Author(s): Baldwin Spencer

Australian Studies

This is a comprehensive ethnography of the Australian Aborigines of Northern Australia, particularly the group known as the Kakadu, and the tribes of Melville Island. This is one of about half a dozen ethnographies written before the destruction of the Australian traditional cultures. Chapters include: Social Organisation and Marriage Regulations; Initiation Ceremonies; Totemic Systems and Totem Groups; Sacred Sticks, Bull-Roarers, and Ceremonial Objects; Burial and Mourning Ceremonies; Magic and Medicine; Beliefs in Regard to the Origin of Children; Traditions Concerning Imberombera, The Great Ancestor, And Also Other Ancestors Of The Kakadu Nation; Various Traditions, Customs and Beliefs; Food Restrictions; Weapons and Implements; Clothing and Ornament; and, Decorative Art.