ABORIGINAL BOEA 111 



suspended a crescent shaped piece of tin resembling the brass plate 

 sometimes given by Europeans to aboriginal kings. The native 

 .artist who did this group said it was purely imaginary, and was 

 meant as a humorous representation of an old king going to the 

 Bora, and having a break-down on the road. 



The foregoing comprise all the carvings cut in the soil, which I 

 have distinguished from raised earthen figures formed on the 

 surface of the ground, which I will next describe. 



About two hundred and thirty yards from the smaller circle, 

 and about six feet from the southern side of the path, and at right 

 angles to it, was the horizontal figure of a man about fifteen feet 

 in length and otherwise built in proportion, composed of logs 

 covered with earth, the height of the chest being two and a-half 

 feet from the ground, and the feet pointing towards the track; 

 this the blacks said represented Baiamai, who presides over the 

 ceremonies of the Bora. On the opposite side of the path, with the 

 feet towards it, was a life-sized figure which represented Baiamai's 

 iemale consort, whom the blacks call Gunnanbeely. (Plate 3, figs. 

 3 and 4.) They say that Baiamai gave them the country and all 

 that is in it for their use, after which he and G-unnanbeely went 

 away. A short distance from these, on the north side of the track, 

 the figure of a man and woman were formed on the ground in the 

 same manner ; they were lying together behind a tree, and were 

 partly hidden. The blacks said these represented the original 

 parents of that tribe, whom they call Boobardy and Numbardy — 

 meaning father and mother respectively. 



On the northern side of the pathway was the life-sized figure of 

 an emu formed with raised earth, with its head towards the smaller 

 circle and a spear stuck in its body, the other end of the spear 

 resting against a tree. (Plate 3, fig. 13.)* 



The figures of two snakes, f each about fifteen feet long, were 

 formed of raised earth ■ they were lying beside each other, parallel 



* The figure of the emu on Bora grounds has been noticed by different 

 writers. See Anthr. Journ. vn., p. 255, 16. xin., p. 452, and Henderson's 

 06s. Cols. N. 8. Wales and V. D. L., pp. 145 - 148. 



f Henderson says that snakes were delineated on the turf at the Bora 

 lie visited near Wellington in 1832. 



