“Cape Catastrophe.”—The South point of Port Lincoln district. Here Captain Flinders had the misfortune to lose a boat’s crew, hence its ominous name.
“Cooey.”—A loud call.
“Cut their arms.”—To this may be added, singing the hair off the head with live coals, putting a large mass of white clay on the head, and smearing the body over with the same, as signs of mourning for the dead.
“Corrobbories.”—Simply a play, and the highest, both in scope and character of all their amusements. It is generally performed at night, but occasionally in the day. The words sung are frequently meaningless, or handed down from so remote a period as to have lost all meaning. The corrobbory in the text is literally translated. Any incident, comic or grave, trivial or important, may form the words of a corrobbory. The song rarely exceeds two lines.
“Cowee.”—Water—the sea.
“Gunya.”—Hut—the same as wurley.
“Heaven’s bridegroom.”—In the native mythology, the sun is a woman, and the moon a man. The former beats the latter till he dies; but dying, he revives, and this goes on for ever hence the phases of the moon.
“Kokunya.”—The curlew, said at times to be inhabited with the spirit of death. If a native dreams of his visitation, he dies.
“Kuttas.”—Implements for digging.