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If a man drinks the draught, unless he is made Marahgoo, he dies. Each totem is warned by its bird sub-totems of the coming of Marahgoo, and after such a warning tribes take care, if wise, to stay in camp; or should a man go out, he will smear his face with black, and put rings of black round his wrists and ankles, and probably have a little charm song sung over him.
'Boyjerh' relations, as those on the father's side are called, are not so important as on the mother's side, but are still recognised. Now for the great Dhe, or totem system, by some called Mah, but Dhe, is the more correct. Dinewan, or emu, is a totem, and has amongst its multiplex totems' or 'sub-totems' Bohrah, the kangaroo, is another totem, and is considered somewhat akin to Dinewan.
Thus, there is a limited and modified shape of the central and northern belief in reincarnation, and there is a great development of what are called by Mr. Howitt 'sub-totems, which have been found most in a region of Northern Victoria, to the south of the Euahlayi.
Iguanas burrow into the soft sand ridges and there remain during the winter, only coming out after the Curreequinquins butcher birds one of their sub-totems, sing their loudest to warn them that the winter is gone, calling Dooloomai, the thunder, to their aid lest their singing is not heard by their relations, who after the storms come out again in as good condition as when they disappeared.
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