The Daily Cairo Bulletin

Australian Customs.

The Rearing of Children—Laws of Marriage—Belief in Immortality.

In the Anthropological Section of the British Association Mr. F. Bonney read a paper on "Some Customs of the Aborigines of the River Darling, New South Wales." The lecturer described in some detail the customs of the people with respect to the rearing and training of children. The difficulty of maintaining them led to the practice of exposure, but those infants who were permitted to survive were treated with kindness, and much care was bestowed on their training. The confinement of women was effected with great speed, and little ceremony, the shelter of a tree being sufficient for the purpose. The people were divided into two castes, who were kept rigidly apart from each other; the children followed the rank of the mother. The laws regulating marriage were very strict, and were rarely infringed. At the age of 16 boys underwent a formal initiation into manhood, which was accompanied with painful and disagreeable ceremonies, and which the youths did all they could to avoid. They were smoked almost to suffocation, a tooth was frequently drawn, and other suffering inflicted. Children were called the names of animals, reptiles, birds, or fishes. The youth were frequently betrothed before initiation, and had great liberty of choice: the feelings of the maidens were little consulted, and they often knew nothing of their future husbands. But marriages were generally happy, and family affection was very strong, although in the presence of strangers they were shy of making any external manifestations. As a rule a man had only one wife, though some were allowed to have two. In the case of sickness the patient and his friends displayed great sorrow and melancholy. When any one died his name was not mentioned for long afterwards. This practice was founded on feeling and not on fear. They had a belief in a future life, and that they would after death go to a land beyond the skies, where they could eat of the flesh and drink of the blood of ducks and animals, and enjoy other sensual pleasures. He had lived among this people and gained their confidence as no other European had. It was a mistake to suppose that the Australian aborigines were only of one race and tribe. There were, in fact, many tribes in Australia, differing widely from each other.