124 W. J. ENRIGHT. 



between the Myall River, the Myall Lakes and the sea, was 

 occupied by the Grewigerigal, 1 and the district lying between 

 Pipeclay and Tellegherry Creeks was occupied by the Doowalligal. 2 

 Amongst the Kutthung and neighbouring tribes there was no 

 code of signs in use, as some believe amongst the initiates, and in 

 a community such as that in which the aboriginals lived, where 

 every male on attaining the proper age would be initiated, and in 

 which all initiates would be known to the older men who played 

 a leading part in the keeparra, the use of such signs for the purpose 

 of distinguishing initiates except from adjoining tribes would be 

 utterly unnecessary, and in the latter case the language previously 

 referred to would furnish an infallible test. 



In conclusion, I wish to refer to a description of the "Gaboora" 

 ceremony 3 published in the Australian Anthropological Journal a 

 year or two ago. Mr. Cohen, the writer of the article says that 

 "the youths to be initiated were kept apart from the other mem- 

 bers of the tribe for a month previous to the inauguration 

 ceremonies, and that if any female was detected holding conversa- 

 tion with them or touching them she would be put to death." 

 According to my investigations the novices remain in the general 

 camp with their female friends until the final morning on which 

 they are taken away by the old men. It is also stated that the 

 "gaboora ceremonies invariably occupied two days." From ten 

 days to a fortnight is the shortest time employed for this purpose 

 among all the tribes of the north east coast. Mr. Cohen's descrip- 

 tion of the scenes in the bush, while the novices are away with 

 the chief men undergoing the ordeal of initiation, are to say the 

 least disjointed and fragmentary. Moreover some of the scenes 

 which he narrates were never heard of by my native imformants; 

 whilst others were stated to be merely portions of ordinary 

 corroborees, and in no way connected with the rites of the keeparra 

 or "gaboora," as it is called by the writer of the article in question. 



1 " People of the Sea." Grewi the sea, and gal people. 



2 " People living between the two "; but whether the name is given 

 them from the fact that they lived between two streams or between two 

 tribes I could not ascertain. 



3 " Description of the Gaboora Ceremony." — Aust. Anthrop. Journ., 

 Vol. i., pp. 83 - 84, 97, 98, 115 - 117 ; Vol. i., N.S. pp. 7-10. 



