On the cover of Sir James Simpson's book, stamped in gold, is a
central set of six concentric circles, surrounding a cup. From the
inmost circle a groove goes to the circumference of the outer circle
(the circles often occur without this radial groove), and there the
line gives a wriggle, suggesting that the circle was evolved out of a
spiral. Above and below this figure are a similar one with three and
another with four concentric circles; at each side are two-circled and
one-circled specimens with the wriggled line, and two cups and circles
with no wriggle. Now compare fig. 131, p. 631, of Messrs Spencer and
Gillen. Here we have the churinga ilkinia, or sacred rock-drawing, in
red and white, of the honey ant totem in the Warramunga tribe. Here
are, first, seven concentric circles, through the centre of which goes
a straight line of the same breadth (only found among the Warramunga),
while to each extremity are added two concentric circles of small
dimensions, ending in a cross. Around, as on Sir James's cover, are
smaller sets of less numerous concentric circles, exactly like Sir
James's, except for the radial groove which ends in a wriggle. Again
(fig. 124, p. 615), we have two sets of concentric circles with white
dots answering to cups, and, where the third set of circles should be,
is a volute, as at New Grange, in Ireland, and in many other examples
in our islands.
Now, in Central Australia the decorative motives, or analogous motives,
of the permanent rock-paintings are repeated on the small portable
churinga, which are deciphered by the blacks in a religious, or
rather in a mythical, sense. It is, therefore, arguable that the
small portable Scottish cup and circle marked stones, only recently
discovered, bore the same relation to the engravings on permanent
stones, scalps, and boulders as do the Australian churinga to the
Australian sacred rock-paintings. They may have been portable sacred
things.
I have been unable to visit Dumbuck, now in course of excavation, and
have only seen some casts and pen-and-ink sketches sent to me by Mr.
Donnelly. But I have examined the similar objects from Dunbuie, in
the museum at Edinburgh. The antiquaries looked dubiously on them,
because they had seen no such matters before (they might have done so
in Ireland), because a shell, with a very modern scratched face, was
among the finds, and because a few of the markings on one or two stones
look recent and fresh. But I argue that a Dumbarton humourist wishing
to hoax us Monkbarnses would hardly 'salt' an old site with objects
unknown to Scottish antiquaries, yet afterwards discovered in Central
Australia. How could the idea occur to him? A forger would forge things
known, such as flint weapons; he would not forge novelties, which,
later, are found to tally with savage sacred things in actual use.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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