Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

B82AUSTRiVLASIA.towards the rising sun, and a fire is then kindled near the grave to scare away theevil spirits. In the York Peninsula they are placed on the headlands, and aterrace on a rocky islet at the very extremity of Cape York is covered with anenormous pile of skulls enclosed b}^ a fence of stones and surmounted by a stoutbamboo cane. No more solemn site or more in harmony with a deep poetic sentimentcould have been chosen for the necropolis of the community.Amongst numerous tribes, especially in the northern regions, the mother cutsoff a finger at the death of each child. Elsewhere the obsequies are accompaniedb}' cannibal scenes. When a man dies young or through old age his nearest anddearest consider themselves bound to eat him in proof of their affection.In SouthAustralia, also, the child dying of any illness is devoured, the mother taking thehead in the hope of thus restoring the lost one to life ;but in other tribes she iscondemned to keep with her the dead body of her child for months together. Acommon practice is also that of consuming the enemy killed in battle, the motivebeing to acquire their strength and valour, and to prevent their shades fromavenging their death. But in order to achieve this object all that is needed incertain districts is to eat the kidney fat, which is regai-ded as the seat of the soul.Elsewhere the same purpose is secured merely by consuming th.e eyes, in whichshone the rage of battle.The Australians believe in charms, incantations, and miracles.'No malady buthas been caused by some hostile magician ; no cure but has been effected by abeneficent wizard. The universe is full of spirits and genii, some wanderingabout in pain and seeking to reoccupy some new body, others animating the treesand rocks, heaven itself, the storm, clouds, and stars. But the natives do notappear to have idols properlj' so called, though all their surroundings are objectsof worship ; in everything they see some formidable or benevolent being, whomust be invoked to appease his wrath or secure his aid.The moon-god especiallyseems to be a potent deity, more powerful than the sun- goddess; for he is bornagain each month to beget the stars, trees, animals, and men. Thanks to theaction of the Christian missionaries the various national myths have graduallyassumed a certain biblical aspect, so that some writers have discovered a distantresemblance between them and the Mosaic records.Few Australian tribes show even the rudiments of a state in (heir politicalorganisation. Amongst these mention is made of the Narrinyery people of MurrayRiver, who, according to Taplin, have elective " kings " assisted by a council ofciders ; Init such constitutions are rare, and their existence is absolutely denied byCurr. In any case each head of a family has almost complete control over thedestinies of his domestic group. Doubtless the hah/ns, or sorcerers, exercise greatinfluence, and this influence combined with that of age at times secures them realpolitical j)ower. But these are all exceptional cases, and it seems safe to assertthat there is at all events no transmission of authority from father to son or throughthe female line in any Australian community.The universal rule is equality of rights for each family as well as for eachtribe. In time of peace all were held to be of equal worth ; but in the course of