BLACK MAGIC

Evening Star, Issue 21232, 13 October 1932, Page 1

BLACK MAGIC

“ CURES " AND CURSES OF THE ABORIGINES The aboriginal doctors, or AVe-raaps, exorcised tremendous power over tho blacks of Australia (writes Gordon Lockie). A AVcr-raap was “ appointed ” by Len-ba-moor (tho Great Spirit) in some distant and lonely part of tho Ihusli, where no one could confirm or, | what was more important to the AVeri raap, deny the appointment. From that day the life of the AVer-raap was one of" indolent ease. He had unlimited power, for even the chiefs feared him. He confidently claimed power over life, death, and the weather. Although Ids knowledge of healing was negligible, experts agree that it is probable that “ cures ” were effected by him in cases of mental and nervous disorders, and that his “ death curses ” had a powerful influence on primitive minds. The AVcr-raaps showed great cunning in establishing confidence in their “ supernatural ” powers. A story is told of Kollarlonk, normally a most active young Goulburn black, who crawled in from a hunting expedition 'so weak that when, he reached the camp he collapsed in a coma. ( It was thought that he was about to die". The old men of the tribe sat in a circle about him, the middle-aged men formed another circle, and the youths a third circle. Urgent messengers were sent to a certain learned AVer-raap known to the white settlers as “ Alalcolm.” Alalcolm arrived, and, having examined the unconscious Kollarlook, declared that a wild spirit had stolen'the poor fellow’s kidney fat, which the aborigines regard in nuidh the same way as we regard the soul. Alalcolm claimed to be able to fly like an eagle, and he announced his intention of flying through the night in pursuit of the wild spirit. _ He first warned the men of tho tribe not to leave Kollarlook lest tho spirit should return and do him further harm. PURSUING THE SPIRITS. This advice was a stratagem to prevent any carious black from discovering his ruse. The tribesmen sat obediently around Kollarlook, and Alalcolm vanished into the darkness. After a period of silence the men heard the topmost branches of the trees rustling and shaking violently. Oft-repeated calls of “ Goo-goo-goo ” from various trees indicated Atalcolm’s relentless pursuit lof the wild spirit. Finally, after almost an hour’s intensive flying, Alalcolm announced his return by a groat threshing of branches near the camp. The old men who were seated about Kollarlook immediately chanted several times a sentence, of which the following would be a literal translation; —“ Come —bring back the kidney fat. ■ Make haste.” Alalcolm then approached silently from the darkness—pounced on poor Kollarlook, and, after having pummelled and rubbed him lor about ten minutes, pronounced a complete cure. If a relapse had occurred the I AVer-raap would have explained that i the wild spirit had restoleu the kidney fat. If the patient had died it would have been because the spirit had devoured the kidne£ fat before the AA’erraap could recover it. Another form of “ cure ” was sometimes undertaken by the AVer-raaps. j The patient, having complained of a pain m the stomach, excited the sympathy of the tribe by writhing on the ground. The AVer-raap, calling on Lon-ba-moor for assistance, clutched the patient’s flesh with his hands and released it with expressions of disgust. At last he was successful! He produced a handful of stones and sticks which; he declared, the wild spirit had placed in the patient to make him sick. The patient, fearing to contradict the AVer-raap, pretended to bo cured, and, if tho illness were merely indigestion, lie recovered naturally in a few days. Should the illness prove to be more serious it was the evil power of the wild spirit which was blamed, and not the ignorance of the AVer-raap. An example of the blacks’ faith in their doctors was provided by AVonga, a member of the Yarra Yarra tribe. AA’onga attended the Melbourne Hospital, where he was operated upon for ophthalmia. The operation was successful, but he was discharged still blind, I for, as is usual with this operation, it | takes several days for the sight to reI turn. Wonga did not understand this, ! and heeconsultcd “ Tall Boy,” a noted Wer-raap, who pretended to extract three straws from the back of AA’onga’s head. On the next day AA’onga could see, and on the day after his sight was almost normal. To his death ho treasured the three straws and the belief tliat “ Tall Boy,” and not the hospital surgeon, had regained his sight for him. Cursing is no less a part of a AA’er- ; raap’s practice than curing. Death j curses are cast in a variety of ways, i Hero is a popular “prescription”: | Take a piece ‘of green bark in the left I Hand and scoop up about a pound of | hot ashes. Cast the ashes in the direction of the enemy, and, singing the I curse prescribed by tho AVer-raap, iu- | voice the spirits and all the birds of i the air to carry the ashes and hurl j them on to the doomed man. Then, I according to the AVer-raap, he will j wither up like the scorched bark and' ; die. Pain is inflicted on a distant ; enemy by making a model of the part i of his body to be afflicted and heating |it slowly before a fire. A favourite i method of inflicting death or pain is I to obtain some of the enemy’s property, 1 preferably weapons or hair, and burn i them slowly in a bag, enumerating ; meantime the particular pains desired. j A STORY OF BARAK. ! Before he reformed Barak, last chief 1 of tho Yarra Yarra tribe, was given to ! over-indulgence whenever he could ob--1 tain intoxicating liquor. After one , bout bo became ill, and he declared the ! cause to be sorcery. Ho believed that | tiie blacks of Gippsland were using his 1 spears to do him evil, and lie ordered i Puntv, a Gippsland black, who was in 1 the district, to return to Gippsland. I Punty refused. Barak sneaked behind I Punty, cut off a lock of his hair, and j threatened to burn it it lie did not do |as ho was fold. A fight ensued which 1 necessitated official interference. A I white official ordered tho hair to he | given to him, and in an'effort to enj lighten the aborigines he offered Barak ’ a lock of his own hair. Ho defied Barak to do him harm. Barak would not accept the challenge on the ground (hat Ito had no power over white men, hut when shortly after Punty died nofliiiig would convince Barak that it was from natural causes.