Burbung of the New England Tribes, N.8.W. 131 



The men play the crow, imitating that bird, and then play the 

 dingo, scratching back dirt with their feet. After this all the 

 "black" men go into the water and wash the black paint off 

 themselves ; the guardians also go in, but the novices sit on the 

 bank watching them. When the men come out of the water, 

 they singe the hair short on the boys' heads, and also off other 

 parts of their bodies ; the hair of the men is not singed. Every- 

 body, including the boys, then paint themselves white with 

 pipeclay, which is diluted with a small quantity of water in a 

 coolamin. The men and boys assist each other in this painting, 

 which must extend all over their bodies, including the hair of 

 their heads. The whole party being now painted with pipeclay, 

 may for distinction be called " the white mob." If there are any 

 dogs in the party, they have a white streak of pipeclay marked 

 down their forehead to the point of the nose. The men and boys 

 now catch hands and form a ring, to see what space they will 

 occupy, being a kind of drill so that they may know their work 

 when they reach the women's camp presently. 



The shrill, cooeeying sound of the goomat men coming from 

 the women's camp is now heard, and one of the white men swing 

 a bullroarer in reply. The novices are placed standing in a row 

 in a clear piece of ground facing in the direction of the women's 

 camp. The goomat now advance in single file, each man carrying 

 a bough hi front of him as before described, and form a line 

 facing the novices. The goomat men now throw down their 

 bushes and go through a short dance. The " white " men step 

 forward and pick up the bushes which the others have thrown 

 down and pull the leaves off them, scattering them about, making 

 a great noise, as previously described. 



The head man of the goomat mob now asks the " white men " 

 to form into a ring by joining their hands, in order that he may 

 see the size of the ring, for the purpose of assisting him in 

 placing the women round the tires. The goomat men now take 

 their departure and return to the women's camp at the Aychowal. 



When the mob started out to the bush to meet the men and 

 boys at the water-hole, the women replenished the fires and cut a 

 number of green boughs, which they laid in a line between one 

 fire and another. On the return of the goomat all the women 

 and children are mustered by the men and are placed lying down 



