GREAT MEETINGS. 73 



decide who are to be sent. The stick is next forwarded by messengers from their 

 tribe to the nearest chief, who sends it on to the next, and so on mitil all are 

 summoned. The most distant tribe starts first, and, joining the others in 

 succession, all arrive in a body at the camp of the chief who sent for them. They 

 are accompanied by their wives, but not by children or by very old persons. In 

 the evening, when the children of the tribe and the women have gone to bed, the 

 chief who convened the meeting gives his reason for doing so. After consultation, 

 the chiefs decide what is to be done ; each chief tells his people what is required, 

 and all retire for the night. 



The spear- thrower is also used as a message-stick ; but, when so employed, 

 it is specially marked to indicate its purpose. The writer has in his possession a 

 specimen which was made by Kaawirn Kuunawarn, the chief of the Kirrse 

 Wuurong tribe, and which is a facsimile of a summons issued by him long aero to 

 three tribes, to meet his own tribe at a favourite swamp and camping-place called 

 Kuunawarn, on the east side of the River Hopkins, and represents their approach 

 to his camp. In the centre of the flat side of the spear-thrower is a carved circle 

 of about an inch and a quarter in diameter, which represents the camp of 

 Kaawirn Kuunawarn. Near it are three notches on the edge of the stick, and 

 two lines and two dots on the flat side, pointing to the camp, which form his 

 signature ; and, at the hooked end of the stick, three lines in shape of the letter 

 Z indicate his presence. Four rows of notches, extending from each end of the 

 stick to the camp, indicate the numbers of individuals of the two tribes 

 approaching from opposite directions. On the other side of the spear-thrower, 

 in the centre, there are two circles of a smaller size, and pointing to them is a 

 small, rudely carved figure of a hand — the word for 'hand,' munya, also means 

 a ' meeting.' From each end of the stick six lines of notches represent the 

 numbers of individuals of other two tribes approaching from opposite directions. 

 As each notch indicates an individual, there must have been a thousand at this 

 meeting. Kaawirn Kuunawarn was then a very young chief ; and as he is now 

 a man considerably over sixty years of age, the meeting must have been held 

 immediately previous to the occupation of the country by the white man. Of 

 those who attended it there are only four individuals now alive, viz., Kaawirn 

 Kuunawarn, Jamie Ware, Jim Crow, and Helen Crow. 



Occasionally, a distant and distrustful tribe will send two men to test the 

 friendship of a meeting. On arrival, they announce the name of their tribe and 

 their own names, and then retire to the wuurn of an acquaintance. He ties a 



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