ABORIGINAL TRIBES OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND VICTORIA. 271 



among the Thoorga tribe on the south-east coast of New 

 South Wales, whose language I have already reported. 1 The 

 initiatory rites of these people were described by me in 

 1896, 2 and their sociology in 1900. 3 



If a man dies a natural death, as of old age, accident or 

 the like, his body is placed full length between pieces of 

 bark, and the whole is then bound round with string outside 

 the bark. During the afternoon a few wizards, muyulus, 

 gather up all the men and women and take them to a very 

 tall tree, or at any rate the tallest tree within sight of the 

 camp. Some of the old men are left sitting close to the 

 corpse. 



The women sit on the ground near the base of the tree, 

 with their rugs folded in front of them, and keep quiet, as 

 if listening for something. Two of the muyulus now climb 

 the tree, one following the other, either by cutting steps 

 or by means of vines. The front man ascends the tree as 

 far as it is possible to go, and the other keeps about 6 or 8 

 feet lower. The topmost man, looking in the direction of 

 the native country of the deceased, calls out in a loud, 

 clear voice, kagalgal nunnup ! The lower man repeats the 

 call in quick succession. Simultaneously with the men's 

 call, each woman brings her open hand down upon her 

 folded rug, with a thudding sound. The same rug may be 

 used by several women. 



The lower man, who may be distinguished as B, then 

 descends about 5 or 6 feet, and the top man, whom we will 

 call A, comes down to the place just vacated by B, and 

 both men repeat the call as before, and the old women 

 again clap their hands on their rugs. B and A each 



1 *' The Thoorga Language," Queensland Geographical Journal, Vol. 

 xvi., pp. 49 - 73. 



2 American Anthropologist, Vol. ix., pp. 327- 344, pi. vi. 



3 Journ. Eoy. Soc. N.S. Wales, Vol. xxxiv., pp. 262 - 264. 



