ambua

A form of women's magic. When for any reason she desires to injure a man she first of all blows on her fingers (ittha ambiningua) and then claws the air, moving her hand up and down with jerks towards the man as he leaves his camp, taking very good care of course that neither he nor any one else sees what she is doing. After this he gradually wastes away; his eyes sink into his head and his muscles wither away until he is a mere skeleton.

To injure another woman, her enemy has recourse to a form of magic called ittha atuminna or yam-stick magic.

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References

Source

  • Spencer, Sir Baldwin. (1904). Northern Tribes of Central Australia. London: Macmillan, p. 745.

This article incorporates text from Northern Tribes of Central Australia (1904) by Sir Baldwin Spencer, which is in the public domain.