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2. " Magatjagatjana werilankana ! " 



" Innumerable Emu have been here ! " 



3. " Lainhulamhila laintjirbmana ! " 



" The name of a bird is upon mountain-sized water ! " 



4. ^^ Galbmantalanta janian gatitjalanta janiaii I" 



" Honey much, Yes ! yes ! Very much ; yes ! yes ! " 

 Most of the words of these songs are partly obsolete, and partly 

 taken from other dialects. This explains why they are not 

 understood by every one. One knows one song, another a 

 different one, all being connected with the particular tjurunga, 

 and derived from their ancestors. Their festivals of circumcision 

 have not been seen by us. What I know of it is only by hear- 

 say, hence I merely mention it. The youths are circumcised at 

 puberty. 



Respecting an after-life, the natives say that the souls of all go 

 to laia. They cannot explain how this does not accord with the 

 tmara altjira, and detailed when speaking about the burial. 



By laia they understood a lake north from here, on whose 

 shores the souls live, and eat the best of food, which, especially 

 fruit, is found there in great abundance. 



8. Superstition and Witchcraft. 



The natives are very suspicious of impending evil, and have a 

 great fear of death. Everything unusual or extraordinary in 

 their opinion portends some danger. When an infant is born, 

 its hair, and that of the mother, is cut off, so that both may re- 

 cover quickly, and grow fat. The natives regard leanness almost 

 as a disgrace, and on this account do all they can to become fat 

 by taking care not to work too much, and lying about and sleep- 

 ing, or strolling idly. To be able to eat much is accounted 

 honorable, and he who can stow away the largest quantity is 

 respected as a thorough man. Such a one boasts of it, and prides 

 himself at being always hungry, and able to eat. The phrase 

 "jifiga ngaiala nama" — "I am hungry" — is used frequently, and 

 with emphasis, even when a piece of meat of a pound weight or 

 more has just been consumed. In order to get strong and fat, 

 several cords of the hair of marsupial rats are worn about as 

 thick as a finger, namely, a short, tight-fitting one around the 

 neck, called gulitja ; a longer one reaching down to the breast, 

 called matara ; and another, gulitja, around the upper arm. 

 These cords serve likewise to fix the tufts of feathers. 



The men sometimes cut ofi" the hair of the dead, spin it, and 

 make a kind of net of the thread, which is either worn around 

 the neck, or in the bag under the belt over the hip. Great magic 

 powers are ascribed to this gururkna, for he who has got one is 

 always safe, and none can hurt or kill him. The greatest care is 



