Disposal of the dead.

The mode of disposing of the dead varies considerably. Some tribes possess regular burial-places, others dig a grave at page 47 apparently any convenient spot, whilst others do not put the body in the ground at all, but dry it, either in the sun or over a fire, and make a sort of mummy of it, which they carry about with them for a time, when perhaps it is placed on a framework of sticks or in a hollow tree. In the western districts the body is placed in a hollow tree, which is then filled up with clay. Among some tribes, when the approach of death is imminent, the invalid is carried by his friends to some particular spot where he is to be buried. I have met these melancholy processions. On one occasion it consisted of about half-a-dozen men with their women; one man, a sturdy grey-headed old fellow, was carrying on his shoulders his son, a young man about twenty years of age, who was in the last stages of consumption. On this as upon all other occasions, the blacks showed much kindness, relieving the old man of his burden when he required rest, and handling the poor young fellow with great care and tenderness. They had, when I saw them, arrived nearly at the end of their journey, having travelled about 50 miles.

This young man died a few days afterwards, and I was enabled by the permission of the Koradgee and the old father to witness the burial ceremony. The Koradgee, by reason of a bribe, and no doubt also on account of my having supplied the invalid with nourishing food, informed me at once of his death. They scarcely wait for the last breath—they roll the body up instantly. When I arrived at the blacks' camp I found that the grave was nearly completed; it was circular, and about 5 feet deep. A man was busily at work loosening the soil by means of a long pointed stick, and throwing the earth out with a tin can. The body was already rolled up in a blanket with a boomerang and a waddy, and was placed close to the edge of the grave. The old father was crouching down with his hands over the body, tears running down his cheeks. The women had already covered their hair and faces with pipe-clay, and blood was streaming down the faces of some of them.

I found a number of blacks congregated here—men as well as women. They sat on opposite sides of the grave. This was dug by the men in turn, in all about 6 feet deep, the old father finishing it, jumping clown and smoothing the bottom and sides most carefully. He then lined it with soft grass. The body was then handed to the old man, and it was some time before he could arrange it to his satisfaction. When at last that was done more grass and light boughs were placed around it; and as the poor old man was assisted out of the grave and the others commenced throwing in earth to fill it up, a most mournful screeching and crying was set up by the women, who danced about, chopping their heads with tomahawks until the blood flowed in profusion and mixed with the pipeclay with which they had previously bedaubed page 48 themselves. As darkness had set in some time, this latter part of the ceremony was performed by the light of fires, which added much to the effect of a scene which I cannot attempt to describe. The light of these fires illuminating this ghastly collection of black women, covered as they were with pipeclay mixed with the blood which was now streaming plentifully from their heads, whilst they—screeching, crying, and moaning—were writhing, dancing, and contorting their bodies into all shapes and positions, conveyed an admirable representation of Pandemonium—a picture which Gustave Doré alone could depict or Dante describe. The men as yet had remained perfectly quiet. Suddenly a small light appeared in the distance, and the shrill voice of a black woman was heard commencing the funeral chant. This was taken up quickly by other women, who in succession lit a fire in advance of each other (nineteen in number) until they reached close up to the grave. Each woman as she lit a fire joined in the chant. Whilst watching this remarkable scene, I had not noticed that the men had retired and were taking up similar positions in a line parallel with the women. These men as they lit a fire also commenced to chant, until the whole number were singing at once. The chant was of a most plaintive description; it consisted, so far as I could make out, of two lines of words only, which were continually repeated, the singers rubbing the palms of their hands together and slightly bending their bodies backwards and forwards, keeping admirable time. By degrees they closed in around the grave, which was now nearly completed. A mound was raised over it, and fresh boughs and logs of wood placed on the top, and a trench dug all round, the rass being cleared away for some distance. Larger fires were now lit, and the singing became more vehement. I believe that this singing was kept up during the whole night; but having witnessed as much as I could expect to see, I gave the old man some tobacco and returned to my own rest.

It is difficult to account for the various modes adopted by these blacks as to the disposal of their dead. By what I could learn, it is considered proper by many tribes that a black should be buried at or near the spot where he or she was born, and for this reason, when a black becomes seriously ill, the invalid is carried a long distance to these certain spots to die, as in this case. They apparently object to place a body in strange ground.

On one occasion when at Bergalia, near Moruya, then the property of a Mr. Campbell, now I believe belonging to Mr. H. Clarke, a blackfellow commenced digging a grave close by the side of the kitchen door; when remonstrated with by Mr. Campbell he argued that he had no alternative, for the black who had just died had been born there on that spot. Mr. Campbell had much difficulty in inducing him to remove a short distance away.

page 49

I witnessed the burial of a black woman whose body was placed in a coffin by her relatives. This woman was taken from the tribe when quite a child and educated so as to be able to read and write. I believe that she had been christened. After remaining for some time with her white friends the tinge of wild blood got the better of her, and she again joined her tribe. After roaming about with her friends for a few years she caught cold and died of inflammation of the lungs. I saw her about an hour before her death, a most pitiable-looking object. In consequence of her education the blacks collected sufficient money to purchase a coffin, and took the body in a cart and buried it near some native graves, marking the surrounding trees deeply as usual.