160 Proceed inr/s of the Royal Societi/ of Victoria. 



smaller one a young one. As on a previous occasion the 

 Waninga is taken by a man who is Ikuntira to the Wurtja and 

 lixed in the ground and then the latter is told by his Oknia and 

 Okilia to go and embrace it which he does for some minutes, the 

 performers meanwhile standing round. The showing of the 

 Waninga to the Wurtja is called " umba-keli-irriina " which 

 means "'the child sees and knows." The emljracing of the 

 Waninga is called "eliaqua erkuma." After the performance 

 the Wurtja is once more instructed as to what the Waninga 

 means, and cautioned not to reveal anything to women or to 

 uninitiated boys ; then as usual he is made to lie down and in 

 fierce tones the men sing the Lartna song — " Irriyulta yulta," 

 striking the ground with their shields. Then the Wurtja is 

 taken back to his brake were he remains until about nine o'clock 

 at night when he is brought to the Apulia and there his head is 

 decorated with stalks of cane grass, while at the same time tlie 

 other men decorate themselves in the same way and in addition 

 have stalks inserted beneath their arm bands. 



When this has been done the brake of boughs at which the 

 men assemble is built higher and the men all crouch behind it. 

 Then at a signal from an Oknia the women approach shouting as 

 they do so " pai ! pai ! pai," and taking possession of the Apulia 

 ground, dance upon it for some minutes and then leaving the 

 Apulia go to one side when the men come out and stand on 

 the Apulia. Tlie women then come and join the men who dance 

 round while the women pluck the grass stalks from their heads, 

 shouting as they do so, "pai ! pai ! pai !" While this is going 

 on the men all dance with their faces turned towards the east as 

 in the stripping dance at a later time, one or more women behind 

 each man. The mura woman, who is called "unchalkulkna," after 

 stripping the Wurtja who has been dancing amongst the other 

 men, suddenly stops and placing her head through his legs from 

 behind hoists him on to her shoulders and runs off with him 

 followed by all the other women, to a spot behind and in a line 

 with tlie Apulia from which it is distant about fifty yards. Here 

 she places him sitting on the ground and then sits behind clasping 

 him in her arms, some Mias and Uwinnas sitting close behind 

 her. The other women continue to dance in front of the Wurtja 

 shouting, "pai ! pai I pai !" and making a movement of invitation 



