Burnt woman of the mission: Gender and horror in an aboriginal settlement in Northern New South Wales

Abstract

My partner’s cousin isn’t from here, but he was visiting the mission. We had a black car here. He was a bit drunk and he slept in it one night, while we slept inside with the kids. Later, he told us there had been a woman knocking on the window of the car. It was Burnt Woman! She was standing sideways, showing the pretty side of her face, and she got him out of the car. She made him follow her, all the time showing him her pretty side. He was in a trance! Next thing, he woke up over there, near the shed down there, a long way from here. She’d captured him and was taking him away. He must have snapped out of it and realized who she was, because she turned around and showed him the burnt side of her face. He bolted back up here and locked himself in the car! Next morning he told us that there’d been this pretty girl knocking on the window, saying “Come on. Come on." She had long black hair; she was very pretty. She kept tempting him, but he sure got a fright when she turned around!.