1898.] MATIJEWS — INITIATION IN AUSTKALIAN TRIBES. 65 



commence pulling the bushes out of the ground, breaking them 

 smaller and throwing them on the fires as they jump about. The 

 women also assist in breaking the twigs off the boughs and placing 

 them on the fires. By this time a dense smoke is issuing from the 

 burning bushes, and some of the kooringal stand in the smoke 

 around each fire until they are all sufficiently fumigated. A few of 

 the, old headmen stand round directing the proceedings, and the 

 irghindaly assist in throwing bushes on the fires when more smoke 

 is required. While the kooringal are standing on the smouldering 

 boughs, the women come up and rub their hands on them, ostensi- 

 bly to wipe the white paint off them. When the ceremony is over 

 it is getting near sundown, and the kooringal mix with the women 

 and irghindaly, and all of them go into the camp adjacent. 



During the forenoon of the following day the mothers and sisters 

 of the novices, accompanied by some of the men, again muster at 

 the arrowanga, but on this occasion no bough screen is erected, and 

 the women are allowed to see everything which takes place. Some 

 fires are lit and green bushes cut and laid round ready for use. At 

 the camp to which the novices and their guardians went the even- 

 ing before preparations are also made for the approaching cere- 

 mony. The bodies of the boys are smeared over with ashes from 

 the camp fires, and the hair of their heads is singed, to make the 

 women believe that they have been burnt by the evil spirit and 

 have just emerged from the fire. After a mutual interchange of 

 signals that everything is ready at both camps the guardians and 

 novices start forward, marching two and two till they arrive at the 

 arrowanga. As they approach the women shout " Heh ! heh !" and 

 throw pieces of bark over their heads. The irghindaly lay some of 

 the green bushes on the fires and each guardian conducts his novice 

 into the smoke, which curls upward around them both. The 

 mothers of the boys, who have been standing on one side, now ad- 

 vance and rub their open hands over the bodies of their sons, after 

 which they rub their teats on their mouths. The sisters of the 

 novices next step forward and rub their feet on their brothers' 

 ankles. During the whole of this ceremony the novices keep their 

 eyes cast down, and do not look at their mothers or sisters. A 

 signal is now given and they scamper off with their guardians to a 

 camp which has been prepared for them not far away. 



At the conclusion of the ceremonies at the arrowanga all the 

 tribes shift camp to another place, perhaps a few miles away, and 



PKOC. AMEPv. PHILOS. SOC. XXXVII. 157. E. PRINTED MAY 25, 1898. 



