18 MEMOISS OF THE QCEENSLAAD MUSEUM. 



The Murray Group. — I am iudel)trd to J. S. Bnn'e for tlio following 

 information : — 



" The Mvirray Group. Daruley, and Stciilu-ns Island people speak the same language 

 and their native customs are similar. They had a kind of message stick which they used 

 among themselves. It was named ' Tom,' and was arrow-pointed but had no barb fixed on 

 its point. 



" A messenger coming from Murray to either of the above islands or vice versa, with 

 a verbal message was given a ' Tom' by the sender to present as his credential. There was 

 no distinguishing mark on the ' Tom' to show who the sender was, but on presentation it 

 was accepted in good faith as genuine. The bearer of the message would address the 

 receiver, ' Your friend so-and-so sends his ' ' Tom ' ' to you. ' It was not returned, neither 

 was a ' Tom' sent with the return message. Messages accompanied by a ' T<im' were used 

 principally by the sender in giving notice of his intention to pay a friendly visit to his 

 friends, stating about the time they might expect him, or inviting a friend to come on a visit 

 to him. The ' Tom ' was also used in sending a challenge to fight, with the warning as to 

 the time when the attack was likely to be made. The last occasion on which it was used for 

 this purpose was about forty years ago, when a messenger from Murray with a ' Tom' was 

 sent to Stephens Island warning the people there that they were to be attacked at a certain 

 time. The trouble arose through the Stephens Islanders having forced a young Murray 

 woman (whilst she and her father were visitors there) to marry one of their men. The 

 father got a message sent to Murray telling what had been done, and his friends arranged 

 to punish the Stephens Islanders and sent a message to them accompanied with a ' Tom. ' 

 Formerly the people of the above islands traded with the people of the Fly River, Papua. 

 The old people tell me that they received the ' Tom' with a verbal message from Papua just 

 in the same way as they themselves used it — i.e., in giving notice of an intended visit. 



" No message or ' Tom' was used between the peoples of the Eastern and Western 

 Islands, as they had no intercouise with each other until recent times, but they had a form 

 of ' Tom' in use amongst themselves." 



South Australia, bordering- S. W. Queensland. — In this count etiou 1 

 cannot refrain from making .some reference to the Thdoas in use among the 

 Diari tribe of Cooper's Creek: — 



"When members of this tribe (and, I liclievo, the Wonkaugura adjoining them on 

 the north) intended to strike camp in order to find a better hunting-ground or more water, 

 &c., they made a Thdoa, which was usually of wood (frerjuently Ai-acid ancura) on which they 

 painted a design. To this they added a few leaves or twigs at the top, or they moulded a 

 shape of clay or gypsum, and so on, on to the wood, and sticking the pointed end into the 

 ground, usually inside one of their huts, left it there, for any relation or friend who might 

 chance to come after they had left. The finder knew how to read the signs. Thus, for instance, 

 a waterhole called Kapitakutu (or Kudu) was shown roughly representing a kapita or 

 bandicoot, by which their friends knew that tlicy had gone to the particular waterhole bearing 

 that nanu'. 



" Or take another instance. A Thdoa decorated with a tuft of emu feathers, on a 

 white knob represented the place Warukatipitii)alu. ' Warukati ' is the Diari for tlie cnm ; 

 ' piti' means the hinder parts, and ' palu' white. Or, again, Kirrakirrani. ' Kirra' is the 

 nairie for a boomerang and the diminutive is usually formed by duplication, Ihe ' iii' at the 

 enrj denoting ' to' or ' in the direction of.' On Ihe toj) of this Thdoa two or lliree fishbones 

 are fixed, to tell their friends that they have gone to this particular waterhole for llir |iiir|i(ise 

 of fishing, and that usually imjilics only a temjiorary abi-ence from camp.'" 



'On thr authority of II. .1. llillier. 



