170 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



two Arakurta also lying clown. The men of the Panunga and 

 Bultharra classes sing about the marching of the Achilpa or 

 "wild cat" men in the Alcheringa. During the night, first of 

 all, a quabarra dealing with the doings of certain Achilpa 

 men and afterwards one concerned witli the Emu totem are 

 performed by men who are specially concerned with them. 

 These performances are, as usual, explained to the Arakurta, 

 who are . once more cautioned against ever telling any woman 

 what they have seen and heard ; they are now also told that tlie 

 Quabarra belong to men of particular local groups who alone 

 have the right to perform them. Then they are made to lie 

 down again and the old men go away to a brake of boughs which 

 has been built at a distance of about lifty yards and here they 

 begin to sing songs concerned with certain totems such as the 

 Quirra or Bandicoot. During the previous day an old Panunga 

 man has made a special pole which is called a " Nurtunja " and 

 which consists of a large spear ensheated with human hair string 

 and decorated with rings of bird's down. In addition a small 

 number of Churinga are hung on to it. The old n)an who has 

 made it is Unkulla of one of the youths and Gammoiia of the 

 otlier, and he has been asked by the Oknia and Okilia of the 

 two boys to make the sacred pole. He has at the same time 

 been asked to perfoi'm a ceremony, and at day-break the two 

 Arakurta are brought from their camp to watch the performance. 

 The old man carries the Nurtunja on his back and, sitting d(jwn 

 on the ground, is anotlier man who carries small bushes in his 

 hands. The one with the Nurtunja represents a Quirra (bandi- 

 coot) man of the Alcheringa who is attempting to catch a woman 

 and she is supposed to be warding him otf with the bushes. The 

 audience, including the two Arakurta, dance in front of and 

 under the Nurtunja, and tinally the old Quirra man tixes the 

 pole upright in the ground and the Arakurta are told, as usual 

 by Oknia and Okilia, to go and embrace the Nurtunja and while 

 doing so are informed that they are about to undergo the rite of 

 Ariltha, and thab the embracing of the Nurtunja will prevent 

 the operation from being painful. The Okilia now says, " who 

 will be Tapunga?" Two men volunteer, one a Panunga and the 

 other an Ungalla. Tiie former at once lies down on his stomach 

 and the latter gets on top of him, the two lying at the foot of the 



