NORTH QUEENSLAND ETHNOGRAPHY ROTH. 183 



After the evening meal was over, the two Amboiba were again 

 dressed up with their masks, etc., in the scrub on the further side 

 of the screen, but on this occasion they advanced to the open end 

 of the broad alley-way where the orchestra had already taken up 

 their places. The women and children were thus allowed an 

 opportunity of looking at them, and they joined in clapping hands 

 to keep the time. A youngish looking lad was next seized, and 

 his eyes covered ; he was firmly held in his captor's grip while 

 the two Amboiba purposely and forcibly dug into him their 

 elbows and shoulders from under their crinkled tresses. Instead 

 of advancing now with the dancing, the two central figures 

 retired a few paces towards the screen (with the masks all the 

 time turned towards the main camp) and then rested ; the 

 orchestra shifted their positions during the interval, at the same 

 time that the boy was again knocked about. This kind of music 

 and dancing, with alternate retiring and resting, continued all 

 the way back to the screen, and when about half-way down the 

 alley-way the women and children were sent about their business 

 back to camp The boy must have been somewhat badly bruised, 

 considering the time taken, at least three-quarters of an hour, to 

 cover the length of alley-way, and the number of times, corres- 

 ponding with the intervals, that he must have been knocked 

 about. He was never allowed to see what was actually taking 

 place, for when he was at last permitted to free his eyes, upon 

 arrival at the screen, the Amboiba had disappeared behind it. 

 1 learnt subsequently that this particular lad was completing his 

 noviceship in some ceremony earlier than the present alkir or 

 fifth rite, and that it was only during the few final nights of the 

 latter that this "bruising" business took place. It must be 

 remembered that up in these districts several of the initiation 

 rites may be going on all more or less at one and the same time. 



7. In the Rockhampton District 1 • when the old men consider 

 that there are enough young men, of the age of puberty, to be 

 operated upon, they call all the tribe together, stating publicly 

 that they will have a big dance. Word is soon passed round, 

 and certain men who have been previously agreed upon each 

 catch such a young boy. These certain men belong to that 

 particular exogamous group whence the novice will eventually 

 take his wife, and so their relationship to the boys maybe spoken 

 of as that of brothers-in-law or nu-pa. Each nu-pa tells his 

 novice what to do during the whole time, something like three 

 months, that he is being initiated. Having thus all been finally 



12 This is from notes given me by Mr. W. H. Flowers, late of Torilla and 

 Fine Mountain, via Rockhampton, 1867-1891. 



14 



