12 



AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES. 



CHAPTER VII. 



CLEANLINESS. 



It is worthy of remark that nothing offensive is ever to be seen near the 

 habitations of the aborigines, or in the neighbourhood of their camps ; and 

 although their sanitai-y laws are apparently attributable to superstition and 

 prejudice, the principles of these laws must have been suggested by experience 

 of the dangers attendant on uncleanness in a warm climate, and more deeply 

 impressed on their minds by faith in supernatural action and sorcery. It is 

 believed that if enemies get possession of anything that has belonged to a person, 

 they can by its means make him ill; hence every uncleanness belonging to 

 adults and haH-gi-own children is buried at a distance from their dwellings. 

 For this pui-pose they use the muurong pole (yam stick), about six or seven feet 

 long, with which every family is provided. With the sharpened end they 

 remove a circular piece of turf, and dig a hole in the gi-ound, which is 

 immediately used and filled in with earth, and the sod so carefully replaced that 

 no disturbance of the surface can be observed. Children under fom- or five 

 years of age, not having strength to comply with this wholesome practice, are not 

 required to do so ; and theii- excreta are deposited in one spot, and covered with 

 a sheet of bark, and when diy they are burned. It may be as well to say here, 

 that, besides this sanitary use of the muurang pole, it is indispensable in 

 excavating gi-aves and in digging up roots, and is a powei-ful weapon of 

 warfare in the hands of the women, who alone use it for fighting. 



In every respect the aborigines are as cleanly in their persons and habits as 

 natural circumstances admit ; and, although the univei-sal custom of anointing their 

 bodies with oily fat may be repulsive to highly-civilized communities, it is an 

 excellent substitute for cleansing with water, and must have aiisen, not only 

 from the comfort it affords to the skin in various ways, but also from the 

 difficulty of obtaining water in most parts of the countiy, even to satisfy thirst. 

 Neither are they troubled with parasites to such an extent as their habits might 

 lead one to suppose. They say they never saw the common flea till it was 

 introduced by the white man, and the accuracy of this assertion seems to be 



