TRANSFORMATION 243 



the puberty rites are born again, either of their own 

 mother or, if they prefer, of another woman. In the 

 former case the child is called millanboo (the same 

 again). A reason sometimes given for the marriage 

 which often takes place of young men to old women is 

 "that these young men were on earth before and loved 

 these same women but died before their initiation, so 

 could not marry until now in their reincarnation." 

 Other babies seemed to be manufactured ad hoc. The 

 process will be considered hereafter. 1 On the other 

 side of the continent, near York in Western Australia, 

 there is a stone inhabited by the spirits of children ; 

 and if a woman go " near that stone she will get one 

 of these children. Sometimes they enter her through 

 her mouth, sometimes through other parts of her body, 

 but," says the lady who reports this, " so far as I 

 have investigated [the natives] did not believe that 

 procreation had anything to do with conception." * 

 This belief seems similar to that of the Arunta. 



It thus appears that in Australia there is a wide- 

 spread belief in the reincarnation of the dead. We had 

 already learnt that the belief in transformation, both 

 into animal and vegetable forms, was found there. 

 Beyond this however the Australian natives have 

 developed the doctrine of the soul, or double, which 

 after release by death may enter again into a woman 

 and take flesh as a new child. And the testimony is 

 express that sexual intercourse is not, at least among 

 some tribes, held necessary for conception, but that it 



1 Mrs. Parker, 50, 56, 73, 89. As to the theory of multiple 

 spirits see 35, 27, 29. 



2 Mrs. Bates, in a letter to Mr. Andrew Lang, quoted by him in 

 Man (1906), 1 80 (par. 112). 



