Page:Cyclopedia of Western Australia, volume 1.pdf/78

burial. Variations of these exist in different parts, but the following may be taken as typical:—

"At the time of death professional female mourners are introduced, and the women relatives and friends of the deceased exhibit their grief by gashing the flesh on their cheeks and forehead and covering their heads and breasts with a kind of white pipeclay; while the men put powdered charcoal on their foreheads. A curious custom, somewhat similar to that prevalent at the present time among the Bedouins, existed when the deceased's hut was torn up immediately after his death. The funeral obsequies are performed to the accompaniment of dirges and lamentations. A shallow grave, about 4 ft. by 3 ft., having been dug a bed of leaves is placed at the bottom and the body is lowered, its general position being a doubled-up one, with the knees bent up to the breast and the arms crossed, the face being turned toward the east. Those operations are presided over by a boolya or native sorcerer, whose duty, in addition to the general superintendence of the work, is to ascertain what particular spirit, boolya, or family is responsible for his clansman's death, and to see that the grave lies due east and west. Earth and boughs are then placed on the body and the deceased's weapons on top of them. A heap of bushes or mound is generally placed over all, and a fire lighted to attract and keep the evil spirit that is responsible for the death, when it returns to the grave; for in case of its finding no fire it is thought that it will probably go to the next camp and do further mischief. This spirit is supposed to take the form of a small brown lizard called 'Bilya Backan,' but sometimes another monster called the 'Waugul' which is supposed to reside in fresh-water lakes, is blamed."

One of the most important periods of a native’s life is that when he is admitted to the manhood of the tribe. Before admission he is required to pass through certain initiation ceremonies. These, which take some time to perform, vary considerably in different parts of the State, but agree with one form or another of the initiation rites performed among the tribes of the Eastern States. They have been so completely described in various scientific memoirs that there is no necessity to set them out at any length. The variations may roughly be divided into three classes. From Kimberley down to below the De Grey River in the north we find that both circumcision and sub-incision are essential features of the ceremony, though the latter is not compulsory in every tribe throughout that region. Southward from the De Grey there is a strip of coastal country about 40 miles wide running round to Cape Arid where neither practice is in vogue, but is replaced by piercing the septum of the nose. Over the remainder of the State we find circumcision generally practised. The circumcised tribes touch the coast at the De Grey, and again at Eyre Sandpatch, but not at any point between, though at Geraldton they are within 20 miles. Among the tribes near the head of the Greenough River, where both circumcision and sub-incision are practised, it is said that when a youth leaves the camp for initiation he bids his sisters a formal farewell, as on his return he must neither speak to nor look at them. There is traditional evidence that the practice of circumcision has not long been abandoned along the north-west coast south of the De Grey. At Roebourne it has been superseded by tying a ligature tightly round the arm at initiation, and it is stated that if this is retained for any length of time the arm withers and becomes useless. While on this question it may be of some interest to notice that there are many tribal customs in addition to circumcision that are remarkably similar to those mentioned in the Bible as observed by the Jews. Sir George Grey repeatedly drew attention to this fact, and Mrs. Bates mentions no less than fourteen customs which seem to be common to both races.

The aboriginal practice of knocking out a tooth upon initiation is also subject to variation over areas almost coincident with those mentioned above. In the north we find that two teeth are extracted, along the coast the practice is not found at all, while in the interior one only is knocked out.