Page:Aboriginesofvictoria01.djvu/146

64 each other in time, singing also  'oo-oo-oo-yay-yay-yay.'  Then the men come forward. Each Jerryale has a blackfellow to take charge of him, a kind of sponsor, called Bullera-wreng. Two of the Bullera-wreng take hold of the Jerryale, one by one, by the ankles, and launch him up in the air as high as they can, calling out at the same time "nurt." The Jerryale holds his arms, palms forward, straight up above his head. They then lie down upon a couch of green boughs, side by side, each one attended by his sponsor. These Bullera-wreng watch them, and if they are compelled from any cause to leave the place, attend them, covering the heads of the Jerryale with a rug, and surrounding him so that his mother may not catch a glimpse of him. The Bullera-wreng watch all night by the Jerryale, who has to lie extended on these boughs for two, three, or four days. All this time the Bullera-wreng and the mothers are chanting yay-yay-yay-oo-oo-oo, &c., &c. On concluding this, the old gins sing djeet-gun-djeet-gun-djeet-gun-eering-eering-eering, beating the ground with bundles of small saplings. Djeet-gun is the superb warbler; the eering the emu wren; the former is called the 'gins' sister,' the latter the 'blackfellows' brother.' The Bullera-wreng paint the faces of the Jerryale with pipeclay or murloo, so as to resemble the duck nurt, i.e., with a white circle round each eye, and a white band across the cheek-bones or eyebrows. The Jerryale stand together; the Bullera-wreng a little way in front of them. Then the latter cry out nurra, or ready, shaking boughs and vibrating their legs. The Jerryale run off to them, who catch them by the arms, then let them pass, and they run off into the bush; as my informant said, 'my mother see me no more.' After a month spent in the forest, the Jerryale one day kill two kangaroos and leave some of the meat on the top of a log. They then go down to the camp of the tribe a little before noon. The Growun is on the look-out for her Jerryale, and holds out to him a fish, too-rook, which he takes in his hand, throws down, and runs off about a hundred yards. His mother is standing near. The Bullera-wreng picks up the fish and follows the Jerryale, who eats it. In the afternoon, all the Jerryale go to where the kangaroo meat was left, the men of the tribe forming a circle round. These, when they see the kangaroo meat on the log, cry out Wa-a-a-ow, this being the cry with which they drive that game in hunting. The Jerryale go up with their 'possum cloaks over their heads, and eat the kangaroo flesh; all the men look on, and, after a little, join in the feast. This is about two or three o'clock in the afternoon, and ends the ceremony of Jerryale."

Mr. John Green, of Coranderrk, Upper Yarra, says respecting the initiation of boys and girls:—

"1st. When a boy was about thirteen years old, he was taken away by the old men of the tribe a considerable distance from the camp, where they made a mi-mi, and remained for about one month, during which time the boy was instructed in all the legends of the tribe. At the end of that time several of the men took hold of the boy, and held him until two others knocked out one of his front teeth; this was done by first loosing the flesh from round the tooth