IDNO

LS.109198.TC1

Description

On Catalogue Card: “Australia.
Warramunga.
Burial Customs. Visit to a tree-grave at sunrise, a few days after the death of a man, to try and discover some clue to the supposed murderer. The men in the tree are examining the body.”

On Catalogue Card for duplicate print P.410.ACH1: “Men examining a corpse in a tree-burial. North T.C.A. fig.140. Warramunga.”

Group of five Waramanga (Warramunga) men, climbing in a tree to examine the grave of a man who has been murdered and to discover some clue to the supposed murderer. The bark of the tree is silvery white. One man is holding a boomerang in his back. Another man’s back is still decorated with white down from a corrobboree that was held earlier. One of the men has a chilara (head band).
The landscape consists of high grasses and small trees [WV 19/2/2009, from record P.410.ACH1, JD 24/8/2012]

Place

Oceania Australasia; Australia; Central Australia

Cultural Affliation

Warramunga

Named Person

Photographer

Baldwin Spencer, Walter; or Gillen, Francis James

Collector / Expedition

Northern Tribes of Central Australia fieldwork by Baldwin Spencer, Walter and Gillen, Francis James [March 1901 - March 1902]

Date

March 1901 - March 1902

Collection Name

Teaching Slide CollectionHaddon Unmounted Collection

Source

?Haddon, Alfred Cort (Dr)

Format

Lantern Slide Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Publication: Image published in Baldwin Spencer, W. and F. J. Gillen, 1904. The northern tribes of central Australia. (London), p. 528, fig. 140 with the following caption:
“Visit to tree grave at sunrise, a few days after the death of a man, to try and discover some clue to the supposed murderer. Warramunga tribe. The men in the tree are examining the body” [WV 19/2/2009]

Photographer: Note in Baldwin Spencer, W. and F. J. Gillen, 1927, p. xiii states all photos were taken by the authors. [WV 23/1/2009]

Cultural Group: Baldwin Spencer and Gillen describe the Waramanga [Warramunga] nation as including the Warramunga, Worgaia, Tjingilli, Umbaia, Bingongina, Walpari, Wulmala, and Gnanji tribes. (Baldwin Spencer, W. and F. J. Gillen, 1904. The northern tribes of central Australia. (London), p. 75). [WV 10/2/2009]

Context: The visit to a tree grave is described as follows by Baldwin Spencer and Gillen:
“The next ceremony consists in a visit to the tree grave, made by men and women standing in the following relationship to the dead man: - Mother, father’s brother, wife’s brother, wife’s father, sisters, and mother’s elder brother. They walk, as usual, in single file, and approach very quietly in the hope of seeing the spirit of the murderer hovering over the remains of his victim. Then they march round and round the tree singing out loudly, “ah! ah! ah!” and after placing fresh bough on the body return to camp. In the case of the Tjunguri man the first visit was paid three days after his death by five men, two of whom were brothers, a father, and a wife’s father. We left camp at 3. A.M., just before dawn. The father and wife’s father sneaked across the plains, travelling in a more or less direct line towards the grave, while the others, with whom we went, followed a very roundabout course. For two miles we walked quietly along the bed of a creek, the high banks of which prevented us from being seen by any one on the plain, on which the two men who had gone on ahead of us dodged about from shrub to shrub. The object of all this secrecy was to catch sight of the grave without, if possible, alarming the spirit of the murderer, if it should happen to be hovering around. As we stole quietly across the plain from the creek, the natives (and of course we followed their example) took advantage of every bit of scrub, gliding across the open ground from one patch of shelter to the next, until we were all within sight of the tree. There was, however, nothing in the form of anything representing a spirit hovering over the grave, so after the two parties had communicated by means of gesture language, we all came out into the open and approached the tree. A careful search was made round the base in the hope of finding some track, but without any success, and just as the sun rose the younger Tjunguri man climbed up, lifted the bough, and carefully examined the body (Fig. 140). The Tjapertjeri man handed some fresh bough up to him, and when these had been arranged upon the platform we returned to camp, visiting the kakiti on the way.” (Baldwin Spencer, W. and F. J. Gillen, 1904. The northern tribes of central Australia. (London), p. 528, fig. 140). [WV 19/2/2009]