RELIGION. 



301 



Fig. 194. Tobâdi, seen from the south-east. 



as also found more towards the west. The direction is north-south, and at both ends the 

 ridge pôle has been continued in a coloured, maie figure with erect pénis, the face turned 

 downwards. It has also a "missigit-roof". 



Tobâdi has, moreover, a young man-house — a large, pyramid-shaped house (on the 

 right half of fig. 194), in 

 which boys from 12 till 16 

 years old live before they 

 are allowed into the temple. 

 The stay in this house must 

 be regarded as a religious 

 fore-stadium, during which 

 thèse young men, still wear- 

 ing the cock's comb, 

 must also keep themselves 

 aloof from the women. 

 Ingrâs had, during the stay 

 of the expédition, just 

 finished building a new 

 young man-house (fig. 195). 

 Both, old and new, hâve a 



horizontal ridge pôle, the projecting ends being carved, and hâve screens in front of the door. The 

 old one is also to be seen in MEVER and PARKINSON [1900, PI. 3]. Inside this house a watch is 

 kept, for which reason (like young man-houses in British N. G. ; D'Albertis [1880, I, 390]) 

 it is built at the end 

 of the village. 



The r u m sera m 

 are buildings character- 

 istic of Geelvink Bay, 

 used by the unmarried 

 men to pass the night 

 in. The one best known, 

 that of Doré, now 

 fallen down, was des- 

 cribed and illustrated 

 by Van der Goes 

 [1858, 151, PI. S] and 

 was supposed to serve 

 for the worship of the 

 ancestors incorporated 

 in the supporting pôles, 



which are carved into human and animal figures (crocodiles). Many of thèse images were characte- 

 rised by large genitals, whilst, on one of the platforms carved figures in actu copulationis were 

 found. GOUDSWAARD [1863, 69] saw the young men going there before the evening meal, 



Fig- ! 95- Old (to the left) and new (to the right) young man-house; Ingrau. 



