie waddy, or wooden sword, of the natives of I'ort Jackson." 
 
 Aboriginal rock-paintings are executed in tliree different ways, wliich 
 may be called the stencil, the iiii presxioii , and the outliitc methods respec- 
 tively. In the stencil metliod, the pahii of tlic hand was phiccil liriiiiy mi 
 the rock, with the fingers and thumb spread out, and tlie required 
 colour — generally pipe-clay, red ociire, or cluircoal — was squirted or blown 
 over it out of the mouth of the operator. This manner of drawing was 
 also adopted in many instances in representing implements of the chase, 
 such as l)oomerangs, tomaliawks, waddies, iVc. In the impression method, 
 the colour to be used was mixed with a liquid in a native vessel, into 
 wliieli the palm of the hand was liglitly diiipcd and tlicn jiressed against 
 the surface of the rock. On the removal of the Inmd, the coloured impidnt 
 was left clearly defined. Objects to which neither of the preceding methods 
 would be applicable were drawn in outline, in the required colours. In 
 some cases the objects were merely outlined, in other cases they were 
 coloured all over with a wash, whilst in otiiers, the space witliin the 
 margin of tlie outlines was sliadcd l)y strokes of colour. 
 
 In the anncxi'd plate, Fig. 1 represents four hands stencilled in red, two 
 
 %u 
 
 ++• 
 
 i-sr'^ 
 
 t-i 
 
 ***feMi#* 
 
 ScutL <rf Fu^5 I 2 5 4 S caxd. 6 
 
 _L i \J 4 i £__ 
 
 /ifl 
 
 RH Malhcws ddi 
 
 SaRe-cfFi/j 7 
 
 5. Aboriginal Rock Paintings.
 
 24 
 
 suuIvL'S, three lizar<ls, ami part of an iguana, the remainder of the latter 
 being supposed to have disapjDeared into a crack in the rock. The head 
 of one of the snakes is hidden in a crack in a similar manner. The rest of 
 the figures comprise two six-legged objects which I cannot i(k'ntify, and 
 four straight lines — three being in one group, and another close to one of 
 the hands. Fig. 2, which is in the same cave as Fig. 1, shows two draw- 
 ings which may have been inteiidc'd to represent the sun, an iguana, a 
 death-adder, four footmarks of birds, and a small cross. Fig. ."5 represents 
 a group of twenty-five impressed hands. All the paintings in Figs. 1, 2, 
 and 3 are done in red colour, on a large rock al^out three-cpiarters of a 
 mile southerly from jiortion No. i, parisli of Wilpiniong, county of 
 Phillip. 
 
 Fig. 4: delineates three Ijirds, one of whieh is on the wing ; a kangaroo, 
 and a dingo or native cat, all drawn in black colour, in a cave near 
 portion No. '-V-i, parish of Wareng, county of Hunter. Fig. 5 contains 
 three human figures, a kangaroo, and four objects resembling eels. They 
 are all in l)lack colour, and are situated near jjortion No. 16, parisli of 
 Macdonald, county of Hunter. Fig. 6 represents a man and a woman 
 apparently dancing a corroboree, and is drawn in ])lack, red, an<l white 
 colours, in a cave near portion No. 42, jiarisli of ToUagong, county of 
 Hunter. The other drawings represent a human foot, a hand, a native 
 tomahawk, a I)Oonierang, and a waddy, all done in stencil, in wliite colour. 
 Fig. 7, which is locally known among the white settlers as the " Devil in 
 the Rock," is drawn in deep black, in a small cave close to the Macdonald 
 River, in the ])ai'isli of Kindarun, county of Hunter. Mr. Joseph Merrick 
 told me he liad known of this drawing for the ])ast seventy years, and 
 that it was tht're when he first came into the district. 
 
 5. AhoniiiiKil RocL- C<i ri'iin/x. 
 
 In tlio " Voyage of Governor Pliillip to Botany Ray," publislied 1789 
 (l.p. 106, 107), it is stated that— 
 
 " In all the excursions of Governor Pliillip in the neiglibourhood of 
 Botany Bay and Port Jackson the figures of animals, of shields and 
 weapons, and even of men, liave l>een found carved upon the rocks. Fish 
 were often represented, and in one place the form of a large lizard was 
 sketched out with toleralile accuracy." 
 
 For some years yiast I have been endeavouring to copy and describe 
 in (h'tail as many as possible of these sp<'cimens of pictorial art, showing 
 the imitative faculties of a primitive ])eople. Tlie annexed drawing 
 accurately reproduces (witli some minor omissions) certain rock carvings 
 found near Port Jackson and on tlie Hawkesl)ury River. 
 
 The foUowing nK'th(Hl appears to have l)een pursued h\ tlie natives in 
 executing these carvings : — A numl)ei' of lioles w<'ie first made close to- 
 iicther aloii"' tlie outliiu' of tlie intended ii^ure, and thi'se were afterwards 
 connected liy cutting out the int<^'rvening spaces, thus making a continu- 
 ous groove of tjie reciuired width and de]ith. Judging by the jmnctured 
 indentations, the aboriginal artist had a hard stone or j)ebble chijipe*! oi 
 ground to a point, and used as a chisel. There does not appear to be 
 reason for assigning a remote (hit<' of e\<'cu(ion to any of tlie carvings. 
 Some of the bi-st presei've(l havi' no doulit been done since tli<' first occu])a- 
 tion of the country b\- the white race. I met :i blackfellow in the ilawkes 
 bur\' b'ivcr <listrict, who told ww that he had seen (Uie of his countrymen 
 engagcil in cutting on a large rock the hgure of a man, which he 
 subse'jucntly iiointcd (lut Id me.
 
 25 
 
 In t 
 
 w aim 
 
 t'xeil plate Fijjf. 1 represents a man 1.") ft. 2 in. tall. Vv^. 2 
 
 dUdtKri 
 
 6. Aboriginal Rock Carvings. 
 
 is a woman 11 ft. 3 in. tall, with an alimirmally l(in<:' body and short 
 legs like Fig. 1. Figs. ."5 and i are tolerable representations of kan- 
 garoos — the latter having a shield attaehed to his liind leg. Fig 5 
 represents the incomplete drawing of a man IG feet tall. Fig ti is an 
 immense tish ']'i ft. 10 in. long, aii<l 21 ft. !) in. fioni tip to tij) of the 
 opposite tills. Fig. 7 is a peculiar drawing of a tish, and Fig. S is a 
 man somewhat less than life-size. Keniembering tliat the aboriginal 
 sculptors had only a piece of sharp stone with which to carve these 
 colossal figures on the liard rock, it can be readily understood that the 
 task necessitated immense hdxiur, and occupied a considerable time. 
 
 The large rock on which Fig. 1 is carved is situated about half a mile 
 on the eastern side of the main road from Wiseman's Ferry towards 
 Parramatta, and al)out i miles from the former phice, in the parish of 
 Frederick. Figs. 2, i, 5, and 8 are all on one rock on a biidle-path or 
 trail leading from Mangrove Creek to Hawkesbury Kivt-r, in the parish 
 of Si)encer. Fig. .'5 is cut on a flat rock on the old road from Sydney to 
 Peat's Ferry, about i miles from the railway station at Hawkesbury 
 River, in the parish of Cowan. Fig. 6 is found on a large rock on the 
 western side of Bantry liay, in the parish of Manly Cove. Fig. 7 is 
 carved on a mass of rock a few chains on the eastern si(U- of the Peat's 
 Ferry road, about half or three-tpiarters of a mile nortlierly from Fig. 3.
 
 26 
 
 G. 77/r YdroDKi — A Le(/rnf]. 
 
 Tlie following' is one of the iiiaiiy interest iiii;- legemls enrrent among- the 
 ohl aboriginals inhabiting the south-east coast of New S<iiith Wales : — 
 
 The Yaronui is a creature closely resembling a man, but of greater 
 stature, and having hair all over the body. Its mouth is large, which 
 enables it to swallow a blackfellow whole, without mastication. There 
 are generally two of these monsters together, and they stan<l Ijack to back, 
 so that they can see in every direction. Their method of locomotion is 
 by a series of long jumi)s, and at every jump their feet strike the ground 
 witli a loud sudden noise, like the report of a gun or the cracking of a 
 stockwhiji. 
 
 Yaronias have large, long feet, of a different shape to tlie feet of a 
 human being. When one of these monsters is heard in the vicinity of 
 a native cam]) during the evening, the people keep silent and rub their 
 abdomens with their hands, and jiuff or spit in his direction. Some of 
 the headmen or doctors shout out the name of some locality a long way 
 off, and the Yaroma is sup])osed to depart to that place. If he cannot 
 be dispersed by this means, tlie men take sticks which have been lighted 
 in t!ie tire — a stick in eacli hand — and strike them together to throw out 
 sparks. This usually causes the Yaronuv to disappear into the ground, 
 making a flash of light as he does so. If a man he pursued Ijy a YaronuA 
 his only means of escape is to jump into a waterhole and swim about, 
 because these creatures cannot wet their feet. They have long teetli, 
 which they sharpen on rocks in the high ranges ; and some of tlie old 
 men aver that they know of rocks where there still remain marks of this 
 tooth-grinding. 
 
 On one occasion a blackfellow went under a large fig-tree to pick up 
 ripe tigs which had fallen to the ground, when a Yaroma, who was hidden 
 in a hollow place in the base of the tree, rushed out, and catching hold 
 of the man swallowed him head first. It hajipened that the man was of 
 unusual Icngtii, measuring ni(U'e than a foot talk'r than the majoritv of 
 his countrymen. Owing to this circumstance, the Yaroma was not able 
 to gulp him farther than the calves of his legs, leaving his feet protruding 
 from the monster's moiith, thus keeping it open and allowing the air to 
 descend to the man's nostrils, which saved him from suffocation. The 
 Yaroma soon began to feel a nausea similar to what occurs when a piece 
 of tishl)one or other substance gets stuck in one's throat. He went to the 
 1)aiik of the river close by, and took a drink of water to moisten his 
 throat, thinking l)y this means to sucl\ into his stomai'h the remainder 
 of his prey, and complete his repast. This was all to no ]Mirpose, how- 
 ever, for, I)ecoiniiig sick, the Yaroma vomited the man out on the dry 
 bind, just as the whale got rid of Jonah. He was still alive, but feigned 
 to be dead, in order that he might perhaps have a chance of escape. The 
 Yaroma thi'ii started away to bring his mates to assist him to carry tlie 
 dead man to their camp. He wisiied, however, to make (piite sure that 
 the man was dead l)efore he left him, and aftei' going but a short distance 
 he jumped back sudileidy; but the man lay ipiite still. The Yaroma got 
 a piece of grass and t icklc(l the man's feet, and then his nose; but he 
 did not move a muscle. The Varonia, thinking he was certainh' dead, 
 again started away foi' help, and whm he Li'ot a good distance off, the 
 man, seeing his opportunity, not up and ran with all his speeil into the 
 water close by, and swam to the ojijiosite shoie, and su escaped,
 
 27 
 
 ^i-^'fr-'"'..4i •'■.,>" 
 
 7. A Yaroma rushed oit and swallowed the Man. 
 
 7. Firri iiihii\ or AriinjiiKi Expedition . 
 
 Among the aborigines of the south-eastern districts of Xev.- South Wales 
 riiTinihir is the name of a warlike pai'ty organised for the purpose of 
 avenging the death of a rehitive or fellow tribesman. When a j)arty of 
 this kind go forth on their mission, they nnirk a tree at eacli place where 
 they camp for the night. All tlic men in the party join in marking such 
 a tree, and tlius incur ecpial resp(iiisil)iliiy iTspcct ing thr life tlicy intend 
 to take. 
 
 The tree sliown in tlie illustration was markeil by a Pirrimbir expedi- 
 tion in tliL' Tlioorga territory many years ago. It was tirsl ])ointed nut 
 to me by two old aboriginals in IS!)!), who. at the same tinir, gavi' mr all 
 the details ami the songs of the ]Mii'imI)ir. which 1 recordiMl in ]!)()}. 
 
 It is a tall, green tree of the grey box sjieeies, measurim:' some 1(1 feet 
 in girth at about a foot from the grouml. It stands on hard, stony 
 ground, and probably the annual ^^-rowth has been slow, whicli accounts 
 for the good preservation nf the marks.
 
 28 
 
 ^' ^■*^:-^ 
 
 
 ■■^t 
 
 ^^ 
 
 Fig. 1. Fig. 2. 
 
 I 8. Photographs of;a[tree marked by Pirrimbir^Warriors.|!l 
 
 -•*> 
 
 The tree is situatei] in ilic pai'isli of Xoorooiiia, coinity dl' Itampiur, ami 
 is about -'00 or 400 yards westerly from \\\r xnitli-wcst corner of |ioition 
 No. 3S1 of 10 acres in the said parish.
 
 29 
 
 Fij^'. 1 shows till' iKii't litTii side of the ti-i'c, wliilst V\<^. ■_' shows the 
 suutli-westL-ni side, hcciiiisi' on these aspects of tlic tree thf marking 
 apjifurs more ck-m-ly than on thi' rcmainiiiL;' sides. Tlie same kind of 
 marking is continued all round the hole, and extends up the tree to a 
 height of aI)out 14 feet. 
 
 In Fig. 2, the camera was placed nearer the ticc than in Fig. 1, 
 to give a larger picture, on account of this liL'ing the shady side of the 
 tree. This is the only illustration of a Pirrimbir ti'ee which has ever 
 Iktii pul)lisht'(l. 
 
 When the Pirrimbir i:)arty get near the camp in which their intended 
 victim is residing, a cotiple of spies go on ahead to locate his slecping- 
 phu'C, and return to their comrades with all the necessary ))articulars. 
 At tlie hrst sign of the dawn lu'xt morning, tliry sui-round the enemy's 
 quarters, and call ti])on liim to defend liimself. He clutches his best shield 
 and endeavours to 2:)arry the numerous sj^ears which are cast at him. 
 Presently one of the missiles strikes him in a vital part, and he falls to 
 the ground, whereupon some of the assailants rush u]) and complete the 
 tragedy. Portions of skin and flesh are cut from tlie dead man's body by 
 the avengers, who then start away and return to their own trilie. For full 
 details of this native custom, see " Journal of the Roval Society of New 
 Soutl: Wales," vol. xxxviii, pp. 2:')9-2:)2. 
 
 8. BiilJ-roarcrx i/sct/ hi/ the Ahorif/i7ies. 
 
 Owing to the prominent use assigned to tlie Ijull-roarer in the initiation 
 ceremonies of the Kamilaroi and other tribes, a short description of the 
 various forms of tliis instrument will be of interest. The earliest mention 
 of thi' l)ull-roarer and its secret character among Australian tribes is 
 found in Teichelmann and Schiirmann's "Grannnar of the Lansuaye of 
 the Natives of Adelaide," pul)lislied in 1840. In that work, at page 7, they 
 spoke of the liaduomiinnjiittd, " a thin, oval piece of wood, about .") inches 
 long and an inch and a half wide, tied to a string, by which the natives 
 swing it rapidly round, and thus cause a humming noise. Femalrs and 
 children are not allowed to see it, much less to use it." Tlie same authors, 
 at pages 55 and To of the work (pioted, refer to the ii'ininnirri, a much 
 larger bull-roarer, the same in sliape as the liddnomaniiiutld . It was 
 invoked in the incantations of the natives whilst out hunting. The name 
 of the instrtiment was also repeated while the ])odit's of the youths were 
 being scarred, it being believei] tliat this wouhl soothe the pain. 
 
 Mr. Schiirmann, a fcAv years later, in 1846, reported the use of tlie 
 bull roarer at the initiation ceremonies of the Port Lincoln tribes in Soutli 
 Australia. He descril)ed lioth the larger and the smaller soils of instru- 
 ment, inttinui and piilliiLalJ i , corresponding to the //ii/r/yn/y/n and 
 monuihurrihean of the Kamilaroi, shown on the accompanying plate. The 
 novitiates were told not to betray what they had seen and heard on such 
 occasions, or they would be speared, thrown in the fire, or have other 
 dreadful things doiii' to tliem.- .Mr. E. J. Eyre was the first to publish 
 drawings of the bull-roarer. f In Plate IV of his work he gives illustra- 
 tions of three of these instruments, called monr-ji-iini-lutrr. Fig. 6 is 
 plain; Fig. 7 has five w^avy lines running parallel with the li'iigtli ; Fig. 8 
 lias some wavA' lines and irreiiular marks. 
 
 * Reprinted in " Native Tribes of South Australia," pp. 216 and 226-22S. 
 
 t Journs. Expeds. Pisr-ov. Cent. .\ust. (Loiuloii, lS4ri), a. pii. 310, 316, and 511, Plate IV.
 
 30 
 
 For the names of several other writers who reported the use of the hull- 
 roarer more than fifty years ago, see my article on this subject in the 
 '■' Journal of the Anthropological Institute," vol. xxvii, pp. 52-GO. 
 
 The bull-roarers illustrated in the accompanying plate form the most 
 
 representative collection with wliicli 1 am iH'(piaiiitcd. 'I'hc iiizuics are 
 drawn simply as diagrams, showing the shape and outline of the several 
 instruments, without any shading to jiroduee perspective. It is thought 
 that accurate drawings of the various instruments will enable the student
 
 31 
 
 to iiii(lci-staii(l iiiorr tliorou^lily I he cniiidiis written details of descrii>tioii. 
 Those who wish to Ijecoiiie more t'ully aciiiiainted with all lliu iist'.s to wliieh 
 the bull-roarer is aj)j)lie(l l)y the Australian triljes can oi)taiii all the 
 necessary int'oriuation l)y a perusal of the several papers on Initiation 
 Ceremonies contributed l)y nie to various journals. 
 
 Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. — These drawings show the two sides and cro.ss- 
 sections of a l)ull-roarer used by the aborigines of the Oscar JJanges, 
 Kinil)erley district of West .\ustralia, courteously lent to me by Mr. W. 
 \\'. Froggatt. Tlie length oi' the instrtiment is 2212 inches, its breadth 
 
 at the widest place 2.', ini'hes, and its thickness /« of an inch. There is 
 a holi' in one end for the string use(l in swinging it. One side is convex, 
 and the other Hat, a peculiaiity 1 have l)efore observi'il in bull-roarers 
 from West Australia. Fig. I rt'pi'eseiits tlie drawings on the convex face; 
 Fig. 2 those on the flat face; Figs. ') and -i being cross-sections at the 
 widest part. I was unable to ascertain the name of the wood out of which 
 it is made. 
 
 Several bull-roarers whii'h 1 have seen from the Kimberley district were 
 flat on one side, which was more or less elaborately carved into rectangles, 
 ovals, and various jiatterns by means of straight or zig-zag lines, both 
 with the grain of the wood an<l across it ; the other side was slightly 
 rounded, and had no carvings upon it. 
 
 Figs. 5 and G. — The bull-roarer, iini rraii'mi , here shown was given tome 
 by a Kamilaroi tribe on the Weir River, (.(Queensland, and was usimI in 
 mustering the tribes to attend a JJora at Tallwood, at which 1 was jiresent. 
 It is nearly \\h inches long, 1\ inches wide, and i'^ of an incli tliick. It 
 is ma<le of mulga wood, ami has six notches on each edge, not ipiite 
 opposite I'ach other, with a hole in one end for the insertion of the string. 
 The instruments used at the Bora ring in the principal parts of the 
 ceremonies w^ere much larger than this one, being about 18 or 20 inches 
 lontr, and made of belar wood. 
 
 ■f-' 
 
 A sniivll bull-roarer, called inoonihiin-ihean, similar in shape to Fig. 1-t, 
 is also used at the Bora of the Kamilaroi tribes. 
 
 Fig 7. — This drawing represents the bull-roarers, inudtlK (jd , used by 
 the Wiradthuri tribes on the ]\Iacquarie, Bogan, and other rivers. It 
 was given to me hy the headman of a tril>e on the former river, and was 
 used in the Burbung ceremonies of his tribe. It is nnide of brigalow 
 wood, ami is nearly l.'5j inches long, 2^ inclies wide, and i",, of an inch 
 thick. A cross-section thi-ough the widest part would l)e similar to Fig. G, 
 but correspondingly larger. A string is fastened over the small knol) at 
 the tapering end, in the same way that a whi]? is fastened to its handle. 
 
 Fig. 8 is the small ]>ull-roarer or mnnnihear used by the same tril)es as 
 in the case of Fig 7. It is made of sandal-woo(I, its length I)eing 54J 
 inches, its breadth * of an incli, and its greatest thickness -j^; of an incli. 
 The string and handle attaciied thereto, when given to me bv the 
 natives, were of the following measurements : tlu- handle, made of mungal 
 wood, 2 ft. 7 in. Ion<_!', and the strine' attaehe(l to it 2 ft. S in. in length. 
 The moon iJjcar is sotmded at the Uurl)ung ground during tiie continuance 
 of the ceremonies of initiation. 
 
 The form of the bull-roarer used in Figs. 7 and 8, I'epresenting the 
 large and small kind, with tlie manner in whicli the siring is attached, 
 is in use over a large aiea, extending from the Mac(|uarie to the Culgoa 
 Bivers, and jDrobaljly further north. Among the tribes on the Culgoa,
 
 32 
 
 the larger instniineiit is called wuddoolini rraii , and the smaller (jhidjoo- 
 hiiinhiil, and hoth are used in exactly the same way as the mmltJicyd and 
 inoouihcd r herein described. 
 
 Fig. 9. — This drawing represents the (jonn(ui(lh<il;(e<i of the tribes 
 scattered over the country between the Hunter and Macleay Rivers in 
 New South Wales. It is used at the Keeparra and Dhalgai ceremonies 
 in the manner described in my papt-r on tlie " Keeparra Ceremony of 
 Initiation." The instrument illustrated is made of ironbark, and is 
 1")^ inches in length, and 3x^ inches broad. It is pg of an inch through 
 the thickest part, a cross-section of which is given in Fig. 10. There is 
 a hole at the narrow end of the instrunn'iit for the insertion of the string. 
 
 Fig. 11 shows the moorooiKjd of the tribes occupying the Shoalhaven 
 Kiver and south-east coast of New South Wales, and is used at their 
 initiation ceremonies in the way described in my paper on the Bunan. 
 Tlie drawing shows a moorooiuja, made of stringyl)ark wood, 13 inches 
 long, 2iV, inches wide, and /^ of an inch tiiick. In the smaller end is 
 a liole lor the string, and at the wide end there is a large triangular- 
 shaped notch cut out of the wood, a peculiarity 1 have also observed in the 
 buU-roai'ers (iiukI jcej/oiKj') used by the Wiradtliuri tribes located on the 
 rpper Murrum])idgee Kiver. 
 
 Fig. 12 represents tlie dhoodnhoolai or i/ooJ iiiid ri/, the bull-roarer in use 
 among the Clarence and Richmond River tril)es and those of adjacent 
 districts. Its length is 1 ft. IH in., the l)readth slightly over 4i inches, 
 and its greatest thickness aljout ^ of an incli. Its form differs from any 
 of the others shown on the plate, by having a nick cut in the small end for 
 the purpose of facilitating the attachment of the string. One side of the 
 instrument is of the usual convex form, whilst the opposite side is slightly 
 hollowed or concave, as illustrated by a cross-section through the widest 
 part of the instrument (Fig. 1")). On the concave side is a shallow hole 
 or pit about J of an inch deep, above which are several transverse lines, 
 extending almost the whole widtli of the instrument. Along the median 
 axis of the convex face of the l)uIl-roarer are about half-a-dozen V-shaped 
 devices, with the apices pointing towards the larger end, and on each 
 side of these marks are one or more rows of dots. As the large and small 
 bull-roarers used h\ the tribes mentioned are both marked in a similar 
 manner, tlie carving on the convex side of the dhahjinKjitn is shown in 
 Fig. 13, in order to save giving dujdicate drawings of each instrument. 
 
 Fig. 13 is a drawing of the dkahiun.ffun, or small bull-roarer, equiva- 
 lent to the iiioonihcdr (Fig. 8), and is used by the same tril)es as in tlie 
 case of Fig 12. The instrument illustrated is 5 inches in length, nearly 
 an ineli in breadth, and ,'*; of an inch in thickness, and is made of myrtle 
 wood. Tlie handle and string attached to it when in use are somewhat 
 shorter tlian those attached to Fig. 8. It is likewise rounded on one side 
 and sligiitly liollowed on the other, as in Fig. IT), and has the same 
 characters carved iipiin it as the larger instrument. 
 
 In some of the ])ull-roarei's wliit'li have a nick oi' notcli in the end to 
 wliich the string is attac'lied (as in l''igs. 12, 13), there are also a few 
 small projections, somewhat reseml)ling the teeth of a saw, on both edges 
 (if the insti'unient, about mi a level with the hole, or slighth in advance 
 of it. When the string or sinew is passed through the hole, it is also 
 twisted I'oiind the ])ul]-roai'er, and the raised teeth referred to ju'event 
 its slipi)ing, and make the fastening more secure.
 
 33 
 
 V'l'fX. 14. — This (Irawiiifjf sliows the f//u ii/'arra or /t(/(ini/i j/a, the small 
 Idill-roarfr used at llic initiation ceremonies of the tribes occupying the 
 Macleay and Hellinj^iT llivers, on llic north-east coast of \c\v South 
 Wales. Tlio h'ligtli is I,!; inches, the l)i'ca(hh 1 ;1 of an inch, and its 
 thickness ^ of an inch. It is attached to a hamUe and has a short string, 
 and is used in precisely the same manner as the //imi/i/hi tir.* Tliese 
 tribes also use a lai'^'er instrument, called jicfiiihooni ul , which is similar 
 m all resj)ects to l""i;^. I), alieady (U'scril)ed- 
 
 It is unnecessar\ to a(hl that there is no fixed size foi' either the large 
 or small kinds of bull-i'oarers among any of tlie tiibes. The larger the 
 instrument the louder the sound, ])rovide(l it be properly made, but at 
 thi' same lime it is harder to swing it, and the wear upon the string is 
 increase(l l)y the greater weight. Generally speaking, a bull-roarer from 
 1 foot to IS inches in length is found sufficiently large for all purposes. 
 Uiill-roarers of the iiKKunhcar tyjie are niiide just heavy enougli to give 
 them the necessary impetus throti^li the air. 
 
 I). Ahori fiiiKil SoiKj^ (il I ml Kit toil Virtm<iiiU'>i. 
 
 In an article contriuti'd to the Anthropological Society of Washington, 
 in 18!)(), I describt'd the Jhiiifiiij ceremony of initiation in force among 
 the native tribes occupying the south-east coast of New South Wales from 
 the Victorian boundary to Bulli, and extending inland from SO to lOU 
 miles. Since then I have also described a preparatory inaugural rite, 
 called the Kii(]ch(i\, which is practised l)y the same people. 
 
 In the papers referred to, I have given the words of certain sacreil songs 
 used in the celebration of these ceremonies, but am now in a position to 
 incorporate tlie music of some (.f them in this article. The words of one 
 of the songs chanted by the old men in the presence of the boys are: — 
 
 Dliurramooloon, Dhurramooloon 
 
 lliiiggilbee moon dan una 
 
 Gummerawarawa 
 These words are droned monotonously ad lihifinn to the following 
 music : — 
 
 iS 
 
 Moderato 
 
 ^ 
 
 &m 
 
 ^^^^ 
 
 m m 
 
 V~~9~9 
 
 Dhar-ranvoo-loon Dhar-ram-oo-loon Bing-6il-bee mooiKJa-nun a 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^--l.r 
 
 m 
 
 3 
 
 27- 
 
 <:,um — mer- 
 
 -ra---\va 
 
 -ra wa 
 
 A 
 
 nother song has the following words ami music: — 
 Dharramooloonga gale wirrabroo ganga 
 
 Ngoorungga wirraleeiim. 
 
 Moderato 
 
 \ N ^ 
 
 N N N 
 
 ^it^ 
 
 i 
 
 Dhar-ram-oo-loon-^a §a-le wir-ra-broo ^an-^a Ngoo-run^-^a wir-ra-4ee-ma 
 
 * " .Iniini. .\iitliioi). Inst.," xxv, '2'.)S, [Male X.WI, Fiif. 39. 
 tAiueriiau Authroiiologist, vol. ix, pp. 317-li;{4. 
 JJouni. Koy. Soe. N.S. Wales, vol. xxxiv, pp. :irG-281.
 
 u 
 
 Tile words and music of anotliL'r song are: — 
 
 ModeraLo 
 
 i 
 
 ^ 
 
 \-1^!t 
 
 w # 
 
 Ngallal b3 waHool ba jil- leejil-Jeen. 
 
 Ngallalba wallooolbri jillecjilleen. 
 
 One of tlie songs used bv the women in tlie morning duriny' the time 
 their sons are away witli tlie cliief men undergoing initiation is: — 
 
 J il'barara niur'ragadyah' 
 Yam'nngad'yeenah' 
 
 This song is sung to the following music: — 
 Allegretto 
 
 6 
 
 ^ 
 
 ? 
 
 Jil--ba--ra— ra mur-ra-^ad-ph. Yam-un-^ad-yee-nah. 
 
 Jil--4)a-ra— ra 
 
 fe 
 
 m 
 
 ViZTE 
 
 isife 
 
 ? 
 
 =P 
 
 * I * 
 
 ^-r:^ 
 
 mur-ra-^ad-^ah . Jil--ba--ra— na mur-ra-g^ad^yah , Jil— ba--pa--ra mur-ra-^ad-^ah 
 
 7~tr M — N — Vi ~H — N K~i — N 
 
 \y ^ J J J 1 JiJi. 1 J J JJ 1 ^-^- M J J J 1 ^.^±=y 
 
 Yam-un-§ad-^ee— nah ,. 
 
 Jil--ba-ra rah..... Jil— ba~ra --rah. 
 
 During the same period the mothers of the boys chant songs in the 
 evening, of wliich the following is a specimen: — 
 
 Ngul'leejee gawinjee mullinda 
 Gunalyee niong'gajee. 
 
 The music runs thus, repeated as long as required: — 
 
 Moderate. 
 
 m 
 
 3 
 
 ^ 
 
 »■ ^m 
 
 M 
 
 N^ul lee —- jee. 
 
 Ngul- lee Jee. 
 
 S^ 
 
 #• • 
 
 -win- 
 
 -jee. 
 
 Mul jin- 
 
 -da. 
 
 s 
 
 ^^ 
 
 c 
 
 un- 
 
 -lyee 
 
 Mon^ ga ^jee.
 
 35 
 
 AiiiiiIk r soii^ suii^' hy tlir Ixiys' liiotlicrs, witli tlif accompanying music, 
 is as follow s : — 
 
 d 
 
 f, 1 Moderoto. .. 
 
 ^-r\rr — *-^ — T'""— T~ 
 
 
 ^_'_?_L_? J-4-4-^ »—'—'-f: J-,-2-,-. — 
 
 m 
 
 Mil-lin-^a-lee.... Kiiber-in--^a.... Mil-lin-^a-lee.... Kuber-in-ja. 
 
 ? 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ? 
 
 EZM 
 
 Bmn^an-da-bee... Pam bee loon^a . . . . Mir-ree-wa-la.... Pam-beeloor>ya..., 
 
 MiUii 
 
 i<;alrc kuhcrmva, iiiilliii'jalcc kul)eriir\a 
 
 Binngandabec paiiihecloonya 
 Mirrreewala iJamhccloonya 
 
 'I'licse are the first songs of the a])origines of this part of New South 
 Wales which liave ever been set to music. It may be mentioned that the 
 words of these chants possess no meaning to tlii" present natives, having 
 been handed down from one generation to another. They were proljaljly 
 in the h\nguage of conquering tribes in the past. They are considered 
 sacred, and are never used except at the initiation ceremonies, of which 
 they constitute an imjiortant essential. Tlie words and tlie music of the 
 foregoing six chants were taken (hjwn, after repeated trials, fiom the 
 mouths of the native singers. 
 
 10. Sonic Curious Belief.'^. 
 
 The following are a few of the primitive beliefs whicli liave a very wide 
 distril)ution among the aboidgines of this continent. 
 
 In every i)art of Australia wliicli I have visited, the Ijat and the nigiit- 
 jar hold a j^eculiar place in the sui)erstitions of the people, and figure 
 lartrelv in their stories. The former is the friend of all the men, and the 
 latter of all the women. In some tribes the woodpecker (tree-creeper) is 
 substituted for the small night-jar. The Rev. L. E. Threlkeld was the 
 first to discover and report these specific toten)s of the two sexes. In his 
 grammar and vocabulary pulilislied in 18-34, Tipwards of seventy years 
 ago, he states : " Tihinin, a sniall bird tlie size of a thrush, is supposed by 
 the women to be the fij'st maker of women, or to l)e a woman transformed 
 after death into that bird : it runs up trees like a woodpecker. These 
 birds are held in veneration l)y the women only. The bat, Kolung- 
 holung, is held in veneration on the same ground by the men, who 
 suppose the animal (l)at) a mere transformation."'' 
 
 Ivev. C. W. Scliiiriiuuin, writing upon the Parnkalla tril)e of Port 
 Lincoln, South Australia, in 184(5, relates the following superstition : — 
 "A small kind of lizard, the male of which is Unrri and the female wnka, 
 is said to have divided the sexes in the human s])ecies, an ovent which 
 would not appear to be much approved of by the natives, since either sex 
 has a mortal hatred against the opposite sex of these little animals — the 
 men always destroying the iriiha, and the women the i/iirr/."'f 
 
 Mr. James Dawson, in ISSl, describing tlie customs and beliefs of the 
 aborigines of the western portion of Victoria, ri'ports as follows: — "The 
 connnon bat belongs to the men, who protect it against injury, even to the 
 half killin«2- of their wives for its sake. The fern owl, or large goat-sucker, 
 
 * " An Australian Lan!;ua>:e," p. 49. 
 
 t "The Native Tribes of South Australia," p. Ml.
 
 36 
 
 belongs to the women, and, ultliough a l)ir(l of evil omen, creating terror 
 at night by its cry, it is jealously protected by tliem. If a man kills one, 
 they are as much enraged as if it was one of tlieir own children, and will 
 strike him witJi thin long poles. The mantis belongs to the men, and no 
 one dare kill it."* 
 
 Tlie three investigators just named were uncjuestionably the first to 
 report these distinctive totems of the sexes. Kev. L. E. Threlkeld took 
 the lead in drawing attention to the custom in Xew South Wales tribes; 
 llev. C. W. .Schi'irmann did the same for Soutli Australia ; and Mr. James 
 Dawson was the first to report the bat, the owl, and other animals as 
 sex-distinguishing totems among the aborigines of Victoria. 
 
 A custom which is quite common in New South Wales and Victoria is 
 that of carrying the desiccated hands of a deceased relative or friend, or 
 even of an enemy, as a charm against evil, as well as a giver of warning 
 when any danger is near. Old men and women of the Thurrawal, 
 Thoorga, and Dyirringan tril^es have given me the following j^articulars 
 of tlie practice in tlieir territory. The liiind is severed from the arm at 
 the wri.st, and wlien tlioroughly dry is fastened to a string made of 
 opossum fur or other material, and is then suspended round the neck, 
 lianging down upon the breast of tlie wearer. Sometimes anotlier dried 
 liand is suspended in the same way between tlie shoulders at the back. If 
 an enemy is approaching from the rear, tlie liand which is lianging between 
 the slioulders is supposed to gently scratcli or pinch the wearer to give him 
 warning. If there is any danger in front, the liand suspended on the 
 chest does the scratching, and so enables the wearer to foil his enemies. 
 These charms also give notice in the same way of the proximity of game 
 when the native is out hunting. 
 
 Mr. A. McMillan reports that when he was travelling in Gippsland in 
 1S40, more tlian sixty-five years ago, lie overtook an old blackfellow, 
 respecting wliom he says : '' Tlie only ornaments lie wore were three hands 
 of men and women, beautifully dried and iireserved.'"t 
 
 In 1841, Mr. W. T. Mollison heard of "portions of tlie body, usually 
 hands or fingers, being observed in tlie lulira's (women's) bags. In con- 
 versation they admitted the fact.":j:. These two instances are tlie earliest 
 record of this custom among the Australian aliorigines. 
 
 Another superstition which is firmly rooted among all Australian tribes 
 is that of transmigration or reincarnation. Ever since the time when 
 New Soutli Wales was first settled by Governor Phillip, we have heard of 
 the inveterate lielief of the blacks that they wouhl reappear in the form 
 of other men after death. Buckley, the white man who spent so many 
 years witli the wild natives of Port Phillip, Victoria, is said to have 
 owed his life to their assuming that he was one of themselves who liad 
 come to life again. A similar l)elief was discovered at Port Lincoln, 
 South Australia, in 1846, by Mr. Schiirmann, who says, " they certainly 
 ))elieve in tlie i)re-existence of the souls of l)lack men."|| 
 
 It is stated in the Hev. (t. Taplin's work, that among tlie Nimbaldi 
 1ril)e, alxiut Miumt Freeling in South .\ustralia, a spirit called Muree, 
 whicli may lie either a male or a female, meets a lilack woman, and throws 
 a small waddy, wtclchv, under her thuml) nail, or uiidc-r tlie great toe 
 nail, and so enters the woman's ]:)odv. In ibie time slie gives birth to a 
 child. § 
 
 * " Alioritfiiios of Wostorii Oistiiots of Victoria " (Mtlliiinriif, ls-1), \\y, 52, 53. 
 
 t " Letters from Victorian Pioneers," p. 25S. 
 
 X Op. cit., 11. 1S4. 
 
 II " Native Trilica of Soutli .Vustralia," p. 23.5. 
 
 § " Folklore, Manners, etc., Soutli Australian Alioritjines " (AdelaiUe, 1879), p. 88.
 
 37 
 
 Rev. Donald Mackilloj) i\i>(iits tliat on the Daly River, Northern 
 Territory, the souls of Lhihlreii are supposed to be shut up iu certain 
 hills, scattered over the country, and are given out wlien an infant is to 
 be burn.* Suijerstitions substantially the same in character as those 
 referred to, in various forms to suit surrounding circumstances, have 
 been observed iu every part of Australia where investigations have been 
 made. 
 
 11. Tlu AharnjiiKil Fi^luriis at Jirt iidrnna . 
 
 Near the north-west extremity of the town of Brewarrina, at a bend 
 in the Darling River, there is a low l)ar of desert sandstone acioss the 
 cliaunel, forming a natural weir or dam when the river is low. As soon 
 as the water in the river rises to the level of the rocky bar it flows over, 
 and forms a series of sliallow rapids fur about a ([uarter of a mile, in 
 wliicli distance it is said to fall 11 feet. 
 
 In examining the channel of the river at the site of the rapids, we find 
 evidence of the sandstone outcrop at this spot having been much wider 
 and higher in ancient times than at present. All tlio way along the 
 southern ba)dv of the river, from the present l)ar downward, fur about 
 15 chains, and at a few jjlaces on the opjiosite bank, the desert sand- 
 stone is exposed. Here and there on the river floor, within the same 
 distance, isolated masses of this rock, which have witlistooil ihe erosion 
 of Hood-waters, are still standing in their original position. 
 
 From these indications w^e nu\y safely infer that the river, in the course 
 of a long period, has cut its way through about l.") chains of the desert 
 sandstone — that is, from about tlie point D on the plan upward to the 
 existing Inir. During the jirogress of cutting out the river channel, frag- 
 ments of rock of various diniensions were worn oft' and broken u]) by 
 the water, and formed into I)oulders of difi'erent sizes. 
 . I shall endeavour to describe the fish-traps and their construction. 
 The river-floor at this point consists of immense nunil)ers of loose stones, 
 ranging from a few pounds to a liundredweight, witli others of greater 
 dimensions. The aboriginal builders collected large (juaiitities of these 
 stones and erected walls, in the way many of our farmers about Kiama 
 used to build stone dykes or fences around tlieir farms. Tliese walls 
 were erected in a substantial numner, being wider at the base, where 
 also the larger ston&s were used, and tapering upward to the top. The 
 stones were merely laid in position, without mortar or dressing of any 
 I\ind, foriiiiiiL; a structure sufficienty strong to resist the f(U'ee of tlie 
 current. In such level country the flood has little impetus. The large 
 stones used in the foundation or base of tlie wall were rolled into posi- 
 tion, whilst the smaller ones were carried by the buihlers. Areas were 
 enclosed in this manner, varying in dimensions from that of a small 
 pond almost down to the size of a plunge bath, the walls of one enclosure 
 being common to those around it. fiu'niing a labyrinth of inextricable 
 windings. These enclosures were continued right across the channel from 
 bank to bank, and occupied all the suitable portions of the river-floor 
 for about a quarter of a mile along its course. Some of the pens or 
 traps were long and narrow, others nearly circular, whilst others were 
 irregular in shape, according to the fonnation of tlie bed of tlie river 
 and the fiicilities for obtaining tlie heavy building material close at liand. 
 
 Each division of the tribe, and the families composing it, had their 
 own allotted portion of the fishing grounds, and every pen or traji had 
 a name by which it w^as known and spoken of among the people. 
 
 * Trans. Roy. Soc. Soutli .Australia, Vol. xvii (1808), p. •262.
 
 38 
 
 The following are u few of tliese aborigiiml imuies: — 
 
 Mirril'gaii, Gu'na, Thau'ia, ll'prunya, Buddhau'inga, (Jiwirri, NgiddOri, 
 Gumboar'o, Mu'arba, Thulur'digana, liuragrunan, Burugungal', 
 l)]iau'daiibaia, Mogel', Goui-a, Winidung-kunya, Wagurma, 
 Bau'andaiina. 
 
 The deeper portion of the river bed, where tlie water has the most fall, 
 and consequenth' runs the swiftest over the rapids, is called l)y the natives 
 "Wirruwir rumba." 
 
 Plan. — The accompanying ])laii has been prepared Ijy me from a detail 
 survey which 1 made in lUOl, and shows 12 chains of the channel of 
 the Darling River, from A to ./, representing the dykes and 2)ens still 
 existing on the best j^reserved portion of the ancient fishing locality. 
 Extending upward from ^i (see plan), there are about 8 chains more of 
 the river floor containing fragments of old lishing jjens, Ijut I did not 
 include ihem in my survey, and therefore they do not appear on the 
 plan. 
 
 Near the soutliern Ijank, and at a few other places in tlie l)ed of the 
 river, there still remain some masses of original rock which have withstood 
 the ravages of time, and are shown in solid black on the plan. The 
 following are the aboriginal names of most of tliem : — B (see plan) is 
 called Muar ; C, Dherraginni ; /J, Kullur ; /'', on the northern shore, is 
 known as Kirragurra ; G is Wirringga ; and //, Munnhagiur. The rock 
 F is supposed to Ije haunted by evil spirits called Wvudurramald . If a 
 strange blackfellow were to interfere with the tishing pens, these spirits 
 would cause some accident or sickness to befall him. 
 
 The blaidv spaces on the plan were, in the olden days, stmlded with 
 tishing pens, of which the wreckage is visible in numy places in the shape 
 of scattered lioulders and indistinct outlines of former enclosures. But 
 the whole of the river floor was not occujiied with the maze of trajjs. A 
 waterway had to be loft for tiie fish to travel up to the catching pens of 
 families located higher up-stream, and for tliis purpose the most uneven 
 portions of the Ijottom were selected, l)ecause the least suital)le for Iniild- 
 ing upon. 
 
 The l:)lack, sinuous lines drawn upon the plan represent tlie walls of 
 the dift'ercnt pens, and groups of pens, with the "wings" or t)utlying 
 walls which guide the fish into the enclosures. I have not shown the 
 openings into the traps, ])ecause they were sometimes made in one part of 
 the wall, and sometimes in anotlier, according to the part of the stream 
 in which the "school" of hsh wore apjtroacliing. 
 
 At the ])oint marked with a cross on tlie plan, on the southern bank, 
 between C and A, there are about two dozen grinding-places, worn in the 
 rocks by the natives sharpening their stone hatchets. About ."5 chains 
 eastward, or up the river from .1, there are a number of similar grinding- 
 places. 
 
 J'lioloijiK iihic rinr. — The photograi»h frnm which lliis zinco-plate has 
 been ]>reiiarcd was taken from some high ground on tlic left bank of the 
 Darliiig I'ivcr, a few yards castcrlv from tlu' point mai'kt'd A on tlu' 
 ))lan, ;iii<] faces downward and diagonally across tlic channel, in a gener- 
 ally north-westerly direction, faking in a pi'rspective view of most of the 
 fishing-pens shown on the plan. The large horizontal rock on the left- 
 hand side of the photograph is the same as the rock nKirkc<l B on the
 
 39
 
 40 
 
 plan ; and the mass of desert sandstone, with an uneven top, on the right- 
 hand side of the picture, corresponds to the long rock G, appearing in 
 bhick on the phm, due north of the rock at B. 
 
 11. Photographic View of the Ngfinnhu or Native Fish Traps in the Darling River at Brewarrina. 
 
 The mark X , visible on one of the trees on the opjwsite bank, in the 
 middle of the picture, indicates the flood-level of the Darling River. 
 
 It is hoped that the two illustrations now supplied — the ground plan 
 and the perspective view — together with the descriptive lettterj^ress, will 
 enable the reader to form a more realistic coiiCfi)tion of the aboriginal 
 tislieries at Brewarrina than has been possible hitherto 
 
 Swliipv : William AiiDlp.'ntP (iiiUick, Ooveniiiioiit I'linher —1907.
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
 Los Angeles 
 
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