XM672 Interrelations of tribes

The interrelations of the tribes The view to be taken of the interrelations of the tribes depends upon the meaning which we attach to the word tribe. In this work that meaning has been defined as being “the totality of a group of aborigines” – complete in itself; [“- having a -crossed out] [common country, a common.- crossed out] It may perhaps be well to complete the definition by negative – it does not always imply a common country, for it frequently is the case that the classes of a tribe claim each their “hunting ground” (_____Kurnai) “food ground” (taurai-Kamilaroi) [upon- crossed out] encroachment upon which may form a casus belli, it does not always imply a common language for there are cases where a tribe has two or more languages, for instance the Mŭrrin of the Sea coast between Mallagoota and Shoalhaven have – language – the Tūrka +c; [and it does not - crossed out] [always imply a common descent.- crossed out] It may be defined perhaps best by saying that it recognises a common descent from some Eponym; but it cannot be defined by saying either that in it alone exists the right of marriage between its clans, or that this right of marriage is forbidden in itself.’ This “jūs connubri”– or for short connubrium in places extends wider than the tribe itself and defined perhaps the larger aggregate “the nation”.

[written in left side margin] joint faith institutions

?

2 If we take the definition complete in itself” [sic] we must again define this as meaning a group of aborigines which have the common bond of certain ceremonies of initiation in which [the youth - crossed out] of its own youth only have the right of participation and through which they must by necessity pass before acquiring the status of manhood.

the Seacoast Mŭrrin of Moruya, between

The name used for man [underlined] may be taken as a convenient term of definition of each [tribal unit - crossed out] separate tribe. The terms upon which these tribes men stand with other men of surrounding tribes is well seen by the terms which they apply to them. While they call all of their own tribe “men”

3 they call all others by contemptuous, or opprobious names, or names implying that they are feared or dreaded. ‘The Kŭrnai called their neighbours generally Brajerak (wild men) and especially so those of Omeo and Maneroo; they called those of the West Snakes (Thūrūng) +c +c +c The Mŭrrin of Moruya spoke of the Woradjeri people their northern neighbours as Kūnamildan (come in the night); which their Maneroo neighbours, [with whom they had -crossed out] [Connubium -crossed out] were simply “Bimeringal” – Hill men – their Gippsland neighbour south of the Mallagoota Inlet were Gūgangal – Southerners and their [North-crossed out] neighbours up the coast beyond Shoalhaven River Kŭral – Northmen. With all these they had connubium – while there was none between them and the “Kūnamildan”, except that of capture [in warfare or - crossed out] in the warpath. Other names are also significant or used by the following "Ringnoses" "wild men" by the Ikŭla at Eucla Great Australian Bight, "wild men" "men down there" by the Aldolinga Finke River "wild men" by the Naninyeri Murray mouth, "carry fire" by the Mūkjarawaint, +c +c Although each tribe was so to say under taboo towards and from its neighbours, there is evidence that one the extreme boundaries of the tribe where the natural features of the land were not such as to keep them apart the two tribes became fused by intercourse and intermarriage.

4 The Kamilaroi nation in its contact with the Wollaroi and Woradjeri has a fringe of tribal groups where language is "Part Kamilaroi and part Wollaroi"- or "[Woradjeri - crossed out] Kamilaroi and Woradjeri; The Gippsland Kurnai who were hemmed by mountain chains and almost impenetrable stretches of scrub_touched on other tribes only along the immediate coast line, what the relations may have been between the most Western of the Brataulung Kŭrnai and the most Eastern of the Westernport Kūlin - about the country between the Tarwin River and Stockyard creek -cannot now be known as the two clans are totally extinct. On the other side of Gippsland however where the Easternmost Gippsland clan the “Easterners” (Krauatŭn) or Eastern men (Krautŭn Kŭrnai) – men the most southern [of the Murrin - crossed out] clans of the Mŭrrin – it is still possible to trace out some of the main features of the contact. The Krauatun were Kŭrnai and not Mŭrrin; they did not however attend the Initiations of the Kŭrnai but neither did they attend those of the Mŭrrin; they intermarried far in among the other Kŭrnai clans, while they only intermarried with that Mŭrrin clan which was next to them. Yet their name Krauatŭn-gal-lŭng bears a strong trace of both Kŭrnai and Mŭrrin derivation – The Krauatŭn came from the Westward being the extreme offshoot of the Kŭrnai branch of the Kūlin stream; the

[written in left side margin] explain this or see p. where this is discussed

5 Mŭrrin on the other hand were the extreme southern termination of the great migratory stream which it seems followed down the Eastern watershed of the continent and still exists as Mŭrre, Mŭrri, Murrai, Mŭrrin from the Burdekin to Cape Howe. Here then we have some evidence of the partial fusion of the edge of two [widely se - crossed out] tribes widely separated by speech and details of custom, of the establishment of friendly relations and also of the important right of intermarriage in a friendly manner – in fact of the recognition of a “jus connubri”.

Another instance is the Bidwelli tribe which inhabited the dense jungly country lying between the Seacoast and the Genoa and Snowy Rivers northward to the sources of the [Genoa - crossed out] intermediate streams and even extending over the coast range to Bendoc. The language of this tribe shows similarity to those of Maneroo, of Twofold Bay and of Gippsland; Class divisions and totems so far as they can be ascertained corresponded mainly with those of Maneroo, but one of the few [?survivors?] claimed to be a “Yeerung” – the Gippsland totem. The Snowy River Krautŭn, the Maneroo Ngarego, the [Twofold Bay - crossed out] Mallagoota Mŭrrin all intermarried with them and recognised them as Kin to themselves; as one of the Kŭrnai put it the “Bidwelli are half Kŭrnai and half Brajerak.”