As, a water vessel, to mix their drinks and medicines in, they used
Binguies or Coolamons, a deep, canoe-shaped vessel cut out of solid
wood, carved sometimes and painted, a string handle to it. They used
little bark vessels to drink out of, like shallow basins, cut from
excrescences on eucalyptus trees; these were called wirree. A larger
bark vessel they used for holding water, honey, or anything liquid.
While on the subject of personal decoration I forgot the Moobir, or
cuts on the bodies, some of which are tribal marks, some marks of
mourning, some merely of ornamentation. Both men and women are seen
with these marks in the Narran district; some huge wales on the skin
from the shoulders half-way down the back, some on the chest and the
forepart of the arms. They are cut with a stone knife, licked along by
the medicine man, filled in with charcoal, and the skin let grow over.
Various reasons are given for these marks: some say they are to give
strength, others as a tribal sign, others just to took pretty.
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