AUSTRALIA 



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that the sorcerers have a stone or a bone in their stomach from which they can secretly 

 transfer splinters into the veins of those upon whom they exercise their arts, and the cure 

 of diseases with them generally consists in the extraction of these stones. Magic wands are 

 made of acacia sticks, especially the knotted stick called plongge: if a sorcerer touch the 

 breast of a sleeping man with one of these, he causes him to fall ill. If a man has an 

 enemy, he plots for his death or downfall with the sorcerer, bringing him a fragment of 

 anything the enemy has worn, or a portion of his hair if he can obtain it, or even a morsel 

 of food he has left, by means of which the sorcerer is supposed to be able to work any ill 

 upon the unfortunate victim. Many 

 tribes burn what food is left after a 

 meal, as a precaution against sorcery. 

 The Australian cannot reconcile his 

 mind to the idea that death is a 

 natural event. Every death not 

 brought about by open violence is 

 considered to be the result of magical 

 arts. Some wizard must have been 

 at work with his fatal spells, and the 

 friends of the dead man endeavour 

 in their own peculiar way to find out 

 who is the murderer. Some put 

 questions to the bier on which the 

 corpse is laid, calling it " The know- 

 ing one." At the funeral a relation 

 who does not make sufficient lamenta- 

 tion is liable to be suspected ! Should 

 the man suspected belong to another 

 tribe, the matter becomes a casus 

 belli: a few spears are thrown, and 

 some wounds inflicted, until the old 

 men declare that " Honour is satis- 

 fied." With many tribes, it is believed 

 that a man can be bewitched by the 

 use of his name. In order to prevent 

 such a misfortune, a lad, as soon as 

 he becomes a man (after passing 

 through the initiation ceremonies), 

 gives up his name and is described 

 as the son or brother of a woman; 

 for women, being supposed to be less 

 subject to witchcraft, are allowed to 

 keep their names. 



To counteract the malevolent arts of the sorcerer, charms of various kinds are resorted to. 

 Mr. Howitt speaks of a young man of the Murring tribe who had a bagful of powerful 

 charms, among which was the cut-glass stopper of a bottle, supposed to be very efficacious. 

 When asked how such things could possibly protect him, the young man, who had for his 

 totem the kangaroo (on his father's side), replied: "If I were going along, and saw an old-man 

 kangaroo hopping straight towards me and looking at me, I should know that he was giving 

 me notice that enemies were about. I should get my spear ready, and I should hold mjjoea 

 bag in my hand, so that if the man [i.e. the wizard] were to chuck something at me, I 

 should be safe." 



The Kurnai tribe also believe in kangaroo warnings ; and if one of them should happen 



Photo by Kerry & Co.\ [Sydney. 



A MAN OF THE WORKII TRIBE, GILBERT RIVER. 



