Dr. Gummow's specimens of the ornaments described by him are very valuable; and as he has obtained from old natives the names and uses of the several specimens, his contributions are of more than ordinary interest.
The natives of Cooper's Creek, according to Mr. Howitt, sometimes place feathers in the nose, instead of a bone.
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| FIG. 27.—(Scale ⅓) |
This necklace (Fig. 27) was very common many years ago; but the only examples I have seen have been obtained in the western districts of Victoria. It is formed of a long strip of well-dressed kangaroo skin, to which are attached the teeth (incisors) of the kangaroo.[1] Each tooth is fastened to a small piece of skin by the tail sinews, and is neatly fixed to the long strip by knots passed through incisions. The skin is stained with red-ochre; and the contrast of colors is not unpleasing. The specimen here figured is in the possession of Mr. E. von Guerard, the well-known landscape painter.
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| FIG. 28. |
The reed-necklace (Fig. 28) commonly worn by the Australian females (and not seldom by the males) is named Jah-kul by the natives of Lake Hindmarsh, and Kor-boort or Tarr-goorrn by the natives of the Yarra. The reed is called Djarrk. Pieces of reed—in length from a half to three-quarters of an inch—
- ↑ Dr. Gummow informs me that the incisor teeth of the lower-jaw of the kangaroo—such as are used for a necklace of this kind—are named Lean-now.
