328 
THE TIENDE. 
f< But as each family adopts some animal or vegetable, as their 
crest or sign, or Kobong , as they call it, I imagine it more likely, 
that these have been named after the families, than that the 
families have been named after them. 
“A certain mysterious connection exists between a family and 
its kobong , so that a member of a family will never kill an 
animal of the species, to which his kobong belongs, should he 
find it asleep ; indeed, he always kills it reluctantly, and never 
without affording it a chance to escape. This arises from the 
family belief, that some one individual of the species is their 
nearest friend, to kill whom would be a great crime, and to be 
carefully avoided. Similarly, a native who has a vegetable for 
his kobong , may not gather it under certain circumstances, and 
at a particular period of the year.” 
From the foregoing quotation, it is apparent that 
very little difference exists in the custom as practised 
in Western and Southern Australia. In the former, 
however, there appears to be an unwillingness to 
destroy the object represented by the kobong or 
tiende that I have never observed in the latter. But 
very little appears to be known on this subject at 
present, as far as regards the reason for assuming 
the tiende, or its connection with the individual or 
family it may represent. The same tiende seems to 
descend from a father to his children ; but I have 
been told occasionally of instances where such has 
not been the case. There are several striking dif- 
ferences between the customs and habits of the Abo- 
rigines of Western Australia, narrated by Captain 
Grey, and those in force among the tribes I have 
myself been best acquainted with in Southern or 
