PLATE XXXVII
The sacred “Etominja,” Arunndta tribe.
“If, peradventure, an unauthorized person happens upon the sanctified place, he is killed and buried immediately beneath the spot occupied by the design; ...”
The Australian tribes, without exception, believe in the existence of an evil spirit, or Demogorgon, who prowls their camps at night. It is on this account that natives are loth to leave the glare of the camp-fire, fearing they might be caught and injured by the spirit. In reality, they picture this fellow much as we do a ghost. Ordinarily he is invisible, and during the day haunts the graves of the dead tribesmen. At nightfall he opens the grave and walks about under cover of the dead man’s skeleton; the natives often imagine they can hear the bones rattling as he passes near them; and they shudder with fear. It is on this account that they imagine the spirit to be not brown like themselves, but white, the colour of bone. If he catches anybody roaming alone, he will bite his victim in the abdomen and the latter perceives an unpleasant feeling or pain in that region. So far as one can ascertain, the symptoms of this damage are those of an acute attack of dyspepsia. The Arunndta call this ghost “Iltdana.”
Fig. 9. Charcoal drawing of a Kukadja man named “Mongarrapungja” dancing at a sacred fire with an ancestral female, Pigeon Hole, Victoria River (× 1/3). Tracing.
There is another evil creature which is at large after dark; it is known by the Arunndta as “Erinnja.” It is supposed to have fleshy parts, a tail, and large projecting teeth; it runs like a dog, and possesses only one large toe on each foot. If it catches anybody unawares, it will turn the captive’s head back to front. The natives claim that this monster has a predilection for opening people’s navels with a bone nose-stick. It takes children from their mothers and ties them to trees for the great mythical dogs to feed upon; for this reason the terrified mothers often place meat outside their huts to appease Erinnja’s hunger. The Nangarri or medicine men imagine they can detect the presence of the brute when it is about, and they immediately exhort the people by informing them of the impending mischief.
At times it is necessary to protect a person or party from likely harm or witchcraft emanating from the supposed presence of an evil spirit. It may be that a warrior is indisposed and is anticipating molestation, or a number of men may wish to perform a sacred ceremony during which the evil spirit may be thought an undesirable listener. The Nangarri or medicine man alone has it in his power to exorcise the demon. And after the surroundings have been clarified of all deterrent contamination, he proceeds to mark off an area around the man or party concerned with selected stones which he consecrates. This area, mostly oval or circular in shape, remains a strict taboo to all beyond its confines, and is believed to disenchant any morbid influence the evil spirit may bring to bear upon it. If, in the former case, he wishes to further protect his patient, he places some green gum leaves over the sufferer’s body. Vide [Plate XXXIX].