Blacks of the Manning River District, New South Wales, 1851-1912 - Page 27

[Page 27]

They had a spicey flavour = something like nutmeg

There were other fruits that were eaten "Nibit" = Yea bit

that was the winged seed of the Stewewood, native

Tamarinds = (Gerramit) native grapes = the children used

to roast them, and Yeabit they roasted = all no good

to Whites = The best thing in that way was made from

the seeds of the Zamia, there name for it was "Mo" it is

better known all over Australia by the name of Burrawong

from the sound I take that to be the name given to the

plant by some of the Southern Tribes = perhaps the

Sydney or Botny Tribes = They took the ripe seeds,  roasted

them    removed the shell then gave them a slight

pounding between two stones, only enough to smash

them up and put them into one of the nets - or

knitted bags that the women made and put them

into a running Creek or in one of the falls of the  

River - with a stone on the bag to keep it from washing

away so that the water passed through the net and

carried away al the poison from the seeds = It realy

was not bad, I used to think it was the best thing they

made up, at any rate one could eat that and

know it was  clean. It had to remain in the

water for nine or ten days. Eaten raw the seeds

were poisonous = There is a much larger kind

called "Kineybuck" which grows on the Johns River

and the head of the Keelekakh Creek = These foods

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