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Description: | Flattened ovoid bone, with a plano-convex cross-section, similar in shape to a bullroarer, and perforated at one end for a suspension string which is made of feathers. It was worn around the neck, with the bone at the back, to avert other bone magic, such as pointing, which was a method of killing enemies. On one face of the bone are groups of straight grooves, in twos, threes and fours. These represent the initiation scars , or 'jibari', cut by the totem group to which the bone belonged.
"The Aboriginal people of Australia had a totemic system of social organisation. Although they belonged to tribal groups they also belonged to totemic groups. These originated from beliefs about a group of original beings, 'the Dreamtime Heroes', who possessed both human and animal characteristics. A human group and an animal group each traced its descent from one of them. So the totemic group had a relationship with the animal group, and each group had totemic rituals, enacted on a regular basis, to ensure the survival of both. Men were initiated into these totemic groups, acquiring knowledge and going through various rituals and ordeals. The process of initiation took some time, starting as a young man and often not fully attained until middle-age. Initiation was made deliberately terrifying and could be accompanied by chanting and beating of sticks. The ordeals included tooth removal, ordeal by fire, circumcision and scarification, usually done by cutting the skin to make a pattern and rubbing in ashes, which produces raised scars. Sometimes women were also initiated. This is a bone pendant given to a boy entering the state of initiation, at which time he was known as 'Kardu', when he became a man, 'waddi'. The bone is a flattened ovoid, with a plano-convex cross-section, similar in shape to a bullroarer, and perforated at one end for a suspension string, made of feathers. On one face of the bone are groups of straight grooves, in twos, threes and fours. These represent the initiation scars , or 'jibari', cut by the totem group to which the bone belonged. The bone was worn around the neck, with the bone at the back, to avert other bone magic, such as pointing, which was a method of killing enemies. The bone comes from Ooldea in the Musgrave and Everard Ranges of South Australia They were collected by Miss Daisy M. Bates, who was a well-known figure in South Australia, interested in Aboriginal culture and a collector of Aboriginal material from the 1930's to the 1970's."
Author: Feilden,Rosemary Date: 2000 Purpose: WS2001
Field collector: Bates, Miss Daisy | License: | http://www.abdn.ac.uk/historic/Copyright_terms_conditions.shtml | Publisher: | ABDUA University of Aberdeen, Marischal Museum | Rights holder: | 47718 | Temporal: | 1850-1891 | Source: | University of Aberdeen | Creator: | Aboriginal Australian | Identifier: | http://calms.abdn.ac.uk/Geology/dserve.e... | Go to resource |
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