Page:The Aborigines of Victoria and Riverina.djvu/171

166 river valley have many miles of reed beds, from whence reeds are procured for making spears, and not having any stone for axes on their own territory, they procure it by exchanging reeds with the inhabitants of the stone country, where reeds stout enough for spears do not grow The same mercantile relations obtain in the matter of gums, resins, ochres, etc.

Thus a single glance will suffice to show that the Ngallow Wattows have always abundance of work cut out for them, going from tribe to tribe on trading expeditions.

In consequence of the continuous intercourse with strange tribes, the Ngallow Wattow becomes altogether more liberal in his views, and less narrow-minded, than it is natural for the general aborigine to be; he is accordingly looked up to by his fellows as a sort of oracle, or know everything, with whom it would be folly to dispute or argue.

From an aboriginal point of view, as a rule, these Ngallow Wattows are not overwise, that is to say, in the matter of stategic [sic] cunning essential to their success in the hunting up of game, necessary to their daily wants; they are mere children, in fact they are childish to the verge of imbecility; but in our opinion the very fact of this eccentricity is the reason of their persons being held sacred by tribes hostile to those to which they belong.

Every phase of insanity is venerated by the natives, be it mild or violent, as they consider those so afflicted to be under the special protection of Ngoudmout (Good Spirit), therefore to hurt or otherwise ill-treat one so afflicted would be certain to bring down the vengeance of the Good Spirit upon all concerned.