What is "kurdaitcha"

n. 1 (context Australia English) An aboriginal evil spirit; a sorcerer. 2 (context Australia English) An expedition taken to heal or avenge someone afflicted by evil sorcery. 3 (context Australia English) A man chosen to go on such an expedition. 4 (context Australia English) The boots worn by someone on such a mission, typically made from emu feathers.

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.