The Customs and Traditions of the Aboriginal Natives of North Western Australia by John G. Withnell

WHENEVER the natives congregate for an purpose they always have amusements of all kinds and a grand ball called a "Corroborie," which everyone attends. The men dress as follows: The body is greased, and then stripes of white down feathers, red ochre, white pipe clay, and charcoal are affixed to and painted on the body perpendicularly, but on the thighs the stripes are horizontal. The hair is dressed with white feathers and wood shavings. In each hand is carried a stick about two feet long with shavings along them at regular intervals. They wear a bunch of emu feathers on each arm and a larger bunch fastened as an appendage to the back of the belt. The master of ceremonies is also in full dress, but has his head-dress of shaved sticks, laced and interlaced with spun hair, to which are adhered down feathers. The songster has two flat smoothly-hewn thin half-circles of wood called "Coyleys." These are held one in each hand and beaten together like the rattling of bones in a christy minstrel performance, excellent time being kept. When the song starts the men are about twenty feet away. The M.C. rushes out to the front followed by the whole company in single file, who then dance into a square. At times they are four deep and at others eight, and they are clever in forming squares and changing into lines so readily. They have no partners. Each raises his foot at the same moment about two feet high and brings it down with great force. The soil is usually soft, and the thud caused by so many feet striking the earth at the same time can be heard some distance away. The women join in the dance on the outer edge, but they do not lift their feet as the men do, keeping time by gliding from right to left, their arms swinging to time also. The women do not dress for the occasion. At the close of the dance the men shake their bodies as though shivering with extreme cold, and whoever can thus rid himself of the most feathers is considered the best dancer.

For pastime they throw the coyleys, which owing to their peculiar shape return to the spot from whence they were thrown after taking two or more complete circles in the air. They also throw their spears for practice at something soft, such as a light sheet of bark at about 15 to 20 yards. Their game, however, is usually speared at a much shorter range. They pick sides and throw blunted miniature spears at each other. They can either dodge these spears or turn them off with a small stick held in the left hand, and they seem to enjoy this sport immensely. After sharpening these spears they throw along the ground round pieces of gum bark with all the speed they can, and as the bark passes by, those on the opposite side have to spear it while in motion, but as they have no way of counting neither side wins or loses. They cannot count above three, their numeration being as follows: "Cungerie," one; "Coothera," two; "Bruggo," three. They also find amusement in a programme of songs in which all take part. For keeping time they use their throwing stick, which has a number of small notches on its side for this purpose. With a two-pronged stick they scrape three beats, as up, down, up, along the small notches. At other times they mark time by clapping their hands together.