2011 - Theses - Flinders University

White Lives in a Black Community: The lives of Jim Page and Rebecca Forbes in the Adnyamathanha communityTracy SpencerVolume One Creative Writing Component: Excerpted Chapters from Volume Three Appendix Oneand everything has again settled down. I am enclosing the Certificate of cause of death,and also an a/c from the Leigh Creek Hospital…God bless you, Yours,W Hathaway.’ 243Nepabunna, March 1959Dear Mr SamuelsGreetings in the Name of the Lord…GENERAL…Re the funeral. As you know there are two burying places here one for each ‘spirit.’Husbands are never buried in the same place as their wives. On the afternoon of thefuneral two of the daughters put on quite a turn because their father was not being buriedbeside their mother, this although it had never, as far as we know, been done for centuries!One said, ‘If this is blackfellows way, I’m finished with it.’ Members of the family whoare ‘tribally’ forbidden to attend the graveside did so, and there was no native ceremonypreceeding the service which I performed there. Usually about four members of theopposite ‘spirit’ as they help to lay the body on its bed of leaves, each say things in thenative tongue. On some occasions water is poured on the head of the deceased and fireswere lit outside the camps to keep the ‘spirit’ away and there was not nearly so muchwailing as usually occurs. As you know, it is the custom to burn or demolish the dwellingof the deceased, but the very day of the funeral one of the old women approached my wifeand told her she intended to live in his little one roomed house. So far she has not slept init but she lives there in the daytime and has the place quite nice and comfortable.Furthermore it was agreed by most, if not all, that we should have a general cemetery. Wefeel that at last the fear that has so long held these people in bondage is being broken downand we praise the Lord…WH’ 244168