Kurdaitcha
Encyclopedia
Kurdaitcha is a ritual "executioner
" in Australia
n Aboriginal
culture. The word is from the Arrernte people
and specifically refers to the shoes worn by the man, woven of feathers and human hair
and treated with blood. Other spellings are Cadiche and Kadaitcha.
." As this term refers to a specific religion, the medical establishment has suggested that "self-willed death," or "bone-pointing syndrome" is more appropriate. In Australia, the practice is still common enough that hospitals and nursing staff are trained to manage illness caused by "bad spirits" and bone pointing.
. A discarded bone from food eaten by the intended victim is collected and shaped into a thin skewer. The eye of a Murray cod
and flesh from a fresh corpse is coated in a paste made from fish oil and red ochre and attached to the end of the bone. The bone is then soaked in liquid from a decomposing corpse. When completed, the bone is placed near a fire until the paste melts and the lump drops off. The victim usually dies which could be from being secretly scratched with the point causing them to die from infection.
Bulk: In Victoria a stone was sometimes used instead of a bone. A Bulk is a round or egg shaped smooth stone used by claimed sorcerers. Usually black or dark blue, the stone was thought to be capable of independent motion and was considered dangerous for anyone apart from the owner to touch or even see. To kill, the Bulk was placed in the fresh faeces
of the intended victim.
Neiljeri: A sharpened bone, usually human, is cut to a length of up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in). It is then inserted into the flesh of a decomposing corpse and left for several weeks after which it is wrapped in hair or feathers and soaked in liquid from the corpse. The victim is then scratched while asleep. If a quicker death was required the bone would be inserted in the anus or mouth of the sleeping victim. This method of murder however would be through causing massive infection, as aboriginies had limited medicines and no antibiotics.
Stealthy murder: A more direct method of killing that requires two people. A thin Kangaroo or Emu bone up to 37 centimetres (14.6 in) in length is split in half lengthwise, then one half is sharpened to an extremely fine point. The shape of the bone forms a semi circular point similar to the Nib
of a pen. One person holds the victim (usually while he sleeps) while a second inserts the bone in the hollow of the neck behind the collarbone
and pushes it down until it pierces the heart. When the bone is withdrawn it leaves a very small semi circular flap of flesh which is then pressed down to seal the wound. The wound does not bleed and is almost invisible. In 1884, two such murders were recorded near Adelaide
and in the early 1970s a 6,000 year old skeleton was unearthed at Roonka, a site 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Blanchetown, South Australia
that had a similar bone still in position within the ribcage. The burial was of a young person of high status but it is unclear if the bone was the cause of death or if it had been used in a ritual post-mortem
after death.
, John Howard
by pointing a bone at him. He is still alive as of 2011.
Executioner
A judicial executioner is a person who carries out a death sentence ordered by the state or other legal authority, which was known in feudal terminology as high justice.-Scope and job:...
" in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
culture. The word is from the Arrernte people
Arrernte people
The Arrernte people , known in English as the Aranda or Arunta, are those Indigenous Australians who are the original custodians of Arrernte lands in the central area of Australia around Mparntwe or Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. The Arrernte tribe has lived there for more than 20,000 years...
and specifically refers to the shoes worn by the man, woven of feathers and human hair
Australian Aboriginal fibrecraft
Australian Aboriginal fibrecraft refers to the various ways Australian Aborigines created fibres traditionally. Materials used depended on where the people lived in Australia.-Bark:...
and treated with blood. Other spellings are Cadiche and Kadaitcha.
Example
The following story is related about the role of kurdaitcha by John Godwin and Ronald Rose:Bone Pointing
The expectation that death would result from having a bone pointed at a victim is not without foundation. Other similar rituals that cause death have been recorded around the world. Victims become listless and apathetic, usually refusing food or water with death often occurring within days of being "cursed." When victims survive, it is assumed that the ritual was not done faultlessly. The phenomenon is recognized as psychosomatic in that death is caused by an emotional response —often fear— to some suggested outside force and is known as "voodoo deathVoodoo death
Voodoo death, a term coined by Walter Cannon in 1942 also known as psychogenic or psychosomatic death, is the phenomenon of sudden death as brought about by a strong emotional shock, such as fear. The anomaly is recognized as psychosomatic in that death is caused by an emotional response—often...
." As this term refers to a specific religion, the medical establishment has suggested that "self-willed death," or "bone-pointing syndrome" is more appropriate. In Australia, the practice is still common enough that hospitals and nursing staff are trained to manage illness caused by "bad spirits" and bone pointing.
Related Rituals
Ngadhundi: Is a ritual from the lower River MurrayMurray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
. A discarded bone from food eaten by the intended victim is collected and shaped into a thin skewer. The eye of a Murray cod
Murray Cod
The Murray cod is a large Australian predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family. Although the species is a called cod in the vernacular, it is not related to the northern hemisphere marine cod species...
and flesh from a fresh corpse is coated in a paste made from fish oil and red ochre and attached to the end of the bone. The bone is then soaked in liquid from a decomposing corpse. When completed, the bone is placed near a fire until the paste melts and the lump drops off. The victim usually dies which could be from being secretly scratched with the point causing them to die from infection.
Bulk: In Victoria a stone was sometimes used instead of a bone. A Bulk is a round or egg shaped smooth stone used by claimed sorcerers. Usually black or dark blue, the stone was thought to be capable of independent motion and was considered dangerous for anyone apart from the owner to touch or even see. To kill, the Bulk was placed in the fresh faeces
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
of the intended victim.
Neiljeri: A sharpened bone, usually human, is cut to a length of up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in). It is then inserted into the flesh of a decomposing corpse and left for several weeks after which it is wrapped in hair or feathers and soaked in liquid from the corpse. The victim is then scratched while asleep. If a quicker death was required the bone would be inserted in the anus or mouth of the sleeping victim. This method of murder however would be through causing massive infection, as aboriginies had limited medicines and no antibiotics.
Stealthy murder: A more direct method of killing that requires two people. A thin Kangaroo or Emu bone up to 37 centimetres (14.6 in) in length is split in half lengthwise, then one half is sharpened to an extremely fine point. The shape of the bone forms a semi circular point similar to the Nib
Nib (pen)
A nib is the part of a quill, dip pen or fountain pen which comes into contact with the writing surface in order to deposit ink. Different types of nibs vary in their purpose, shape and size, as well as the material they are made from.-Quill:...
of a pen. One person holds the victim (usually while he sleeps) while a second inserts the bone in the hollow of the neck behind the collarbone
Clavicle
In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in body that lies horizontally...
and pushes it down until it pierces the heart. When the bone is withdrawn it leaves a very small semi circular flap of flesh which is then pressed down to seal the wound. The wound does not bleed and is almost invisible. In 1884, two such murders were recorded near Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and in the early 1970s a 6,000 year old skeleton was unearthed at Roonka, a site 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Blanchetown, South Australia
Blanchetown, South Australia
Blanchetown is a small township in South Australia, on the bank of the Murray River, 130 km northeast of Adelaide. The Blanchetown Bridge is the western-most of the four crossings of the Sturt Highway over the Murray River. During the nineteenth century it was an important...
that had a similar bone still in position within the ribcage. The burial was of a young person of high status but it is unclear if the bone was the cause of death or if it had been used in a ritual post-mortem
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
after death.
John Howard
In 2004 Native Australians who disagreed with his policies ritually cursed Australian Prime MinisterPrime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
by pointing a bone at him. He is still alive as of 2011.