106 ON THE ORGANISATION OF AUSTRALIAN TRIBES. 
thus their acknowledged ‘‘ Gweraeil-Kurnai,” or Headman. During the same time, 
also, the tribal son* of Bruthen Munji also grew into age, and consideration attached 
to him in his twofold character as one of the elders, and as being the son of the 
former renowned Headman. During the lapse of more than a quarter of a century 
the pressure of our civilisation has broken up the tribal organisation. The greater 
number of the surviving aborigines have been gathered into the mission stations, 
and the few others wandered about the settlements, having apparently abandoned 
most of their tribal customs. When, however, it was decided to hold their initiation 
ceremonies, as I have described them elsewhere,+ I found with much interest that the 
old tribal organisation arose again, so to say, out of the dust, and became active. 
Bunbra, who at the time when Bruthen Munji presided at the ordeal of spears to 
which he was subjected, was a comparatively young man, and, without any 
consideration in the tribe, had now become its Headman, and to him all matters 
were referred. Tio him messengers went. He gave orders, and the others obeyed 
them, as to the time of assembling. Indeed, without him they would not have 
moved. 
At the ceremonies themselves he was the leader, and it was mainly his voice 
which decided questions which were discussed at several councils of initiated men 
which were held. When, during the ceremonies, two of the novices were brought 
before the old men in council, and were charged with having broken some of the 
ceremonial rules, it was he who spoke last, and his directions as to them were 
obeyed. 
In the olden times the Gweraeil-Kurnai, or, as I have almost literally translated 
the title, Headman, took an active part together with the other old men in dealing 
with breaches of their moral code, such, for instance, unlawful, 1.€., incestuous 
marriages, which were punished by death. 
Among the Murring tribes of the New South Wales coast, adjoining Victoria, I 
have made similar observations. Each division of the tribe had its Headman, 
who was called Gommera. To become a Gommera a man must have been 
aged, must have been able to speak several languages (dialects), must have been 
skilful as a warrior, and, above all, must have been able to perform those magical feats 
which the wizards exhibit at the initiations. 
There was a Gommera (Headman) in each division of the tribe. In his particular 
locality he was master and directed his people. Umbara, the tribal bard of the coast 
Murring, put it in the following manner to me :—‘‘ A man is the Biamban (master) 
of his wife and children. An old man is the Biamban of the young men. The 
* As to ‘tribal son,” see infra., p. 131. 
+ See the Jeraeil or Initiation Ceremonies of the Kurnai Tribe, Journal of the Anthrop. Inst., May, 1885. 
