Initiation Ceremonies, Ai-wnta Tribe. 171 



Nurtunja. Then the Kumara Arakurta is laid down on them 

 and a man sits straddle-legged over his body, while the operation 

 is at once performed by an Uknaria man who is Ikuntira of the 

 Arakurta. The actual operation which is performed with a stone 

 knife only occupies a very short time, and consists, as has often 

 been described, in slitting up more or less completely the penile 

 urethra. As soon as the first Arakurta has been opei*ated upon 

 the second one is led up, placed on top of the same Tapunga men 

 and quickly operated on. Then they are taken to one side and 

 the blood which flows fiom their wounds is allowed to drain into 

 shields on wiiich they squat. They are now no longer Arakurta 

 but Ertwa-kurka or initiated men. 



When the Ai'akurta is seized for the purpose of having the 

 rite of Ariltha performed on him the men set up a loud and 

 prolonged shout of "pirr-rr" which can be heard by the women 

 at the camp. They at once assemble at the Erlukwirra, that is 

 the women's camp, and the Mia of the boy cuts the Unchalkulkna 

 woman across the stomach and shoulders and then makes similar 

 cuts upon women who are the boy's nmra, elder and younger 

 sisters, as well as upon those who are her own elder sisters. 

 AVhile making the cuts she imitates the sound made by the 

 Ariltha party. These particular cuts which usually leave a 

 definite series of cicatrices are called "urpma" and are often 

 represented by definite lines on certain of the Churinga. 



It very often happens that as soon as the operation on an 

 Arakurta has been performed one or more of the younger men 

 present, but who have been operated on before, stand up and 

 voluntarily undergo a second ariltha operation. In such cases 

 the men do not consider that the incision has been carried far 

 enough. Standing out on the clear space upon which the 

 Arakurta has been operated upon, with legs wide apart and 

 hands behind his back, the man shouts out " Mura ariltha 

 atnartinja yinga aritchika pitchi "— " Mura mine, come and cut 

 my ariltha down to the root." Then one mura man comes and 

 pinions him behind while another mura man comes up in front 

 and seizing the penis, first of all cuts out an oval-shaped piece of 

 skin which he throws away, and then extends the split to the 

 root. Most men undergo the second operation, and some come 

 forward a third time, though a man is often as old as thirty or 



