Wandarral of Richmond and Clarence Tribes. 39 



strange mob of men who arrived at the main camp a few days 

 before, as stated in a previous page, now come to the assistance 

 of the two men, and boomerangs and spears are thrown on both 

 sides, the novices also joining in what is apparently a real fight. 

 AVhen the affray is over the novices are taken away to a camp 

 a short distance beyond the men's quarters, and that night they 

 are shown a number of the sacred quartz crystals belonging to 

 the old head men of the tribes present. 



The next morning the novices are taken some distance into the 

 bush to a place where a circle about fifty feet in diameter has 

 been formed on the gi'ound, similar to the wandarral, but of 

 smaller dimensions. This ring is called Afa/ig/ii/1, and the trees 

 growing around it are marked with tomahawks in different 

 patterns. The tui'f is also marked with various wavy and zigzag 

 lines cut into the surface of the ground with sharp pieces of 

 wood used as spades. These grooves in the soil have narrow 

 pieces of bark layed in them to make them all the more con- 

 spicuous and ornamental. All the drawings on the trees, and 

 on the surface of the soil are called moouibeery. The novices are 

 first shown the carvings on the ground, being led by their 

 guardians to each figui-e with their heads bowed, and are then 

 told to take particular notice of the drawing before them. 

 "When they have seen all these, they are next shown all the 

 marked trees, one after another, in the same way. The boys are 

 next placed standing in a row, with their eyes cast upon the 

 ground, near the iiiahghiu, and the men form into a semicircle in 

 front of them. Two men then step into the open space between 

 the line of men and the novices, and commence swinging bull- 

 I'oarers {dhooanbooka) and the boys are directed to look at them. 

 The head men then step up quite close to the novices, with 

 uplifted spears in their hands, in a menacing attitude, and 

 caution them against revealing anything they have seen in the 

 bush to women or the uninitiated on pain of death. 



The men and neophytes are now painted and dressed in their 

 full regalia, and then all hands start for the camp where the 

 mothers of the novices, and the other women and children are 

 located, a messenger having been sent some time before to let 

 them know the boys are returning.^ The mothers of the latter, 



1 "The Bunaii Ceremony of New South Wales."' American Anthropoloaist, i\., 340. 



