Kurdaitcha

Kurdaitcha (or kurdaitcha man) is a ritual "executioner" in Australian Aboriginal culture (specifically the term comes from the Arrernte people). The word is also used by Europeans to refer to the shoes worn by the Kurdaitcha, woven of feathers and human hair and treated with blood. The indigenous name for the shoes is interlinia in Northern Australia and intathurta in the South. Other spellings of Kurdaitcha are Cadiche and Kadaitcha.

Among traditional Indigenous Australians there is no such thing as a belief in natural death. All deaths are considered to be the result of evil spirits or spells, usually influenced by an enemy. Often, a dying person will whisper the name of the person they think caused their death. If the identity of the guilty person is not known, a "magic man" will watch for a sign, such as an animal burrow leading from the grave showing the direction of the home of the guilty party. This may take years but the identity is always eventually discovered. The elders of the mob that the deceased belonged to then hold a meeting to decide a suitable punishment. A Kurdaitcha may or may not be arranged to avenge them. The practice of Kurdaitcha had died out completely in Southern Australia by the 20th century although it was still carried out infrequently in the North. The practice, in regard to bone pointing by itself, does continue into modern times albeit very rarely.

An Illapurinja, literally "the changed one", is a female Kurdaitcha who is secretly sent by her husband to avenge some wrong, most often the failure of a woman to cut herself as a mark of sorrow on the death of a family member. Believed to be entirely mythical, the fear of the Illapurinja would be enough to induce the following of the custom.

The name Kurdaitcha is also used by Europeans to refer to the oval shoes worn by the Kurdaitcha. The Indigenous name for the shoes are interlinia in Northern Australia and intathurta in the South. The shoe is basically a mat of feathers mixed with human blood in such a way that the blood can not be detected and even a close examination does not reveal how the feathers remain stuck together. The upper surface is covered with a net woven from human hair. An opening in the centre allows the foot to be inserted. It is taboo for any woman or child to see them and when not in use are kept wrapped in kangaroo skin or hidden in a sacred place. Although they may be used more than once they usually don't last more than one journey. When in use, they are decorated with lines of white and pink down and are said to leave no tracks.

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