122 W. J. ENRIGHT. 



women are permitted to rise and greet their sons whom in their 

 disguise they have considerable difficulty in recognising. On 

 discovering their sons the mothers go forward to them and raise 

 their breasts which the sons take hold of and pretend to suck. 

 Amongst other tribes the sisters of the novices greet them by 

 rubbing their feet on the feet and ankles of the novices, but this 

 custom did not appear to prevail amongst the Kutthung. After 

 each mother has greeted her son in this fashion, the women pass 

 out of the ring under the arms of the men who then throw bushes 

 on the fires causing them to smoke. Each guardian then takes 

 hold of the novice under his care and holds him for a time in the 

 smoke, after which all the novices take their departure together 

 with their hands linked, to the place where they have left their 

 belongings, and they are soon followed thither by their guardians 

 who remain with them for the night. 



The next day the visiting tribes make preparations for departure, 

 and on their journey the novices must not camp with the elders, 

 but like those whom they have left behind they are kept in a 

 "bachelor's camp" until their initiation is completed. Each night 

 however, they are allowed to approach a little nearer to the 

 general camp, and at last are finally admitted into it. Before 

 being allowed the privilege of marriage, they must attend more 

 keeparras, the number of which, as far as I can ascertain is five, 

 but it is possible that more regard is paid to the age of the youth 

 than to the number of keeparras he has attended. A new name 

 is also given to him now which must never be used within the 

 hearing of women; the raised scars (bheerammer), are made on 

 his body. 



Prior to being initiated he was permitted to use as food all 

 kinds of fish, honey, and the female of all land animals, but certain 

 birds and the male of all land animals were forbidden him. After 

 his first keeparra he is entitled to partake of the flesh of the male 

 kangaroo-rat, and after the second he is permitted to eat the male 

 opossum, and each succeeding keepara increases his privileges in 

 this respect. 



