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[Page 37] 37
- Pere-Illy -
It was the practice sometimes when a man
was suffering from some internal pain, to get
his wife to €œpere-illy" for him, which was done in
the following way €“ The patient sat or reclined
on the ground, a canoe shaped vessel of titree bark
about a couple of feet long half filled with water
was placed near him: a cord of possum €™s hair was
passed round his body a couple of times over the
seat of the pain, the crossed ends were held by
the woman and passed rapidly between her closed
lips €“ as she leant over the water €“ until the blood
began to flow and drop into it until it became
the colour of blood itself €“ The belief being
that the cause of the pain would leave the body
through the cord and finally through the blood
into the water €“ I don €™t know if anything special
was done with the blood stained water €“ I was too
young to enquire very deeply into the matter €“
but no doubt faith might help towards a cure
very materially €“