434 CERTAIN OBJECTS OF UNKNOWN SIGNIFICANCE, 



may they not have been used in some ceremony — not necessarily 

 the "Bora "1 The difference in composition would of course not 

 militate against this theory. Again, if they are ceremonial stones, 

 then it is certain they must have been used for similar ceremonies. 

 The wide area over which they were found does not prohibit this, 

 for other ceremonies, such as "circumcision" or " rainmaking " 

 extend much farther. 



Gason* writes of many ceremonies (food-producing, &c.) prac- 

 tised by the Cooper's Creek tribe. Is it not possible that, although 

 traces of them no longer exist, similar ceremonies were once 

 known in Western N.S.W. 1 The aboinginal spares no pains and 

 will go to infinite trouble in the preparation of the jjaraphernalia 

 necessary for the successful issue of any of his sacred rites, and 

 would never hesitate to carve a stone for such a jjurpose. But 

 it is useless for us to call the objects " ceremonial stones " unless 

 we can indicate what ceremony they were used for, and explain 

 in what way they were used, so as to cause the wearing and 

 fractures at the foot of each. 



The markings, if merely decorative, as I believe they are, will 

 not help us much; the "emu-tracks" or "broad-arrows" pi^esent 

 on three of the specimens are common decorations of N.S.W. 

 initiation grounds, and that is all we can say.t 



Phallic Emblems. — One theory which may be said to suggest 

 itself is that they are phallic emblems. This opinion, as far as I 

 know, has nothing to recommend it except the shape of the 

 "stones." It is onlj'- to be expected that amongst a people so 

 low in the scale of civilisation as the Australians, the male and 

 female organs should attract a good deal of attention, but that 



• Native Tribes of S. Aust. p. 267, et seq. 



•f One enthusiastic supporter of the "ceremonial" theory professes to be 

 able to trace a design in tlie markings on No. 1 " stone." He says the 

 " broad-arrows " represent emus, the " incomplete arrows " boomerangs, 

 the long straight gashes are spears, and the "star" is symbolical of a 

 group of emus in a scrub which is represented by the smaller scratches; 

 that, in fact, the " stone " is a picture of an emu hunt. 



