Wand<(rv((l of Ricluaond and Clarevce Tribes. 33 



nearest the camp, their guardians remaining beside them. The 

 mothers and relatives of the novices are also present. 



After tliese preHminary performances, the novices are taken 

 away from their mothers in the following maiiner: — The men and 

 the boys' mothers enter the ring and dance round, after which 

 they come out and go to where the boys are sitting. The 

 latter are then helped to their feet by their guardians, and are 

 taken into the ring and placed standing near one side of the 

 embaidvment bounding it. Some old men now dance and jump 

 about in the ring, passing from one side to the other for some 

 time, making guttral noises, or singing, as they do so. An old 

 man then advances to one of the novices and places a spear in 

 each of his hands. These spears belong to the boy's guardians, 

 or to some of his friends, and when the boy has held them a 

 short time, the owner steps forward and takes them from the 

 boy and carries them out of the ring, where he lays them on the 

 ground, or leans them against an adjacent tree. Another old 

 man goes through the same routine with another novice, and so 

 on till they have all been disposed of in the same manner. The 

 same old men then a-pproach their respective novices, one after 

 another in the same order as before, and insert one or more 

 boomerangs in the belt of each boy. While these and similar 

 other proceedings are going on, the men and women around the 

 circle are singing and jumping about, going through various 

 pieces of bufibonery. 



The guardians now take charge of the novices, bending their 

 heads on their breasts, and, catching them by the arm, lead them 

 away along the track to the kangaragal. The men and women 

 wdio are standing at the i&andarral, then pick up sticks from the 

 fires, which are burning close by, and throw them into the centre 

 of the ring, and then follow after the novices and their guardians. 

 The mothers and other female relatives go only about fifty yards 

 after the men and then turn back to their own camp. The 

 novices are conducted to the kangaragal ring, where they are 

 placed standing near the opening in the embankment, their heads 

 being still bowed upon their breasts. An old head man is sitting 

 on each of the war-rangooringa^ performing magical feats, such as 



1 Jouni. Antlirop. Inst., xxv., 324 



