Page:Dawson - Australian aborigines (1900).djvu/97



When a korroboræ is held, all are dressed in their best attire. The chiefs are painted red over and under the eyes and on the cheeks; a twisted band of the tuan squirrel fur surrounds the head; in this band, over the right temple, is stuck a plume made of the webs of a swan's dark quill feather, which are tied to the barrel of a long white quill feather from the swan's wing; in the hair are fastened several incisor teeth of the large kangaroo; and the tail of a wild dog hangs from the hair down the back; the arms are adorned with armlets of tuan fur rope. The common men wear round the head a plaited band about two inches broad, made of the inner bark of the stringy-bark tree, coloured red; over this band is a thick rope of ring-tailed opossum skin with its fur outside; and in the band, above the right temple, is stuck a white quill feather of the swan, with its webs torn half way down, so as to flutter in the wind. Both chiefs and common men wear necklaces. The usual necklace is formed of from eighty to one hundred kangaroo teeth, tied by their roots to a skin cord. This necklace hangs loosely round the neck, and displays the teeth diverging towards the shoulders and breast. Another kind of necklace is composed of short pieces of reeds strung in eight or ten rows on bark cords. A third kind of necklace is formed of numerous threads spun from opossum fur. The usual apron is worn, with the addition of an upright tuft of emu neck feathers fastened to the belt behind, and somewhat resembling the tail of a cock.

The women wear the usual opossum rug, and have their heads bound with a plaited bark band and an opossum skin rope. A few kangaroo teeth are fastened among their back hair. Above each ear, and projecting beyond the forehead, is a thin piece of wood with various coloured feathers tied to the end of it. Over the forehead there is stuck in the brow band a bunch of white cockatoo crest feathers. A short piece of reed is worn in the cartilage of the nose, and flowers in the slits of the ears. They also wear reed or kangaroo teeth