Burbung of the New England Tribes, X.S.W. 133 



which the mothers and all the women pass out of the ring under 

 the men's arms, and stand a few paces away to witness the 

 remainder of the performance. 



The men forming the "white ring"' now close in, and commence 

 throwing the bushes on the tires. They commence midway 

 between the two tires and take the bushes each way, some being 

 thrown on one fire and some on the other.* The boys do nothing. 

 Each guardian, assisted by the men near him, then lifts his 

 novice in his arms, and holds him in the smoke arising from the 

 smouldering of the green bushes. Half the boys are smoked at 

 one tire and half at the other. "While the men are holding 

 the boys up in the smoke, the former keep repeating " Birr ! 

 birr!" and the women exclaim " Heh ! heh !" The guardians 

 and other men stand on the bushes and the smoke ascends 

 around them and the boys. As each novice is held up by his 

 guardian, he shakes his breast. 



As soon as the novices are smoked they catch each other's 

 hands and run away to the place where the swags were left when 

 approaching the camp shortly before. The signal for them to 

 run away in this manner is when they hear the men clapping 

 their hands. When the women hear this clapping they turn 

 their backs so that they will not see the boys running away. 



The guardians go after the boys, and some of the other " white"' 

 men follow them a short distance and return to the tires. The 

 smoking ceremony is then completed, and the " white " men go 

 back to the place where they left their swags, and bring them 

 into the main camp. The guardians and boys remain where the 

 swags were left all night. It is only the men and boys who 

 were out in the bush, whom I have called the " white mob," who 

 are smoked ; the Gooinat and other men belonging to the 

 women's camp are not smoked, but are standing around assisting 

 the head men in carrying out the various formalities. 



Next day a lot of rugs, equal in number to the novices, are 

 laid in a line on the ground, and two coolamins of water are 

 placed alongside. The mothers of the boys and all the women 

 are close by this, and as the guardians approach with the boys 

 the women commence shouting, " Heh ! heh !" and throw pieces 



*<>ne fire only is used at the Aychowal in some parts of New England. 



