312 R. H. MATHEWS. 



The man entrusted with the dental operation, then steps 

 up and with his finger nail pushes back the gum from the 

 tooth to be extracted. Sometimes a headman walks along 

 and rubs the boy's gum with a large quartz crystal for the 

 ostensible purpose of loosening the tooth and making it 

 draw out easily. The extractor then places one end of a 

 small wooden chisel against the front of the tooth and gives 

 it a smart blow on the other end with a mallet, which forces 

 it out. 1 More than one blow is often required to dislodge 

 the tooth, which is then taken out of the lad's mouth with 

 the man's fingers, and the gum pressed together. As the 

 tooth is held up to public view, all the men, who are stand- 

 ing around, shout wirr ! wirr ! and call out the names of 

 places in the novice's native country, as well as the totems 

 of his family. A man near by swings a bullroarer. The 

 blood which Hows from the wounded gum must be swallowed 

 by the boy— he cannot spit it out. The tooth is then 

 handed to the lad's mother's brother, or to his mother's 

 mother's brother, should he be living. 



When all the lads have been operated upon, the guardians 

 assist them to withdraw their feet from the holes, which 

 are then filled up. The mallet and chisel are either burnt 

 or are driven into the ground. The novices are then taken 

 away to a resting place in the bush, where they sit down 

 on leaves spread on the ground. Here they remain motion- 

 less, with their hands held to their sore mouths, and the 

 rugs still on their heads so that they can see nothing of 

 what is going on around them. 



All the able-bodied men start away and leave the novices 

 in charge of some infirm old fellows, and men who have 

 been maimed by accidents or fights. These feeble pro- 

 tectors commence lamenting among themselves, so that 

 the novices can hear all that is said, something as follows: 



1 In some tribes both upper incisors were punched out. 



