458 A. a Stone: 



spot. The future wife would then (in exchange for some other 

 female) be handed over to her future husband, and the two 

 parties would sejjarate. each going to their respective camps. 

 Upon reaching the husband's camp a spot would be pointed 

 out to the newly-married couple uyon which the wife would 

 erect the home, " Lerr," for the near future. 



Should the wife not come up to the requirements of the 

 husband he had the peculiar privilege of returning her to her 

 peojjle. 



If a good hunter recjuired a second wife, it was within his 

 privileges to obtain another, provided he could keep her, and 

 that he had a female relative to exchange. The position of 

 the wife was a very lowly one. She had to build the hut, 

 catch tish, cook food, make nets for hunting and fishing, sew 

 opossum rugs and other multifarious duties. She was married 

 early, and became old and ugly long before her time owing to 

 the hard life she w^as forced to live. 



Burial. 



Upon the death of a member of the " Gourrmjanyuk " tribe, 

 a shallow grave would be dug, generally in a sandy spot, to a 

 depth of about two or three feet. The bottom of the excava- 

 tion would then be strewn with grass thickly, and covered 

 with a sheet of bark ; then the body was wrapped in a rug and 

 laid on the bark, upon its back, with the head generally in the 

 direction of the setting sun. It was then covered with grass, 

 and finished with a sheet of bark, and then the grave was filled 

 in. In many cases the tomahawk and grinding stones of the 

 deceased were placed at his side, and buried with him, and I 

 have particularly noticed in the Boga district that the stones 

 buried with the body are invariably chipped or broken right 

 through. Although the above form of burial was generally 

 the rule, I have this day (August 3rd, 1910), examined a burial 

 ground near Lake Boga, the slope of the hill facing S.W., and 

 on this slope, in sandy soil, are buried perhaps a score or more 

 of aboriginals ; the bodies of more than a dozen seen were 

 buried in many positions. One lay full length upon its face, 

 with the head to the S.W., at a depth of two feet. The body 



