— 289 — 



man was of the sub class Yibai, which is the equivalent of the Kamilaroi Ipai, 

 and rsccording to bis own Statement, tbe name Yibai is also a synonym of Dara- 

 mulun. The last one of tbe secret ceremonies takes place at some water- hole or 

 creek. The novices are brought to the water's edge, being told in a joking 

 manner, for instance, „We are going to catch some fish — Yah! u 



The men go into the water and thoroughly wash themselves, so as to remove 

 all traces of the charcoal with which they have smeared themselves, and together 

 with it leave everything behind connected with the secret ceremonies. While they 

 are doing this they splash the water over the boys, and conclude by passing to 

 them a final portion of the magic influence, and which the novices and their 

 guardians draw to themselves as I have before descnbed. Finally, with an 

 emphatic Yah! Huh! Wah! and a downward movement of the hands, all is ended. 

 The men go into the water-hole with the curious part joking, part serious, part 

 buffoon manner of the ceremonies, and come out with their ordinary manner. 

 The old men resume the quiet, somewhat self-contained and reserved manner 

 which I have observed to be so marked in many of them. 



There are now only twb more proceedings before the novices are taken to 

 the camp. As the men all move off home wards, the novices and their guardians 

 go on a little a head, and the mudji is now brought out and loudly sounded. 

 The novices are brought back, and the headman shows to them the mudji, and 

 the wooden chisel, and explain's their use, and also forbids them to reveal 

 anything that they have seen or heard under pain of death. All now proceed 

 towards the main camp, or to that place to which the women have been directed 

 to proceed, and to erect a new camp. The novices now walk with the men, 

 aitended, but not guarded, by the Kabos, and sometimes, in order to still more 

 impress them, a number of men, who have hidden themselves in the path, rush 

 out violently, spears aimed as if about to kill the youths, who are threatened with 

 death if they reveal anything to the uninitiated. 



Before reaching the camp where the women are, the youths are carefully 

 dressed with the füll equipment of a man, and painted after the manner customary 

 in the tribe. On nearing the camp a peculiar signal is given, and ou this being 

 answered by the women each youth is raised on his guardian's Shoulders, and the 

 men close in round, holding up branches so as to effectually screen them from 

 sight. The procession then moves showly forward towards the camps. It is fre- 

 quently the case that the principal old man walks a little apart, on one side and 

 towards the rear. 



Düring the absence of the men the women have made a hut of boughs 

 resembling one of the ordinary habitations, before which there is a smoky fire. 

 In this hut Stands the mothers and grown — up sisters of the newly made young 

 men, dressed in their gayest adornments. As the men approach close to the hut 



! 9 



