1890.] on Manners and Customs of Torres Straits Islanders. 153 



and I did not. It is now in the British Museum. All that I could 

 gather was that it was whirled in the bush and then shown to the 

 lads. Death was the penalty to both if a man exhibited it to a 

 woman, or to any one who had not been initiated. 



Great was my surprise when, shortly afterwards, I saw the Saibai 

 bovs who were staying at the mission station on Mer, inlaying with 

 bull-roarers identical with tne one with which I had been so secretly 

 entrusted. The most sacred emblem in one island was a toy in 

 another. In case some of you may not be acquainted with this 

 most interesting implement, I have brought one of these bull- 

 roarers. 



From these important initiation ceremonies we may pass to 

 others which had a less sacred significance. All the native cere- 

 monies were associated with processions, or with movements of a less 

 regular character, the performers of which were invariably specially 

 dressed for the occasion — usually there was a special costume for a 

 particular rite, one distinguishing feature of which was the wearing 

 of masks or head-dresses. It is convenient to describe these functions 

 as dances ; and a series can be traced extending from the most sacred 

 initiation and funeral dances on the one hand, through the seasonal 

 dances to the war and ordinary festive dances on the other. 



Profanation of the initiation or of the funeral ceremonies was 

 punished with immediate death. In some instances, at all events, 

 dance-masks could only be worn at the appropriate festival ; even 

 the casual putting on of one was supposed to cause slow but certain 

 death. It was my good fortune to witness a seasonal dance at 

 Thursday Island. This was anticipatory of the fishing season during 

 the north-west monsoon. 



The men were clotlied with a petticoat made of the shredded 

 sprouting leaves of the coco-palm, and adorned with various armlets 

 and leglets ; but the striking part of the costume was the mask, of 

 which the lower portion represented a conventional crocodile's head, 

 surmounted by a human face ; above this was a representation of a 

 saw-fish, some five feet in length, and overtopping all was a long red 

 triangular erection decked with feathers. The ceremony was called 

 the Waiitutu Jcajp, or " Saw-fish dance." The actual dance consisted 

 of two men at a time coming out from behind a screen and going 

 through their simple evolutions to the monotonous accompaniment of 

 the drum and a lugubrious chant. 



More varied was the costume of the secular dance. All their 

 bravery was donned. The effective head-dress of egret's feathers, or 

 the cassowary coronet, framed the face, a shell skewer pierced the 

 nose, breast ornaments, coco-palm leaf petticoats, armlets, leglets, 

 ornaments or implements carried in the hand, all went to make up a 

 picture of savage finery. Here, too, the women were occasionally 

 allowed to participate, though of course both sexes never danced 

 together. When women were allowed to be present at the more 

 important dances, they were merely spectators. 



