Typed and handwritten notes about the Kurnai
Transcription - Page 5
the totems (Bai-Kain) of [the- crossed out] Kongalu tribe descend from
mother to child. The [usual - crossed out] proper question in
inquiring for the totem of an individual of this
tribe is "ye ngundi uno bai kain"?" that is "of
what flesh is your totem?
Whilehowever the descent of the totem, as well as
of the class and subclass is from mother to child,
that of the father is used by the male child as its
Bu-in, and [that - crossed out] is the name by which it is addressed
by the young people. But this is not the [personal - crossed out]
group totem - which is the Bai Kain.
Here we may perhaps recognise one of the steps
which have led to the [transfer- crossed out] introduction
of male descent.
The thundung gave warning of danger to its bramung younger brother
who had some song perculiar to himself by which he
nursed his elder brother when sick. Such was the
song of [one man that - crossed out] the man figured in illustration here -
whose Thundung is Yalmerai or shark. The song
is as follows (1) Thurwaang ngarndok - clean your
teeth, ngurka bunda [the open sea, There - crossed out]
[last two words mean- crossed out] Ngurk is the back of anything
as ngurka-wurka - a ridge or hill - or a
wide space as in this case the wider or open sea.
The Revd John Bulmer, who kindly made further
enquiries for me, said that the term "clean your" teeth
refers to the Shark's teeth which were tied to the
forehead of the patient when this song was sung.
In the game of Dilk [that is ball play - crossed out] the ball
was thrown to a person of the same "Jiak" or flesh, that
[otherwise the - crossed out] was of the same totem.
[written in left side margin]
"Girrornbah"
Queensland
Dec 28 1895
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