106 Records of the S.A. Museum 



general account of the significance of the objects under the name Thdoa. I 

 aiu i^ixen to understand that ]\Ir. HiUier was engaged by Mr. Reuther to 

 make cultured (h'awiiigs of the Tnas. antl that tlic accompanying ilkistrations 

 are repri.iductions of copies prepared Ijy Miss Rose C. Fixeash. 



A detailed description of each of the Toas represented on the accom- 

 |)anying ])latcs is hereafter supjdied. but these descriptions may be ])refaced bv 

 an account of the so-called religious beliefs of the Diari Tribe as interpreted 

 li_\- Mr. Reuther, and culled from his manuscript, explaining, as it does, much 

 that might be otherwise unintelligible in the descriptions. 



From the large amount (jf MS. available, and of which a specimen page 

 is re])roduced, it is not an easy task to select such as may be relevant to the 

 -subject of this ])aper. It would almost seem also that in relating the beliefs 

 of the nati\es, the Rew Mr. Reuther has, in some measure, reflected European 

 teachings, for, among other legends, we read accounts of the creation of the 

 world and its ilestruction liy fl(jod, which are suljstantially identical with 

 Hiblical reccjrds. 



Legendary Ancestors. Mr. Reuther endeavoured to show that the natives 

 of the Diari and other tribes originally belie\ed in the existence of a single 

 su])reme being, the name of which varied in <littercnt districts. The name 

 MuKA was in common use among the Diari, Tirari. W'ankanguru, janraworka. 

 Jandruwanta, W'onkaraljana. l'illatai)a, Ngamani, Kujani, Xguraworla. Mardala 

 and other tril)cs in the district to the east of Lake l-^yre. Jiclkl'k.v is the name 

 used to the north of the district on the Diamenlina ( or \\ arburton ) Ri\'er within 

 the Uueensland border. Altjiu.x is used Ijy the triljes of the W'onkaranta. to the 

 north-west of Lake Eyre. 



lieing the one in most common use, the name Mura may be further considered. 

 In the formation of compound or composite words, one of the two syllables, 

 ;;;/( or ra, ni which the word is compo-~ed. is often used to express a higher sense 

 or chief idea of the word with whicli it is conjoined, as. for example. Mniujara 

 (soul) composed of the two words Miira (god) and nyara (heart), meaning the 

 heart of the god. the sxllalile ra Ijeing here omitted. The word Kapara (king, 

 ruler, chief) is formed of Kapa (loins, and implying strength) and Mura (god), 

 the s}Halilc .')/;( being omitted. If the suffix la is used as in Miirala, all that has 

 l)een accomplished by or pertains to the god is understood, or in other words it 

 implies his creation as: Mita Jii/aiiia inurala (the earth 1)elongs to god. or was 

 created 1)\' him ). 



Like man\- oilier^ in the Diari language, the word Mitra is capable of 

 duplication, and M itrainiira (demigod) is formed. Mura is a specific name and 

 is tised in reference to a supreme being. M tiraiiiiira is used generically : of these 



