30 AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES. 



In nearly all the aboriginal tribes of Australia young men are not allowed 

 to marry imtil they have been formally initiated into manhood. In some tribes 

 this initiation requires them to be subjected to oi-deals and ceremonies more or 

 less repulsive. In other tribes the trials are so severe that they often not only 

 ruin the health, but cause the death of many delicate young men. Indeed, 

 it is possible that they are designed to get rid of the weakly, who would be of 

 no use either in hunting or in war, and would be only an encumbrance to the 

 tribe. The customs, however, of those tribes which are treated of in this volume 

 are quite free from this repulsiveness and severity. 



A youth is not considered to be a man imtil he has undergone this probation, 

 which is called katneetch in the chaap wuurong dialect, katnitt in the kuurn 

 kopan noot dialect, and tapmet in the peek whuurong dialect. During the 

 progress of this probation he is called kutneet, which is really ' hobbledehoy.' 

 No person related to him by blood can interfere or assist in the proceedings. 

 Should the boy have brothers-in-law, they come and take him into a wuurn, 

 dress and ornament him, and remove him to their own country, where he remains 

 for twelve moons. Should he not have brothers-in-law, strangers from a distant 

 tribe come and take him to their country, where he is received with welcome by 

 his new friends. After two moons he is allowed to visit his own tribe, but not 

 without several men to take care of him and brina- him back. If, during his 

 sojourn, he becomes ill, he is sent home to his own tribe, for, were he to die, 

 they would avenge his death. During the term of probation his wants are 

 liberally supplied, and he is not permitted to do anything for himself. When he 

 wishes to go anywhere, he must be carried by the men who brought him from 

 his own country. The women also of the tribe must wait upon him with every 

 mark of respect, and should any disobey his orders he has a right to spear them. 

 He is not allowed to speak the language of the tribe, but he learns to undei-stand 

 it when spoken. At the end of twelve moons his relatives call and take him to 

 attend the fii-st gi-eat meeting of the tribes. Before leaving, they pull out 

 all the hairs of his beard, and make him drink water mixed with mud ; which 

 completes his initiation into manhood. The knocking out of the upper front 

 teeth, which is practised by some other tribes on such occasions, is unknown in 

 the Western District. 



He is then introduced to the young woman who is to be his wife. They 

 may look at one another, but are not allowed to converse. When the young 

 man's beard has grown again, and the young woman has attained a marriageable 



