1

The organisation of Australian tribes

I use the word tribe as meaning a number of
people who occupy a definite tract of country
who recognize a common relationship [and - crossed out]
who have a common speech or at least dialects
of the same. The tribes people recognize some
common [bod - crossed out] bond which excludes other
neighbouring tribes. Usually this is a tribal
name, which may either be the word in their
language signifying man (that is an aborigine of Australia), as the Kurnai of
Gippsland, or the Wotjo of the Wimmera River,
in the case of the latter usually prefixed to the
word "ballaiull" meaning "people". Or the
name may be derived from the word in the
language signidying either "yes" or "no"
but more frequently the former as the
Woë-worung of the Yarra River, the
prefix signifying "lips" or hence "speech".

But while the individual tribes thus
distinguish themselves from others there is
usually a word, often that [wor- crossed out] for "man" -
which is common to a [larger - crossed out] group of kindred
tribes as for instance the word Kūlin = man
which [marks - crossed out] extends over most of the Eastern half
of Victoria excepting Gippsland.

The distinction is drawn between [the - crossed out] a
tribe and [the - crossed out] alien tribes by some terms
applied to the latter either in contempt or
fear. Thus while the Kurnai speak of themselves
as men they give the name of Brajerak from
Bra=male=man and Jirak=rage or anger or ferocity
to their neighbours to the Eastward namely
the Theddora of the Omeo Tableland, the