HORN EXPEDITION—ANTIIROPOLOCxY. 
1G9 
The Rites of Cipcumcision and Subincision.—Lartna and 
Arrilta. 
When a youth {filpinerka) is to be operated upon he is taken away from the 
camp, on some pretext or other, early in the morning of the day upon which the 
all-important ceremony is to begin. Food has previously been collected in some 
quantity, and during the day the natives in camp employ their time preparing this, 
occasionally varying the monotony by chanting a corrobboree {qiiaaparn), to which 
the lubras only dance. At sundown the boy is brought back to camp still 
unconscious of what is in store for him, and is persuaded by some of the bachelor 
young men to camp with them for the night. The camp is full of suppressed 
excitement, no other native rite excites so much interest. In the middle of the 
night, the brother of the ulpmerka or, in the absence of a brother, .some male 
relative, after assuring himself that the ulpmerka is sound asleep, proceeds to 
awaken the sleeping members of the tribe, care being taken not to disturb the 
♦ 
youth. When all are awake, the natives a.s.semble quietly in the centre of the 
camp, all being provided with corrobboree wands; the lubras separate and stand 
in silence, while the men clear oft' the grass and otherwise prepare the chosen spot 
{appula). When this is done all sit down, three men and two young gins are then 
sent to awaken the victim and bring him before the a.ssembly. The two gins take 
the lead, each carrying an alparra (a scooped out piece of wood used for carrying 
food and water), creep stealthily towards the sleeping boy and rouse him suddenly 
by striking him sharply with their alparras, at the same time they sing out 
“ ut-chai! ” The boy, startled and dazed, springs to his feet; he is quickly seized 
l)y the three men who are in close attendance, who tell him that the time has 
arrived when he should no longer be a mere ulpmerka. The assembled natives, 
as soon as they hear the “ ut-chai ” of the lubras, start singing and dancing, the 
men sing and the women dance. The boy is at once taken to the centre of 
the assembly, his hair is for the first time tied up at the back; previous to this, as 
an ulpmerka., his hairdressing must be confined to a knob in front. A belt woven 
from human hair is wound round his waist, the singing continuing while the boy 
is being decorated with the first emblems of approaching manhood (eriiva kuka). 
He is now taken away to a specially prepared camp by certain elderly members 
of the tribe, chosen for the purpose, who carefully paint and decorate him with the 
down of the eagle-hawk {^Aquila audax), which is made to adhere to the skin with 
warm blood drawn from the urethra of one of the performers. Next morning the 
youth is taken back to the centre of the assembly, where he is placed alone and 
standing. Carrying fire-sticks, they place rings, woven of fur and vegetable down, 
23 
