families, all the members of each having the same family
name. The principal families are the Ballaroke, the Tdon-
darup, the Ngotok, the ffagarnook* the Nogonyuk, the
Mongalung, -and the Narrangar.# These family names prevail
over a great part of the continent-; persons bearing one
or another of the above designations are found on the western
coast over a tract of country »between four and five hundred
miles in length. In South Australia Captain Gray met a man
who said he belonged to one of them ; and Flinders mentions
Y ungar-Ce, a native ■ of the Gulf of Carpentaria. - Chip tain
Gray informs us that the names are inherited om the female
line, the children of either »sex taking the family >naÉ®e Of the
motheiylike the ehddren of the »Nairs of Malabar^ and ih i t
this is the foundation of a-law prevailing through allr the
known Australian tribes, according to» which- a mâncannOt
marry a woman of his own family name.f r
Each family among the Australians adopts Sonàe » animal > of
plant as a kind of badge or armorial emblem, or; as
call it, their kobong. A certain iraystérioue?codneéhofi>i&^ts
between a family and its kobong, so thaCa membêr é f the
family will not kill an animal or pluck any plant of the
species to which his kobong belongs, except under particular
circumstances. This institution again,1 which in sonie respect
resembles the Polynesian tabu, though.' founded * On a
different principle; bas its counterpart in the customs. of the
native Americans. Captain Gray, observes, citing Mr. Gallatin,
that among the Hurons the first tribe is that of the bear ; the
two others, those of the wolf and turtle. The Iroquois have thè
same divisions, and the Turtle family is divided into the Great
and Little Turtle. The Sioux are named on a similar prin-
* Besides these" family names there àré the following local names, or names
belonging to some -particular branch of the chief families, the principal
of which known to-Captain Gray are as follows;.—Dittaroke, Gwerrinjoke,
Maleoke, Waddaroke, Djekoke, Kotojumeno, Namyungo, Yungaree.
t Captain Gray has observed l ie very remarkable coincidence which exists
between the Australians and many tribes of American Indians in regard to
their complex and singular institution^. He refers to Mr. Gallatin’s synopsis.
To this subject I shall advert when I proçged to the history of the American
nations.
eiple. According to* Major 'Long,-u one part of the superstition
of these savages consists in each man having some
< totam ’ or favourite spirit, which he believes to watch over
him. The foto».assumes the shape of some beast, and therefore
they never kill or eat the animal whose form they suppose
their totam to bear/’ y
We learn from the same writer that the* Australians have
laws relativetto property* ini lands.| Landed» iprop^ty i does not
belong to a tribél o r. to several families; but to a single man,
and the limits of eacb person’s^estate are well defined.;
Captain Gray cites the authority of Dr. Lang in illustration
of the above • remark. “ It isv well known,unsays Dr; Lafig,
that these-- aborigines in mo in staneex feudtivate the» soil, but
•subsist entirely by hunting and fishing, and on wild reotswith a
little*wüd ,honey; iTbe whole * raceds divided into r ®aorè
or less numerous, who are designated from the localities which
they- -inhabit;;- for- although universally a wandering-race,- these
wanderings are » circumscribed by certainIwell-defined limits
Jheyond which they-seldom »»pass'except i|mwar^o«i;fe§tkity»
In shofto every ntrib© basf:#SH-feöé :-#striset,->an<i within that
district ^ :the vwilcl animals -afe»considered the; property of the
bribe:wandering eye®its srpfaöe; aa-stridtlyias flocks of sheep
on cattlemrp considered the property mf their owners*
. But-nobj only are particular;districts the property,of particular
tribes: particular »sections of these distiictsare universally
»recognised by the natives-as the|property of individual
members of these tribes* and this includes1 all the animals
that live uponthesöil. The :idea-!of property in .the-, soil fo r
hunting purposes is universal among the aborigines,”? -
The social
extent of polygamy among them. Hence the custom of
stealing wives, and the jealous supervision which is exercised
over his seraglio by the husband,-or proprietor.”
Like other savage as well as many civilised nations, the
Australians have a superstitious belitef in magicians or Sorcerers.
They are termed Boyl-yas. Their supposed powers
have ereat influence on their minds and ... • o actions. All natural
* Gray’s Australia, vol. ii. p. 235.