390 
ANTHROPOLOGICAL NOTES, 
When about to convey important communications to another 
tribe, such as to summon the warriors for a hostile invasion of the 
territory of their common enemies, or for a friendly meeting 
with the object of performing rites of a ceremonial nature, &c, 
two men were generally sent. Whilst the one slept the other 
kept watch to avoid being surprised by enemies during the 
journey, or being taken and slain as such whilst asleep by some 
friendly natives in mistake. 
When on the war-path, as well as during the performance of 
their rites of initiation and at their dances and corrobories, they 
liked to appear ornamented, which they accomplished by painting 
the fronts of their bodies. The colours used were white, red, and 
black. For the first they used pipeclay, for the second raddle, 
and for the black charred seedstalks of the grasstree. The 
powdered charcoal they mixed with grease, forming a pigment 
that would stick on for months. 
They had two distinct ceremonies to raise the male members of 
the tribe from childhood to manhood. 
At about the age of from 14 to 16 years the young man was 
made " Kurrunong," which was done by knocking out one of his 
upper central incisors. This removed him from the care of his 
mother and the influence of the women, and so to say raised him 
from boyhood to the state of youth. 
At the age of 18 or 20, that is when his beard had started to 
develop properly, he was made " Wahu." To initiate him into 
this state, the following ceremony was performed by the men, the 
women being excluded : — All the hair of the head was singed off 
close to the skull by means of some burning fibrous bark. This 
was a somewhat slow procedure, and had to be done very 
gradually, the hair being lit continually and blown out before it 
flared up too much. Whilst the young man submitted to this in 
silence, the onlookers and operators would carry on a lively con- 
versation or some chanting. When all the hair had been removed 
and the singing was over, three of the old men came running 
towards the newly initiated with green boughs in their hands, 
which they waved in succession several times over his head. 
