BLACK MAGIC

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11834, 16 January 1933, Page 2

BLACK MAGIC

‘•CURES” AND :CURSES OF THE ABORIGINES.

TJie aboriginal'doctors, or Wqr-raaps! exercise,d ~tremendous power over 1 t}ie blacks "of Australia, writes Gordon Leqki© in the “Afelbourne Argus”. A AYer-raap was “apholhte.tl!» liy Len-ka-moor (the Great Bpirit) in. some dia taut and lonely part of the brush, where no one could confirm or, what was more important to the AVer-raap deny the appointment. . .From that Ray the Jjfo pf .the AVer-raap was one of indolent easo. Ho had unlimited power, for even .the chiefs feared him. He confidently ■'."claimed power over life, death, and the weather,' Although his 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 liia “death curses’' had a

powerful influence on primitive minds. The AVerraaps showed great cunning in establishing confidence 'in their “super-natural” powers. A story is told of Kollorlook, normally a most active, young, Goulburn black, who crawled in from a hunting expedition so weak that, when he reached the camp, he callapsed in a coma. It was thought that ho was about to die. The old men of the tribe isat in a circle about hirn, the middle-aged men formed another circle, and the youths a third circle. Urgent messengers were sent to a certain learned Werraap known to the white .settlers as “Malcolm”. • Malcolm arrived, and, having .examined tfie unconscious '-Ko!larlook, declared that a wild spirit, had stolen the poor fellow's kidney fat, which the aborigines regard in much the same way as we regard the isoul. Malcolm claimed to be able to fly like an eagle, and ho announced liis intention of’ flying through the night in pursuit of the wiki spirit. He first warned the men of the tribe not to leave Eoiiarlook lest the spirit should return and do him further harm. PURSUING THE SPIRITS. This advice was a stratagem to prevent any curious black from discovering his ruse. The tribesmen sat obediently around Eoiiarlook, and Malcolm vanished into the darkness. After a period of silence the men the topmost branches of the trees rustling and shaking violently. Oft repeated calls of ‘’‘Goo-goo-goo' 1 from various trees indicated Malcolm’s relentless pursuit. of the wild spirit. .Finally, after almost an hour’s intensive .flying. Malcolm announced his return by a great 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.” Malcolm then approached silently from t]ie darkness—pounced on poor Kollarlook, and, after having pummelled and rubbed him for about 10 minutes, pronounced a complete cure. If a relapse had occurred the AA erraap would have explained that th e wild spirit had restolen the kidney fat. If the patient had died it would have been because the spirit had devoured the kidney fat before the AVer-raap could recover it. j Another form of “cure” was sometimes undertaken by the Wer-raaps, The patient, having complained cf a pain m the stomach, excited the sympathy of tlie tribe' by writhing on the ground. The AYer-raap, calling on Len-ba-moor for assistance, clutched the patient’s flesh with his hands and released it with expressions of disgust. At last lie rwas successful ! He produced a handful of stones and sticks which, lie declared, the wild spirit had placed in the patient to make him sick. The patient, fearing to contradict, the AYer-raap, pretended to be cured, and, if the illness were merely indigestion, he recovered naturally in a few da vs.

An- example of- the" blacks’ faith’ intheir doctors was provided by AAmiigu, a member of the Yam Yana tribe. Wongn attended the Melbourne Hospital, ,where he was operated upon for ophthalmia. The operation was successful, hut he was discharged still blind, for, as is usual with this operation, it; takes several days for the sight to return. AA’onga did not understand Dus, and he consulted ‘Tall Boy,” a. noted AA’er-ranp, who >etended to extract three straws ip-ni the back of' AYonga’s head. On the next day AA’onga could see, and on the day after his sight was almost, nor-, ngal. To hits death he treasured the three straws, and tjiq belief that ‘‘Tall ‘.80y,” and not the hospital surgeon, bad regained his sight for him. Cursing is no less a part of a \A 1 rraap’s practice than curing. /Death curses are cast in a variety of ways. (Hero- is a popular “prescription” : Take a piece of green bark in the left hand and scoop up about a pound of Hot ashes. Cast tjie ashes in the direction of the enemy and, singing the curse prescribed by the AYer-raap, invoke the spirits and all the birds of tlio air to carry the ashes and hurl them on to the doomed rnan. Then,; according to the Wer-raap, he wi’J; wither up like the searched hark; and die. Pain is inflicted on a distant .enemy by making a model of the part of his body to be afflicted, and heating it slowly before a fire. A favorite method of inflicting death, or pain, is to obtain some of tlie,enemy’s property, preferably weapons or uair, and burn them slowly in n bag, enumerating, meantime, the particular pains desired.

A STORY OF BARAK.

Before lie reformed Barak, last chief! of the Yarra:.. Yarra .tribe, was given to over-indulgence whenever lie could obtain intoxicating liquor. After one bout lie became ill, and be declared 'the cause to be sorcery. He believed that the blacks of Gippsiand were using his spears to do:him evil, hnd he ordered Punty, a Gippsiand black, who was in tli e district to return to Gippsiand. Punty refused. -Barak sneaked behind f 3?,uhty, cut off; a .kick of ;,liis threatened;, to burn .it.if he .did. mot,do as he. ,wasi told. A fight ensued which necessitated official interference. A white oil!' cial ordered the hair to be ..giyen to him, ’ and.,in .ap .effort to enlighten: .the ;-ab;origines K - he : offered Barak . ...aj lock .of bis .own hairime“heffedtßaraki

to do him harm. Barak would not accept the challenge on the ground tjliat lie had no power over white men, but when, shortly after, Punty died, nothing would convince Barak that it avas from natural causes.