400 
ANTHROPOLOGICAL NOTES, 
following the burial, all grief was banished and the mourning 
signs were removed. 
They firmly believed that the dead would not stay in the grave 
but would come to life again in another form, which might take 
the shape of a fish, bird or animal, or anything else; their ideas 
were, however, not very clear on this subject. They also believed 
that the dead would leave the grave sometimes during the night 
and go hunting. Owing to this belief, no doubt, all personal 
property was buried with them, as well as other things they might 
require. The name of the dead was never mentioned by them on 
any account, and if anyone mentioned it inadvertently they 
stopped their ears and asked not to be reminded of the dead. If 
dogs had been owned by the deceased, these were sent to some 
friendly tribe that their sight might not remind them of the 
departed. They carefully avoided the graves.* 
The Omeo Blacks (as well as the neighbouring tribes) were 
inveterate cannibals, and at every opportunity would eat the flesh 
of their enemies, but especially their kidney fat. They would, 
however, not eat a member of their own tribe. 
Their weapons consisted of clubs (nulla nullas), boomerangs, 
shields (hielaman), stone tomahawk (umigong), and three or four 
kinds of spears, which were made of reeds, seedstalks of the grass- 
tree, boxtree, or if procurable, ironbark. The reed and grasstree 
spears were thrown with the wommera, but the heavier and larger 
wooden spears were thrown with the hand after being well 
balanced b}^ holding them near the middle. The boomerangs 
were different also; the larger sort was used for fighting, and a 
* Mr. Barry on one occasion noticed two bandicoots near a native grave and 
told some blacks of it who were camping a short distance from the place. 
Snow was lying on the ground at the time and the natives were hard 
pressed for food, but they would not touch the "bandies" because they 
believed them to be the dogs of the dead. When Mr. Barry shifted some 
of the boughs that were lying over the grave, under which the animals hid 
themselves, to convince the natives that they were bandicoots and not dogs, 
they implored him to desist, adhering to it that the animals were "dog of 
poor fellow." 
