Birrahmulgerhyerh are blacks with devils in them, who, armed with bags
full of poison-sticks, or bones--called gooweera--are invisible to all
but wirreenuns or wizards. Others are warned of their coming by hearing
the rattle of the gooweeras knocking together. When the
Birrahmulgerhyerh are about, all are warned not to carry firesticks,
which at other times after dark they are never without in order to
scare off spirits, but now such a light would show the
Birrahmulgerhyerh where to point their gooweeras. They are said only to
point these poison-sticks at law-breakers, and even then only against
persons in a strange country. Their own land is down Brewarrina way,
but there they make no punitive expeditions, travelling up the Narran
and elsewhere for that purpose.
The Euloowayi, or long-nailed devils, are spirits which live where the
sun sets. just as the afterglow dies in the sky, they come out
victim-hunting. These Euloowayi demand a tribute of young black men
from the camp, to recoup their own ranks.
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