Min-der-min, etc.
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| FIG. 165. (Actual Size.) |
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| FIG. 166. (Actual Size.) |
The awls or nails (Fig. 165) used by the Aborigines for fastening the skins of animals to bark or wood when they are put out to dry in the sun are of various sizes. Those used for pegging down a large skin are long, and those for the skins of the opossum, native cat, &c., much smaller. They are usually made of the leg-bones of animals. Those made of bone are smoothed, polished, and brought to a fine point. They fashion nails or pegs also of hard wood, the points being made still harder by subjecting them to fire. The native name for nail is Min-der-min or Min-dah-min. The late Mr. Thomas collected a number of the bone-nails. Those used in Victoria are similar to the nails in use in Queensland. The basket lent to me by the late Mr. Matthew Hervey, which was dropped by a woman of the Burdekin tribe, contained amongst other things what appeared to be a hussy. I found in it six bone-awls, one wooden awl or nail, and three pieces of bone shaped like a spatula.—(See Fig. 166.) The bone awls or nails were used to pierce holes in the skins of which, when sewn together, they make rugs, and the spatula-like instrument perhaps for flattening and smoothing the seams. The hussy was a piece of opossum skin tied together with twine spun from the fur of the opossum, and again fastened securely with stronger twine made of some fibre. It contained also two relics—tufts of hair, tied with twine of opossum fur.
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| FIG. 167. (Actual Size.) |
Fig. 167 shows the lancet used by the natives. It is a spine taken from the hinder part of the porcupine (Echidna hystrix). It is strong, tough, and very sharp. I have a number of these spines. They are slightly flexible, and, though many years old, are now quite fit for use. They were used for bleeding and for extracting thorns, pieces of spear-points, and the like. The specimen here figured was at once identified by Professor McCoy, to whom I submitted it for examination.
Kan-nan
The stick used by native women (Fig. 168) is about seven feet in length, from one and a half to two and a half inches in diameter, and seldom less than three or four pounds in weight. It is named Kan-nan or Kon-nung. Saplings of any suitable tree furnishing a tough wood are used for making these instruments.
