Page:Native Tribes of South-East Australia.djvu/551

IX yards from the Bunan, where they paint them with dabs of white clay over the shoulders, arms, and chest, and with bars of the same across the legs. Each boy has also a fillet of white grass twine bound round his forehead.

It may be mentioned here that these guardians, two of whom are selected for each novice, are men who stand in the relation of Kabo to him; that is, who are own or tribal brothers of those girls or women who form the group from which his future wife must be taken, or, which is the same thing, are own or tribal husbands (actual or potential) of the own or tribal sisters of the novice. During the Kuringal the Kabos look after their boy and do everything for him, cook for him, bring him water, and so on. They explain everything to him, tell him what his duties as one of the tribe are, repeat to him the tribal legends which he now hears for the first time, impress on him the tribal laws and the tribal morality, describe the powers of the Gommeras and their ability to see in dreams what others do, and finally their power to kill by magic at a distance.

The large fire being ready, the men assemble at the boys' fire. Each boy is lifted by one of his guardians on to his shoulders, and carried in this manner to the mound. The Kabos walk first, and after them come the women.

The boys are placed sitting on the mound with their feet in the Bunan. Each holds a woman's digging-stick upright between his feet, and on it hangs a woman's netted bag, containing the cord of twisted opossum-fur many yards in length, which when wrapped round his waist forms his belt, also a man's kilt, a forehead band, and the pointed bone which is worn through the perforated septum of the nose. These comprise a man's full ceremonial dress, and this set is given to him by some relative or friend, or by several of them conjointly.

The boy is told by his Kabos to look at the fire, and not to move away on any account. While this is being arranged the Gommeras are building up a fire fit to roast