AUSTRALIA 



59 



in these classes is in the 

 female line only, so that 

 children belong to their 

 mothers' clans. Land, how- 

 ever, is inherited from the 

 fathers. All Australians are 

 very strict in following the 

 unwritten laws of public 

 opinion, and the rights of 

 property are strictly upheld. 

 In Central Australia it is 

 different, as Messrs. Spencer 

 and Gillen have shown in their 

 most important recent work 

 on the Central Tribes. 



The natives are fond of 

 amusements, such as dancing, 



From Spencer and Gillen' s " Tribes of Central Australia" (by permission). 

 A GROUP OF THE ARUNTA TRIBE. 



throwing spears, bathing and diving, and games that 

 tend to sharpen the eyesight, or to make the players 

 quick at concealing themselves. So sharp are their 

 eyes that they can recognise the footprints of most of 

 their acquaintances from some peculiarity in the foot's 

 shape, or the way in Avhich the person walks. Boisterous 

 games are not so popular. The dances, like those of 

 the European "Little Folk" or fairies, usually take 

 place by moonlight. They may be warlike, licentious, 

 or in imitation of the chase and the habits of animals. 

 The corroboree partakes of the nature of a spectacle as 

 well as of a dance. It generally aims at reproducing 

 in a dramatic way some phase in native life that 

 interests both the performers and the spectators. In 

 its principal features it is similar all over the continent, 

 but the details vary according to the locality. New 

 features are frequently invented. It is the Aboriginal 

 drama, and the "Management" are naturally expected 



From 



Tribes of Central Australia." 

 UNCHICHERA OF IMANDA. 



