| 194 10
By Revd John Bulmer from Jenny Cooper the last survivor of
the Omeo tribe.
This tribe called itself Ya-it-ma-thang,
probably from Yayow=yes. The class divisions
[In this - crossed out] Eaglehawk and crow existed here
but under this peculiar form that all the men
were Merūng and all the women Yŭkenbrūk
thus [approximating - crossed out] being parallel to the class divisions of the
Kŭrnai and at the same time retaining
the primary divisions common on the
Murray River waters. [That these class divisions - crossed out]
[were not the - crossed out] It is however evident from further
statements that there were other rules relating
to and restricting marriage. [In cases of elopement - crossed out]
[by an unmarried woman the man with whom - crossed out]
In cases where a man eloped with an unmarried
woman, he was beaten by her relatives who
however frequently permitted him to retain her.
In cases where a man persisted in keeping
a woman when the tribe was against it
the people would most likely kill him (Jenny
Cooper said "choke him"). For mere
cohabitation satisfaction was taken by thrashing
the offender.
At times when there were great gatherings
of the tribe wives were exchanged. This was
also practiced for the purpose of averting
some fancied calamity, as for instance
where they observed a great display of the
Aurora Australis, or where some
great meteoric shower was seen.
Such phenomena were supposed
by them to herald some great
calamity.
[written in left side margin]
Bulmer
Omeo
Tribe
Boundaries
Elopement
Exchange of wives
Aurora
or calamities | 194 10
By Revd John Bulmer from Jenny Cooper the last survivor of
the Omeo tribe.
This tribe called itself Ya-it-ma-thang,
probably from Yayow=yes. The class divisions
[In this - crossed out] Eaglehawk and crow existed here
but under this peculiar form that all the men
were Merūng and all the women Yŭkenbrūk
thus [approximating - crossed out] being parallel to the class divisions of the
Kŭrnai and at the same time retaining
the primary divisions common on the
Murray River waters. [That these class divisions - crossed out]
[were not the - crossed out] It is however evident from further
statements that there were other rules relating
to and restricting marriage. [In cases of elopement - crossed out]
[by an unmarried woman the man with whom - crossed out]
In cases where a man eloped with an unmarried
woman, he was beaten by her relatives who
however frequently permitted him to retain her.
In cases where a man persisted in keeping
a woman when the tribe was against it
the people would most likely kill him (Jenny
Cooper said "choke him"). For mere
cohabitation satisfaction was taken by thrashing
the offender.
At times when there were great gatherings
of the tribe wives were exchanged. This was
also practiced for the purpose of averting
some fancied calamity, as for instance
where they observed a great display of the
Aurora Australis, or where some
great meteoric shower was seen.
Such phenomena were supposed
by them to herald some great
calamity.
[written in left side margin]
Bulmer
Omeo
Tribe
Boundaries
Elopement
Exchange of wives
Aurora
or calamities |
EN