400 ANTHR0P0L0f4ICAL NOTES, 



following the burial, all grief was banished and the mourning 

 signs were removed. 



They firmly believed that the dead would not stay in the grave 

 but would come to life again in another form, which might take 

 the shape of a fish, bird or animal, or anything else; their ideas 

 were, however, not very clear on this subject. The}^ also Ijelieved 

 that the dead would leave the grave sometimes during the night 

 and go hunting. Owing to this belief, no doubt, all personal 

 property was buried with them, as well as other things they might 

 require. The name of the dead was never mentioned by them on 

 any account, and if anyone mentioned it inadvertently they 

 stopped their ears and asked not to be reminded of the dead. If 

 dogs had been owned by the deceased, these were sent to some 

 friendly tribe that their sight might not remind them of the 

 departed. They carefully avoided the graves.* 



The Omeo Blacks (as well as the neiglibouring tribes) were 

 inveterate cannibals, and at every opportunity would eat the flesh 

 of their enemies, but especially their kidney fat. They would, 

 however, not eat a member of their own tribe. 



Their weapons consisted of clubs (nulla nullas), boomerangs, 

 shields (hielaman), stone tomahawk (umigong), and three or four 

 kinds of spears, which were made of reeds, seedstalks of the grass- 

 tree, boxtree, or if procurable, ironbark. The reed and grasstree 

 spears were thrown with the wommera, but the heavier and larger 

 wooden spears were thrown with the hand after l^eing well 

 balanced by holding them near the middle. The boomerangs 

 were different also; the larger sort was used for fighting, and a 



* Mr. Barry on one occasion noticed two bandicoots near a native grave and 

 told some blacks of it who were camping a short distance from the place. 

 Snow was lying on the ground at the time and the natives were hard 

 pressed for food, but they would not touch the "bandies" because they 

 believed them to be the dogs of the dead. When ]\lr. Barry shifted some 

 of the boughs that were lying over the grave, under which the animals hid 

 themselves, to convince the natives that they were bandicoots and not dogs, 

 they implored him to desist, adhering to it that the animals were "dog of 

 poor fellow." 



