ABORIGINAL TRIBES OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND VICTORIA. 321 



and the mothers and aunts take up their places farther 

 back. Men who are in attendance place green bushes on 

 the fire — the women and novices throwing their boughs on 

 top of the rest. As soon as the bushes have burnt suffici- 

 ently to create a dense smoke, the novices are held in it by 

 their guardians until they are partially suffocated. They 

 are then conducted to a place prepared for them not far 

 from the men's quarters. They are now called Narramang, 

 and can go out hunting with the men. 



Early next morning the catechumens are again marched 

 away by their guardians and the old men, for the purpose 

 of receiving further instruction, and are kept in the bush 

 for such time as may be fixed by the elders. At the end 

 of the prescribed period they are again brought back to the 

 vicinity of the women's camp and are required to stand in 

 a dense smoke. They are then released and are placed 

 sitting on a seat prepared for them. This seat, karkarla, 

 consists of two long logs of wood laid side by side, with 

 leaves thickly piled up on top, for the lads to sit upon. 

 Their mothers have placed netted bags containing food 

 beside the seats for their sons' use. The old women and 

 the mothers of the boys are looking on a short distance off, 

 but the young women must turn their faces the contrary 

 direction. 



Every novice must spend a further term of probation 

 among some of the visiting tribes. It is also necessary 

 that they must attend one or more additional tvonggoa 

 gatherings before they can become thoroughly acquainted 

 with the different parts of the ceremonial, and be admitted 

 to the higher grade. The novitiates are kept under the 

 control of their seniors for a considerable time, being longer 

 for the younger boys than for those verging upon manhood. 

 During this period they must not learn to speak the dialect 

 of the people among whom they are sojourning, because 



TJ— Oct. 5, 1904. 



