Page:Notes on the Aborigines of New South Wales.djvu/18

Rh The Beegay then form into a semicircle, and join the semicircle formed by the Kooringal, making a complete ring of men around the boys. Two men now step out into the open space within the circle, and commence swinging bull-roarers (murrawans), and the Kooringal beat their weapons together and call out, "Don't burn the boys yet." When the men with the bull-roarers get giddy they are replaced by others, who keep the instruments sounding continually. Amidst this tumultuous clamour of human voices, clashing of weapons, and roar of the murrawans, the boys' faces are turned round, and they are told to look. The guardians tell them that these instruments represent the voice of Dhurramoolan, and that all the similar sounds which they have yet heard have been made in this way. The men now caution the boys not to reveal what they have seen to the women or the uninitiated, or they will be punished with death, and while doing so hold up tomahawks or spears in a threatening attitude. The guardians now put the full dress of a man on each of the novices, consisting of a belt with four barrunggals or aprons, a head-band, and armlets. They are now called tuggabillas.

The Beegay now start for the water-hole where they left their swags, and the Kooringal, guardians, and tuggabillas follow them at a distance. A few men who had been left here have made a ring (buddhamoor) about 15 or 20 yards in diameter, its boundary being formed by a continuous wood fire. In the middle of this ring of fire are two men swinging a big nulla-nulla in each hand, dancing about, and imitating different animals. The Beegay are the first to reach this place, and presently the Kooringal, guardians, and neophytes arrive at the other side of the ring. These ceremonies being concluded, the Beegay drive the Kooringal into the water-hole close by, where they wash the black paint off themselves, the Beegay sitting on the bank watching them. After this the Kooringal and their contingent camp at the water-hole for the night, but the Beegay go away back to the camp of the women, perhaps a mile or two distant.

Early the following morning the men and neophytes have the hair of their heads singed short, and all the hair entirely scorched off the other parts of their bodies. Each is dressed in the full regalia of a man, with eagle-hawk or swan feathers in their hair. A start is then made for the women's camp, and a man goes ahead to report that the novices will shortly arrive.

The women, assisted by the Beegay, have in the early morning cut saplings and bushes, and erected a yard called thurrawonga, similar in shape to those in the bush, but larger, because intended to accommodate a greater number of men. Its convex end is in the direction from which the boys are expected to approach. In this yard the mothers of the guardians and Kooringal have placed their yam-sticks around about 3 feet from the fence, each stick having some article belonging to the owner attached to it, in order that the men may recognise them. Around the outside of the convex end of this yard, logs of wood are laid for the boys to stand on presently.

The men and women belonging to the new camp, who are called collectively mooeemalla, muster near the bough yard some time after break-fast, and have bushes cut ready to lay over the women and children. When the messenger arrives, stating that the men and boys are coming in from the bush, the women are placed lying down around the outside of the convex end of the yard, and are covered with rugs and bushes; the mothers of the novices, or those women acting in their stead, being nearest the fence with their heads against the logs before mentioned. As