322 R. H. MATHEWS. 



every boy is required to perpetuate the speech of his fore- 

 fathers. A youth is generally sent to spend his probationary 

 term in the tribe from which he is to get his wife by and 

 by, when the old men are satisfied that he is entitled to 

 that privilege. A portion of the scarring of the youth's 

 back, arms, and chest, is executed during this time, and he 

 is instructed in the dances, songs, and folklore of the people. 

 The position, extent and pattern of the scarring is regu- 

 lated by the custom of the tribe to which the novitiate 

 belongs. When a youth has been scarred he is called 

 yenyanuga. See " Mumbirbiri or Scarring the Body," supra. 



I have elsewhere described the Kannety ceremony of 

 initiation, practised by the aborigines of the south-western 

 districts of Victoria from Geelong westerly to the South 

 Australian boundary. I have also published full details of the 

 Wonggumuk ceremony, which is in force in portions of the 

 central and northern districts of that State. 



The Tyibbauga Ceremony. 

 In the course of some months, or it may be a year or 

 two, or perhaps several years, after the youth has passed 

 through all the grades of the Wonggoa ceremony, he must 

 submit to the further rite of Tyib-bau-ga. The interval 

 which elapses between the two inaugural courses is entirely 

 in the hands of the old chiefs, being regulated by the boy's 

 age. It is not necessary to form a circle upon the ground, 

 like the guanga, neither is it imperative to convene the 

 whole community, as in the ceremonial of the Wonggoa. 

 But it is generally considered politic to consult with the 

 leading men of some of the neighbouring tribes, who may 

 desire to witness the proceedings, or perhaps bring a few 

 boys of their own to be initiated, Messengers, who must 

 be men who have passed through all the rites connected 

 with the ceremony, are despatched to arrange the pre- 

 liminaries, and when the time arrives the people proceed 

 to the place appointed. 



