Beatty—The St. George^ or Mummers’, Plays. 297 
who run to the main oamp. The Intichiuma party remain at 
the wurley until daylight. They then go to the men’s quar¬ 
ters in the main camp, give the ornaments to the other moiety 
of jbhe tribe, rub off their sacred painting, and the ceremony 
is brought to a close. 1 
I have described this ceremony rather fully, as it is repre¬ 
sentative of its class. It will be noticed how full of detail it 
is, and how mimetic each detail is. It is, indeed, a dramatic 
history of the birth and development of the grub. At the end, 
and as the climax, of the ceremony is the prostration of the 
men and women and their final release. In this prostration 
death is symbolized, and they awake to a new life in the cer¬ 
tainty that a supply of witchetty grubs is assured. 2 
In many of these ceremonies the symbolization of renewal 
is merely a state of silence or quiet; but in all cases there is 
a definite idea, of the magic power which is supposed to come 
from the ceremony. Thus, in the ceremony of the grass-seed 
totem in the Kaitish tribe, 3 the headman is supposed to be 
filled with magic power, and must practice strict continence 
during the progress of the ceremony, or all would be spoiled. 
In the rain ceremony of the Kaitish tribe continence and si¬ 
lence are necessary, 4 while in others the removedness of the 
performers from ordinary life is symbolized by the expulsion 
from camp of all who have no part in the ceremony. 5 In an¬ 
other, part of the performers go into 1 a wurley and lie face 
downward where they have to remain until the ceremony is 
1 :L. c., pp. 169-178. See also “The Northern Tribes,” pp. 289-294. 
2 Other ceremonies are given by Spencer and Gillen, “The Native 
Tribes”: The Intichiuma of the emu totem, pp. 179-188; the Hakea 
flower, pip. 184-185; the manna totem, pp. 185-186; the honey ant to¬ 
tem, pp. 186-189; the important Undiara, the Intichiuma of the kanga¬ 
roo totem, pp. 193-201. Two traditions are given in connection with 
this ceremony on pp. 196-199. 
3 “The Northern Tribes,” pp. 291-294. 
4 L. c„ p. 295. 
5 For instances, see “The Native Tribes,” pp. 179-199; “The Northern 
Tribes,” pp. 283-319. 
