Page:Native Tribes of South-East Australia.djvu/495

VIII When a man died, many of his things—rugs, tomahawks, spears, etc.—were buried, but some were given to his kindred, for instance, to his son, or brothers, own or tribal, and after a death the camp was moved to another place.

The mourning in this tribe was as follows. The relations of a dead person for several months after wore emu feathers, dyed red with a dye called Quitye, and said to be obtained from a soft stone found in the mountains at the sources of the Tweed River, The mother of the deceased had her nose and all her body painted with stripes of white pipe-clay, and wore red feathers over the whole of her head. A sister had also her head covered with red feathers, but was not painted white. After a few weeks the painting was changed to red, and then was worn by father, mother, and sisters for a long time.

After a death in a family, the name of that family was dropped for several months. That is to say, the members of it were addressed, the males as Warkumbul, and the females as Watmungun, which implies that one of their kindred has died, and avoids the mention of the name of the deceased.

In the Bigambul tribe, on the occasion of a funeral, the body of a man was carried round the grave on the heads of two men, and was asked who was the cause of his death. On such occasions my correspondent has heard them say, when they thought the corpse moved, "Oh! he has heard it!"

If a Kaiabara black dies, his tribes-people never mention his name, but call him Wurponum (the dead), and in order to explain to others who it is that is dead, they speak of his father, mother, brothers, etc. As a sign of mourning they put charcoal and fat under the eyes, and rub red ochre over the head and body. They do not bury a man of note at once, but dry the body before a fire and then carry it about for six months before burying it.

The Turrbal attributed all deaths, other than by violence or in battle, to magic. When a man died, he was placed on a stage and a space was cleared under it. The medicine-