strings of beads, made of reeds called Thaqui, or of opossum fur (Kyoong). Wrapped around the right arm were worn a few strips of the skin of the ring-tail opossum (Yunda-bla-ang). This list includes all the ordinary articles of adornment used by the natives of Gippsland.
Mr. Bulmer once asked a native why he wore such things, and he replied that he wore them in order to look well, and to make himself agreeable to the women—a motive that, in Mr. Bulmer's opinion, is not confined to the blacks. Many will agree with Mr. Bulmer.
When prepared for the corrobboree, the men had suspended from their waist-belts bunches of strips of skin, both before and behind; but usually they had no covering of any sort. What they did wear was not as clothing, but as ornament. They painted themselves for this dance. Ordinarily, they smeared their cheeks with ruddle, but for the dance they painted their bodies. They seemed to desire to make themselves as hideous as possible. They marked each rib with a streak of white pipeclay (marlo), and streaks were drawn on their legs and arms and on their faces, so as to make themselves appear, in the flickering and flaming of the camp-fires, as moving skeletons. Mr. Bulmer believes that they so painted their bodies with the design of making themselves terrible to the beholders, and not beautiful or attractive. An Australian native is wise: that man who could make himself appear very hideous at a corrobboree—who could by his art attract all eyes—was not likely to be forgotten on the next day. And as much care would be employed to attain this as the other position depending on the milder efforts of the toilette.
The ornaments worn by the females were not much regarded by the men.The woman did little to improve her appearance. She was the worker, the carrier, often the food-winner; and if her physical aspect was such as to attract admirers, she was content. Her chief ornament was the string of beads—Thaqui. From her waist was suspended—not so much for ornament as for a covering—a piece of fringe about four inches in depth. This was called Kyoong, and was worn by girls until they attained a marriageable age. While she wore the Kyoong she was called Kyoongal Woor-kut—that is, a girl who wears the Kyoong. It was the duty of the mother, at the proper time, to remove the Kyoong; but it frequently happened that the girl would elope with some young man, and take it off herself—which invariably gave rise to scandal, base suggestions, and quarrels. Nearly all the ornaments, Mr. Bulmer says, were made by the females.
The dress of the male Aboriginal of the Lower Murray, according to information furnished by Dr. Gummow, of Swan Hill, consisted only of the opossum rug, called Pir-ri-wee. The female also used a rug as a covering; but by both males and females it was worn only on cold days, or when moving from camp to camp. On ordinary occasions the females wore nothing more as a dress than the apron of emu feathers, called by the natives of the Lower Murray Mor-i-uh. This was cast aside after the birth of a child.[1]
- ↑ Some article of dress or ornament worn for the purpose of distinguishing the maiden from the wife seems to be necessary to a people in a state of savagery or barbarism. The snood used by maidens in Scotland is no doubt very ancient.
