ABORIGINES OF THE SOUTH EAST-COAST OF N. S. WALES. 263 



attention to the study of the Gundungurra language, having visited 

 and camped with the natives of Burragorang, on the Wollondilly 

 River, the most isolated and hence the best preserved and primitive 

 remnant of the Gundungurra speaking people — two of our principal 

 informants being "Billy Russell," and "Bessie Sims," who were 

 able to satisfy us in every particular. The details of the initiation 

 ceremonies were gathered from substantially the same men as the 

 organisation — our inquiries respecting these two branches of the 

 subject having extended over some years. 



Social Organisation. 

 Marriages are regulated by a system of betrothals, the main 

 principles of which we will endeavour to describe. The old men 

 assemble in council for the purpose of assigning certain young 

 married women to be what is termed Nanarree to certain boys> 

 and the boys selected also become Nanarree to these women. In 

 ascertaining what woman is qualified to be Nanarree to a given 

 boy A, for example, the old men, who are well acquainted with all 

 the people around them, know, or have ready means of discovering,, 

 who is the father of A, who may be distinguished as B. They 

 next discuss who are the cousins of B, A's father. These cousins, 

 whom we shall denominate 0, may be the offspring either of B's 

 father's sisters, or of his mother's brothers. There will probably be 

 several of such cousins, some in each of the lines of descent just 

 mentioned, from among whom the old men will select one or more 

 to exercise the important function of becoming the parent of A's 

 future wife. Let C 1 , who is one of the cousins of A's father, be a 

 woman chosen in this manner, then she is Nanarree to A, and he will 

 by and bye marry one of her daughters. The old men may also 

 appoint the mother of A to be Nanarree to one of the sons of C 1 . 

 An unmarried girl on attaining puberty, may be assigned to the 

 position of Nanarree in the same manner as a married woman. 

 On her obtaining a husband and bearing a family, her daughters 

 eventually become the wives of the men entitled to them. More- 

 over, a woman may be appointed Nanarree to the prospective son 

 of a given woman. 



