Beliefs

Transcription - Page 5

These beliefs in the customs of the human's
[crossed out - self conscious, as we should put it the human] spirit
after death I have found to be very wide spread, likely
to be universal, among the Australian native tribes. The
Yambo, Murup - or Bulabong - -or whatever we may choose to
term it, clearly represents during life the self consciousness
of the individual. The apparent ability of this self consciousness
to leave the body during sleep for a time, leads up naturally
to a further belief that death is merely its permanent
separation from the body. Moreover as during dreams
the "ghosts" of others who were dead were apparently perceived
the belief is natural that the individual still exists after
death, although generally invisible to the living. This was
brought out very clearly to me by the argument of one of the
Kurnai, whom I asked whether he really thought his
Yambo could " go out" during sleep. He said "It
must be so, for when I sleep I go to distant places, I see
distant people; I even see and speak with those that are
dead."

[Crossed out - such beliefs as these explain]

[Faint text - illegible]

Out of this arises the belief in ghosts, [crossed out - in] whose [crossed out - such] abiding
place may be on the earth or [crossed out - legend the] in the sky country.

There [crossed out - into] they appear to live a life much as do the dwellers
below in times of peace with [crossed out - when] hunting, feasting and
festive gatherings. This would necessarily require the
presence of the elders and among them of one who in
these tribes on earth would be the "great one" - "or great
man" [crossed out - that is the] the Biamban of the [comm- crossed out] tribe (p).
Such a one is evidently [crossed out - the Munyan] pictured in
all the series from Nurele to Baiame.