NORTH QUKENSLAND ETHNOGRAPHY KOTH. 39 



or Opossuni-liair twine, while tlie tassels^ ^ composing the fringe 

 are often made of tihre-twine {e.g., Careya ansiralis, F.v.M.). 

 The Bloonifield River women wear a circlet of human-hair or 

 fibre-i'ope around the waist ; it is commonly met with on the 

 older females, and those who have suffered any trouble over a 

 recent accouchment, though in all cases it is looked upon^* in 

 the light of an ornament, especially when some red colour is 

 woven into it. 



36. Apron-belts. — The separate tassels forming the apron of 

 the Pennefather River Apron-belt (NGG. andre-ata) are made 

 on the same pattern as those of the Cape Bedford Waist-circlets ; 

 they are strung on a top-string (NGG. ngora) stretched between 

 two sticks, during their process of manufacture, and made of 

 Careya australis, F.v.M. (NGG. kuiperi) twine. On com- 

 pletion, the tassel apron is rolled up with the roots of the 

 Morinda reticulata (NGG ada-a) which stains it a yellowish red. 

 The apron varies in deptli from two to five inches and is worn 

 double, a loop being inserted in the top-string where folded over, 

 the two ends of the top-string being 

 passed through it as represented in fig. 



23, the apron being thus worn double. _ 



Such an apron is worn only by the females ^MiMiMW§{ 

 from the time they begin to toddle and ^^^.A^m^^^^^'^ 

 are only discarded at full puberty ; the °" " ' 



reason given for such a practice is that the exposure of the female 

 genital is indecent, but that when nature provides the hair no 

 further artificial covering is required^ ^. In the hinterland of 

 Princess Charlotte Bay, the Apron-belt is worn only l^y the women, 

 though I have occasionally observed it put around their necks ; it 

 is made of vegetable fibre (/i«r?'i?i^<o?iia racetnosa, Gaud., Bomhax 

 malabaric7iin, Ue Cand.,or Malaisia tortuosa, Blanco), on the same 

 pattern as the Pennefather River tassels already mentioned. 

 The Bloomfield River women sometimes wear a similar Apron- 

 iielt, but this has only been introduced of late years''^. Along 

 the coast-line hetween the Fitzroy River and Broadsound, the 

 women used often to wear a four or five inches deep apron belt 

 of Opossum-twine. The larger sized e.xample of the Opossum- 

 twine munamulyeri necklace has already been noted as occasion- 

 ally worn by the Boulia Distiict women in place of an apron-belt. 



30 Roth— Bull. 1— Figs 4, 5., pi. vii. 

 3' According to Mr. R. Hislop. 



32 The .same practice witli the same reason given was in vogue amongst 

 the Brisljane girls with the Opossum-twine apron belt ( 7'. Petrie). 



33 According to Mr. R. Hislop's opinion expressed in 1898. 



