Page:Native Tribes of South-East Australia.djvu/582

556 four men kept step, at each step striking their two bark clappers together, and simultaneously swaying first to the one side and then to the other. The two old men kept pace with them, but a little to one side as became their dignity. This represented a party of medicine-men, guided by two Gommeras, proceeding to the grave of the medicine-man Yibai-malian and chanting an invocation to Daramulun under his synonyms. As they came near to the grave they wound round its foot and ranged themselves at the side facing the novices and the Kabos. The two old men stood behind them as the chant and dance still went on. Then there was seen a slight quivering of the Geebung tree, and the Kabos directed the attention of the novices to it, saying, "Look there." It quivered more, was then violently agitated, then the whole structure fell to pieces, and to the excited dancing of the actors, to the song of Yibai, the supposed dead man rose up and danced his magic dance in the grave, showing the Joïas in his mouth, which he is supposed to have received from Daramulun himself.

I found afterwards that this song of Yibai is known to the Wiradjuri in their Burbung ceremonies.

This being ended, the trappings of the actors and the Geebung sapling were thrown into the grave, and the whole covered up by scratching rubbish over it as in the cases of the other sacred representations.

It was now noon, and we all rested and cooked and ate our mid-day meal. After that the bundles were again tied up and the "fish-catching ceremony" commenced.

Properly speaking, every one ought to have gone into the water and have washed off all traces of the charcoal dust, which is the covering appropriate to the Kuringal ceremonies. But it had become so cold that a considerable number of the men compounded by only washing their faces, heads, and arms. The other more punctilious men went into the water up to their middles and washed themselves thoroughly, shouting while they did so, "We are going fishing—yah!" The novices were led to the edge of the pool and plentifully sprinkled with water by the men, who then danced, and, as in former cases, passed the magical influence to the