BY FRITZ NOETLING, M,A., PH.D., ETC. 33 



Avas no longer actual blood, but a powder resembling 

 in colour to blood. We have here probably a kind of 

 in colour to blood. We have here probably a kind 

 of symbolical act, the last remains of a custom going 

 the blood of the vanquished enemy on his own head. It 

 would lead us away from the subject of this paper to 

 discuss the various, sometimes uncanny, rites in wfhich 

 the blood of the vanquished enemy plays an impor- 

 tant role. But if this view be correct, the primitive Tas- 

 manian civilisation must already represent a type higher 

 than that when actual blood was used instead of red 

 ochre. Observations like this, which now and then lift 

 the thick veil which covers the early history of the 

 human race, make us shudder to think what miserable 

 wretches those human beings must have been, compared 

 to which the primitive Tasmanian represented a high 

 state of civilisation. 



The following words are given in the vocabularies 

 of the Tasmanian language for " hair clotted with red 

 ochre : — 



(a) Ringlets (Corkscrews, with Red Ochre). 



Eastern Tribes — Pow-ing-arooteleebana. 



Southern Tribes — Poeena. 



West and North-West Tribes — Poenghana. 



(b) Hair (Matted with Odhre). 



Eastern Tribes — Poinghana. 

 Southern Tribes — Poeena. 



All these words are practically the same, particularly 

 if we consider that the suffix, " arooteleebana," means 

 nothing but the enhancement of the good qualities of 

 the first word (i). We may therefore take it that 



Poi-ngha-na or 

 Poi-na 

 means hair matted with red ochre. 



Now we find under the heading Shave to (with 

 flint), in Milligan's vocabulary, the following words : — 

 Eastern Tribes — Poyngha runn yale. 

 Southern Tribes — Poynghate rana yale. 



(i) Without going into further details I cannot explain thi.s,. 

 but in another paper I will give sufificient proof for this view. 



