Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria (10) (Paperback)

Volume: 10 General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1897 Original Publisher: The Society Description: Laws of the Society are included in v. 2-5, 11-12, 14-15, 17, 20, 22, and new ser., v. 1- Subjects: Science Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: Art. IV. -- The Wandarral of the Richmond and Clarence River Tribes. By E. H. Mathews, Licensed Surveyor. Bead 13th May, 1897.] As no description of the initiation ceremonies of the aboriginal tribes who occupy the country watered by the Richmond and Clarence Rivers, on the north-east coast of New South Wales, has hitherto been attempted, I have prepared the following brief account of the Wandarral practised by these people, in which it is hoped the principal parts of the ceremony are detailed with sufficient fulness to enable a comparison to be made between this and other rites of the same character in different parts of the Australian continent. The principal languages spoken by the tribes herein dealt with are the Kahwall and Bunjellung, but there are a few others of less importance. When it has been determined to call the people together for the purpose of inaugurating the youths of the tribes into the privileges and duties of manhood, messengers are despatched to the different sections of the community, informing them of the time and place of the intended gathering. The head man of the tribe, whose turn it is to muster the people, is generally agreed upon at the last Wandarral which was held. That is to say, at the conclusion of the Wandarral ceremonies, before all the tribes disperse, their head men assemble in council and arrange amongst themselves which tribe shall take the initiative at the next gathering. It is the duty ...