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page 72
in the top right hand corner of the page is the number 14
5. Food. There is no season during which any particular food is forbidden, except of course (and independently of seasons) those dietaries forbidden to all children up to the time of their first initiation ceremony, and there particularised subsequently (sect 22). Food is either roasted, baked or boiled, meat being never eaten raw. Roasting (poorn - gal)? is comparatively rare. Baking (Koor - mang ?????) is effected as follows : a number of stones (these cooking stones being known as koor - mia) are well heated in a fire, quickly removed, and a hole dug in the position just occupied. At the bottom of this hole several kinds of leaves (various species of ginger etc) are placed, then the meat cut into pieces, amongst which the hot stones are packed then a covering of some more leaves or ti tree bark and lastly a layer of earth and stones. The boiling (nam - mal)? is done in a bark trough or more usually in a large shell (sect 60). Pipe-clay is actually used as food (as at Cooktown etc) : before the blacks discovered some beds of it in the Bloomfield District, they used to travel some 35 or 40 miles across to Spring Vale etc to obtain it by barter (sect 34). The outside covering of the red ant hills is also a common article of diet, while green ants themselves are relished. Meals are not partaken of at any stated times, but only when they are hungry and as the food supply offers. Men, boys and girls (up to 4 or 5 years of age) all dine together, except that (1) a separation occurs where individuals of the two primary subdivisions of the tribe (sect 41) happen to be present, (2) a man will not dine with his father in law or mother in law. All the other females dine together without distinction of any sort. Yams, nuts etc are generally cooked by the women : whatever food may have been cooked by men is taboo to the women, who consequently cannot touch it - the converse does not hold good ! (I have forwarded 10 edible plants to Mr Bailey, the Government Botanist for identification).
6. Cannibalism has been met with within the last 13 years : the subject was never killed for the actual eating, and was only partaken of when dying suddenly in otherwise apparent health. It was only the adults, male and female, who were eaten and hunger was always the sole cause. Hislop has seen a female eaten, the whole of her, the bulk of the corpse being baked and