Identifier: amongcannibalsac1889lumh (find matches)
Title: Among cannibals; an account of four years' travels in Australia and of camp life with the aborigines of Queensland;
Year: 1889 (1880s)
Authors: Lumholtz, Carl, 1851-1922 Anderson, Rasmus Björn, 1846-1936, tr
Subjects: Ethnology Natural history
Publisher: New York, C. Scribner's sons
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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chestra, and gradually approach thelatter. Their twists and turns keep time with the music,and they continually give forth a grunting sound with accentsin harmony with the music and their own movements.Near the orchestra they suddenly pause, scatter for a moment,and then begin again as before. The music was quick and not very melancholy; themonotonous clattering, the hollow accompaniment of thewomen, the grunting and the heavy footfall of the men,reminded me, especially when I was some distance away fromthe scene, of a steam-engine at work. While both the music and the song are an endless repetitionof the same strophes, the dance has a few variations. Nowand then a different figure is presented. One of those figureslooked very well. Six men marched to the music in closedranks, accompanying the rhythmical tramping of their feetwith blows to the right and left with tomahawks andboomerangs. In other figures they presented a variety ofcomical movements, With arms akimbo, they spread their
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XIX ■ A PRIMITIVE PANTOMIME 239 knees as far apart as possible, and jumped and grunted intime with the music. The dance was utterly childish, but it interested me toobserve that they had a somewhat different programme for eachevening. They several times produced what might be calleda pantomime, but, as I did not quite comprehend it, I cannotfully describe it. On the open side of the square, oppositethe music, a sort of chamber was constructed, where the chiefperformers made their toilets and kept themselves concealeduntil the performance commenced. When it was time tobegin the pantomime, they rushed forth, all more ornamentedthan usual with ochre spots of different colours over theirwhole bodies, and with false beards and hair made of fibresof wood. They took their places in line with the otherdancers, and with the usual twists and turns and keepingtime with the music, marched up to the orchestra, where theypaused for a moment. Then they formed in two long lines,opposite each other,

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