w/m 



282 



Wainbret asserts that his tribe never practised cannibalism. 

 This may probably be correct, because there seems to be sufficient 

 food obtainable along the coast ; the tribe was also very numerous 

 formerly, which may be considered as favoring this assertion, 

 but I have noticed tliat the blacks as a rule deny their canni- 

 balistic practices, at any rate to the whites. But he tells me 

 that the Bardoks up to quite recent times indulged in tliis 

 terrible practice (perhaps they do still although he thinks not), 

 and that the knocking out of a front tooth was done after anyone 

 had partaken of human flesh. The various tribes used to be very 

 fond of eating young fat babies before these began to walk. The 

 men would send the women away from camp to search for food, 

 and during their absence knock the child on the head and eat it. 

 Mr. E. Keenan, one of the dam-sinkers, who has been a great deal 

 among the blacks in various parts of West Australia, corroborates 

 this statement from personal observation, and considers it to be 

 well authenticated by others. 



NOTES MADE AT YAURICABBIK (wATSON's STATION), W.A. 



The informant is a young native, Kuma by name, who speaks 

 English fairly well, having lived at the station since he was a 

 boy. 



His native country he calls Yolla, which lies to the east of 

 Yaurigabbie ; to the west the country is called Yaburru. 



The name of his father was Munga ; that of his mother BuUi ; 

 and Murdaun, Billaga, and Yaimeri are the names of his three 

 brothers. 



The father names the children. 



Kuma's father had two wives, and states that this number 

 cannot be exceeded by any individual of his tribe, according to 

 their custom. There is no ceremony about the marriage. "When 

 a young man is getting a beard, he is informed that he may take 

 a woman. When their breasts begin to swell, the girls are con- 

 sidered marriageable. 



The tribe practises circumcision, but not subincision ; as, how- 

 ever, my informant has not lived amongst his tribe since he was 

 a boy, the last part of the information may justly be doubted, 

 particularly since he could not give me any information about 

 the manner of burial in his tribe, and the ceremonies in connec- 

 tion therewith, showing that he was not acquainted with all their 

 rites. I cannot believe that this trilie should dispense with the 

 rite of subincision, which is so universally practised in the interior 

 of West, as well as South, Australia, and amongst tribes by whom 

 they are surrounded on all sides. 



They do not knock any of their front teeth out. 



Kuma's father' died at Rottnest Island, whither he had been 

 deported for some offence. 



