Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 46] 46
- A Blackfellows' Funeral -
One of a small camp of blacks, about a quarter
of a mile from our house, died, and they borrowed
a spade from us to dig the grave -This was placed
a few yards above high water mark and the
burial was timed for the flood tide, not on the
ebb, lest the spirit of the departed should be
carried out to sea and be lost in the great waters -
The corpse was neatly encased in a sheet of "paper
bark" from the giant Titree (Melleluca melaluca) and tightly
bound round with vines from the scrub - Then in an
outer casing of a freshly stripped sheet of stringy bark,
also bound round with vines - All being ready the
next thing was to find out who was responsible
for the man's death, for it was believed that all
sickness was brought about by the machinations
of an enemy"that feller been puttem bone" or "
"that fellow been puttem stone" they would say - The
plan adopted was as follows -The coffin was supported
on the shoulders of two men - a third holding a
green branch, stood midway at the side, and called
aloud the names of everyone he could think of at
the same time lightly striking the coffin with the
green branch, the belief being that when the
name of the guilty person was mentioned the corpse