Page:Aboriginesofvictoria02.djvu/30

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14
THE ABORIGINES OF VICTORIA:

are, making allowances for differences of spelling and pronunciation, identical; five have evidently the same roots, and only two are widely different. It will be observed that only a very few words coincide with words of the same meaning in the dialects of the Gippsland tribes.

The people of the Yarra and the coast were separated from the Gippsland tribes by the waters of Western Port, and by dense scrubs extending from the inlets northwards to the southern rim of the Yarra basin. East of Western Port there is a tract of wild country—debatable ground—which was the scene of many battles in former times. It is said that it was held sometimes by the Western Port blacks and sometimes by the tribes inhabiting Western Gippsland.

GIPPSLAND.
English. Bushy Park, Gippsland. Lake Wellington, Gippsland. Lake Tyers, Gippsland.
Man Gun-na Kanny Brah
Woman Woo-gut Wookatt Woorcat
Father Mun-gunn Moonkan Mung-gan
Mother Year-kunn Yackan Yackan
Head Poo-ruk Brook Purk
Hair Leet Litt Lit
Eye Myree Mooeh Mre
Ear Woor-ring Wring Wring
Mouth Kart Gad or Gaad Kaat
Tongue Tallan Tyelling Jelline
Teeth Unduk Ngirrndock Nerndack
Hand Breet Pritt Bret
Finger Laa-ra-breet Pritt Tagara Bret
Foot Tey-yan Tyain Ja-an
Blood Krook Krook Karndobara
Bone Byrng Pring Bring
Sun Woo-run Wurring Wurrin
Moon Nger-run Ngirrang Nerran
Star Pree-eel Breell Brayel
Night Pook-kun Padd-kallack Bookang
Day Woo-run Wurring Wurrin
Fire Tow-war-rar Towr Towera
Earth Turrn Wrack Wark
Stone Wool-lun Walloong Wallung
Tree Kulluk Talk Nappur
Wood Kulluk Mritt Kanby
Snake Too-roo Toorroong Kalang and Thurrung
Eagle Poen-rung Quarrnamarroo Quornamero
Crow Nar-ru-quon Ngarroogall Waygara
Kangaroo Tir-rer Tyirra Jirra

The dialects of the Gippsland tribes show closer affinities with those of the Upper Murray than with those of the Lower Murray; and it may be presumed that Gippsland was peopled from a stream coming either across the Alps or coastwards from the north-east—and not from the stream that followed the