Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/168

 j 5 6 Journal of A mcrican Folk-L ore.

mortals, whose fires are to be seen smoking there ; the dark places are the dens of two cannibals blown into the sky by such whirlwinds, and lying in wait for travellers, who can get by safely only when they are pursuing the same game of spiritual embodiment in a cyclone.

In the earlier volume, Mrs. Parker had something to say about Byamee, who had formerly lived on earth as a man, but had departed to the spirit- land, and was honored in a bora or initiation ceremony. In this continua- tion 'we learn more about Byamee, a sort of Balder. The flowers followed him to his celestial camp ; this is above Oobi Oobi, a high mountain, with a fountain and circles of stones at top, whither resort conjurers to procure rain. The earth being left desolate, the wirreenuns (presumably in the spirit) resorted to Oobi Oobi, and there petitioned the spirit messenger of Byamee ; the latter procured their ascension to Bullimah, the heavenly paradise, where the flowers never faded, and whence they brought back blossoms which they scattered over earth.

A remarkable story of the Gray Owl gives an account of mortuary cere- monies. The body being put in the bark coffin, placed in the grave with weapons and food for the journey to Oobi Oobi, dirges are sung, somewhat as follows, says the collector : —

We shall follow the bee to its nest in the goolabah ; We shall follow it to its nest in the bibbil-tree. Honey too shall we find in the goori-tree, But Eerin the light sleeper will follow with us no longer.

Wailing, mutilation on the part of the mourners, and smoking with ashes of the rosewood-tree to keep off malignant spirits follows, and then a remarkable rite, best given in the words of the author : " After the women left, all the men stood round the grave, the oldest wirreenun at the head, which faced the east. The men bowed their heads as if at a first Boorah, the wirreenun lifted his, and, looking towards where Bullimah was sup- posed to be, said : ' Byamee, let in the spirit of Eerin to Bullimah. Save him, we ask thee, from the Eleanbah wundah, abode of the wicked. Let him into Bullimah, there to roam as he wills, for Eerin was great on earth and faithful ever to your laws. Hear, then, our cry, O Byamee, and let Eerin enter the land of beauty, of plenty, of rest. For Eerin was faithful on earth, faithful to the laws you left us.' " Then follows a ceremony to detect the person who caused the death, whose clan is indicated by the nature of the animal track observed on the swept ground round the grave. This somewhat astonishing account, which provides the Australian sav- age, commonly supposed to stand at the foot of the human scale, with a paradise, a hell, prayer for the dead, an ascended protector who closely cor- responds to the second person of the Christian Trinity, and abstract ideas of right and wrong as affecting future destiny, naturally causes inquiry as to the manner in which Mrs. Parker obtained her information. The result is anything but satisfactory. According to her own account, the tales are composites, made up of scraps of information obtained from various tribes of New South Wales and Queensland, but by her freely amalgamated,

�� �