58 MATHEWS — IXITIATIOX IX AUSTRALIAN TRIBES. [March 18, 



the ring and act in the same way. While this reception is being 

 accorded to the men, the women, novices and children go into the 

 camping ground and take up their quarters on the side nearest their 

 own country. 



The men of the newly arrived contingent are next taken along 

 the track to the sacred ground, and are shown all the markings in 

 the soil and on the trees, the earthen figures in high relief, and 

 the fire, at each of which they dance and give a shout. They then 

 start along the tracks of the emu, some men being on one side and 

 some on the other, the front men pretending to be following the 

 marks in the ground. They make short grunt-like exclamations as 

 they run along and all the other men follow in a body. On reach- 

 ing the figure of the emu, they all give a shout and dance round on 

 the clear space before referred to. 



They next assemble around the eeteemat and are shown the luar- 

 rangooringa, on the roots of each of which an old man is sitting 

 performing magical feats. Some of the headmen enter the ring 

 dancing and singing round the heaps of eartli and the warrangoo- 

 ringa, after which the two men descend from the latter and join the 

 others. All the wizards or '* doctors" take their turn at produc- 

 ing rock-crystals, blood, string and other substances from different 

 parts of their bodies. After each trick, these clever fellows run 

 with their heads down amongst the men who are standing outside 

 the ring, who jump around to get out of their way. At the conclu- 

 sion of these performances all the men go back along the track, and at 

 about, say fifty yards from the burbiing, they are met by the novices, 

 who join the procession, taking their places with the men of their 

 own sectional division/ who enter the ring and dance round a few 

 times, naming remarkable localities in their several districts, their 

 totems, etc., and the women, who are standing around outside, 

 throw handfuls of leaves at them, after which they all disperse to 

 their respective quarters. 



A week or two, and in some cases a much longer time, elapses 

 between the arrival of the first contingent and the last mob who 

 have been invited from the surrounding districts, so that the earlier 

 arrivals have a good while to wait at the main camp. During this 

 period carraborus are held almost every fine night, the different 

 tribes present taking their turn at providing the evening's amuse- 

 ment. The men go out hunting every day and the women proceed 



^ Joiirn. Roy. Soc. A". S, Wales, xxxi, 169. 



