BY WALTER R. HARPER. 435 



anj^thing of the nature of true phallic worship was ever known 

 amongst our blacks, I am disinclined to believe. References to 

 the yoni and lingam are very frequent in their stories and corrob- 

 borees; several practices at the initiation ceremonies and in the 

 healing of the sick have probably a phallic significance, but these 

 are owing either to an indulgence of their brute appetites or to a 

 recognition of the importance of the generative organs ; the 

 element of worship is entirel}'^ lacking. Several other objections 

 may suggest themselves — such as the wear at the foot, the concave 

 bases, the markings, &c., but after all the principal objection is 

 that this theory is opposed to all we at present know of the genius 

 of the Australian aborigines; and unless some better excuse for 

 styling the "stones" phallic "emblems" than that furnished by 

 their shape can be found, we are not justified in considering them 

 as such.* 



A sort of compromise between the "pounder" and "ceremonial" 

 theories is that the " stones " formed part of the stock-in-trade of 

 an aboriginal " koradjie " — sorcerer— wizard. I have myself 

 heard it stated, and it is not impossible, that in the preparation 

 of "charms," &c., the sorcerer used a special kind of pounder. 

 That this pounder should differ very much from those ordinarily 

 in use is to be expected, and from what we know of these men 

 the desire for novelty — something " out of the way " — would 

 overcome all the evident objections on account of inconvenience 

 or unsuitability. The markings would be decorative. But even 

 supposing we allow that, if used only occasionally on the softest 

 substances and with extreme care, the signs of wear would not 

 be more noticeable than they actually are, still, is it a fact that 

 sorcerers did use such pounders 1 What were the constituents of 

 the substance pounded ? If they were fat, oil and refuse, as is 

 usually the case, why do not the softer stones show the signs 



* James Bonwick in "The Daily Life of the Tasmaniaus," p. 195, 

 mentions several native customs possibly phallic in their origin, but I very 

 much doubt whether he is right in claiming the " broad -arrow " as a 

 pliallic symbol in Australia. 



