ABORIGINAL TEIBES OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND VICTORIA. 215 



intermarriage and the descent of the progeny. Mr. Geo. 

 Bridgman, Superintendent of Aboriginal Stations at Mackay 

 in Queensland reported to Mr. R. B. Smyth, as follows : — 

 "All blacks are divided into two classes, irrespective of 

 tribe or locality. These are Youngaroo and Wootaroo. The 

 Youngaroo are subdivided into Gurgila and Bunbia, and 

 Wootaroo into Ooobaroo and Woongoo. . . . Children 

 belong to the mother's primary division, but to the other 

 subdivision. . . The blacks divide everything into these 

 classes — alligators, kangaroos, sun, moon, the constellations, 

 trees, and plants. . . . An intelligent native who has 

 been living with the Kamilaroi people, says the Kamilaroi 

 system is the same as that here in Mackay." 1 



Since the time of Mr. Ridley and Mr. Bridgman down to 

 the present day, nothing important has been added to our 

 knowledge of the Kamilaroi organisation. Neither of the 

 gentlemen mentioned, nor any writers who have copied 

 them, have attempted to supply the minute details of its 

 structure, which are now published by me for the first time. 

 In short the 4 blood ' and ' shade ' subdivisions have never 

 been even mentioned by any writer until now. The 

 feminine forms of the phratry names are also new. 



The initiation ceremonies of the Kamilaroi had been, if 

 possible, even still more neglected until my description of 

 the Bora appeared. 2 Little or nothing was known of the 

 speech of this tribe until the publication of my grammar 

 and vocabulary last year. 3 Until described in the present 

 treatise, nothing at all has ever been written in regard to 

 the ceremonies connected with scarring the bodies of the 



1 "Aborigines of Victoria," by R. B. Smyth, (Melbourne 1878), Vol. I., 

 p. 91. 



2 " The Bora or Initiation Ceremonies of the Kamilaroi Tribes," Proc. 

 Roy. Soc. Victoria, Vol. ix., (N.S.) pp. 137-173. 



3 " Languages of the Kamilaroi, etc.," Journ. Anthrop. Inst., Vol. xxxiii. 

 pp. 259-283. See also my "Kawambarai Language," a dialect of the 

 Kamilaroi, Journ. Roy. Soc. N.S. Wales, Vol. xxxvi., pp. 145 - 147. 



