35 



Root-gathering. 



The gathering of the roots is chiefly the work of the 

 women. They leave camp early each morning, each carrying 

 her ungum and wondoon. They return usually in mid- 

 afternoon, when the wives go to their respective husbands and 

 cook and share the food gathered. If the root crop is abund- 

 ant the single young men will probably get a share from their 

 women friends, otherwise they must get their own food. 

 It by no means follows that the Wororra woman must yield 

 all her food to her husband — much depends on the 

 husband — and most of the Wororra men thrash their 

 wives occasionally. Yet it is not uncommon for a 

 Wororra woman to refuse to give her husband any, or much, 

 food, and I have seen an old man who had three wives (an 

 old woman and two young girls) howling lustily because his 

 wives would not give him any supper. 



The finest of the roots is a kind of yam, known as 

 "karja." This is in season in March, and is the root of a 

 climbing vine. The root is about the size and shape of a man's 

 arm. It is soft and milky when raw, but when baked in the 

 ashes it becomes floury like a potato, and is excellent eating. 

 The ''kunbian" is a potato-like root, also excellent. Some 

 of the roots are very woody, some very hot to the taste, and 

 the most attractive looking of all (a brown potato-like root, 

 shaped like a Brazil nut) is very bitter. 



The women will frequently make a several days' expedi- 

 tion away from the main camp, gathering and cooking roots 

 as they go. Finally they return to camp with several days' 

 supply, when all lie idle till the food is consumed. 



Landsmen and Seamen. 



The greater number of the Wororra are inlanders, living 

 chiefly in the mountains between the Glenelg and Prince 

 Regent Rivers and the sea. In the mountain gullies they 

 get most of their root food, and occasionally they descend to 

 the Glenelg Valley for a diet of kangaroo or freshwater fish, 

 or again they will visit the coast for a diet of sea fish, shell- 

 fish, and crabs. 



A branch of the Wororra, however, are seamen. Their 

 headquarters is Augustus Island. These men live principally 

 on fish, turtle, and dugong, travelling from island to island 

 and along the coast from the mouth of the Glenelg to the 

 mouth of the Prince Regent River. They speak W'ororra, 

 frequently meet their Wororra, land-dwelling relatives, and 

 apparently are entirely Wororra, except for their choice of 

 a sea life. They are of special interest as being the most 

 northerlv tribe to use the double-raft, or "kahlua," as it is 



