Identifier: nativesofaustral00thomuoft (find matches)
Title: Natives of Australia
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Thomas, Northcote Whitridge, 1868-
Subjects: Ethnology -- Australia Australia -- Social conditions Australia -- Description and travel
Publisher: London : A. Constable
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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piece of bone, or afeather worn through the septum of the nose, sometimespermanently, sometimes only on special occasions.Few Australian tribes were without it; in some casesit was regarded as decorative and intended to impressthe fair sex. The ear-cylinder (PI. V.) is rare. Another form of adornment or mutilation may bementioned here, though we shall return to it later inthe chapter on initiation ceremonies. This is thecustom of knocking out one or more teeth. It canhardly be doubted that this practice has had an im-portant influence on the languages of Australia. The Australian native is in the habit of smearinghimself with oil at all times ; for corroborees, mourning,or war he prepares himself by painting his body withwhite, red, yellow, or black pigment. For corroboreesand ceremonial purposes down and feathers are alsoemployed. The extraordinary diversity of decorativeeffects makes it impossible to describe in detail anynumber of these modes of ornamenting the body ; one Plate 12
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Barwon Ri\kr Man (p. 6S) PAINT 69 or two may be selected. In the Boulia district, inintertribal warfare, the warriors face was entirely-covered with kopi (gypsum), which also formed threewide bands on his upper and lower limbs; it wasapplied in the form of a boomerang from each shoulderto the waist-belt, and there can be little doubt that theprimary object was to ensure recognition. In additionto this, the leaders wore a head-dress stuffed with grass,in which were several shags feathers; the ordinarywarriors had down on their heads, stuck on with mud.The corroboree decoration will be described later. Formourning, it was sometimes the custom to blacken theface; this is widely found, and may probably be ex-plained as an attempt to puzzle or deceive the spiritof the dead man, who will thus be compelled to leavehis relatives in peace. In Finnegans account of a fightat Moreton Bay, it is said that the chief was coveredwith beeswax and charcoal; this was probably simplya compliment from a f

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