BY RICHD. HELMS. 
391 
After this the men would run some distance away and returning 
swing the boughs with a swishing sound in a certain direction, 
mentioning at the same time the name of the district towards 
which they were pointing. This was repeated three times for 
each of the various directions they might point to. Each name 
mentioned was preceded by the emphasised exclamation of "Wau- 
Wau !" For instance, " Wau-Wau ! Tumut " Wau-Wau ! 
Queanbeyan," <kc, &c, which was followed at times by an exhorta- 
tion or malediction. This indicated that the Wahu may go to these 
districts as a friend and may have luck, or on the other hand that 
in some of these directions lived the tribes with whom he would 
have to carry on the hereditary feuds, for from henceforth he 
was to be considered as being raised to the position of a warrior 
in his own tribe. 
As soon as the initiation was completed, the women were again 
admitted to the presence of the men, and dancing and corrobories 
were held during the evening for the amusement of all, and more 
particularly for the benefit of the visitors, of whom there were 
generally a number present on these occasions. 
Manhood having now been conferred upon the newly initiated, 
the respect due to a man (which meant a warrior in case of need 
and not a mere huntsman as hitherto) was shown him, and in 
commemoration of the event a special privilege was accorded to 
him. This consisted in the permission being given to the newly 
made Wahu to choose any woman of the tribe he liked, his blood 
relations excepted, and cohabit with her for the night. But such 
a privilege was extended to him for that night only. At any 
other time sexual intercourse was regarded as adultery or fornica- 
tion, as the case might be, the punishment for which was a severe 
beating with waddies, sometimes inflicted with sufficient severity 
to cause death. 
They had no special marriage ceremonies, but when a woman 
was to be given to a man to cohabit with him for the first time, her 
female relations and the other women of the tribe would build a 
" gunyah " of boughs, dense enough to prevent being overlooked, 
