Page:The Native Tribes of South Australia (1879).djvu/308

 230 THE PORT LINCOLN TRIBE. it, while the rest crowd round it, placing their hands and heads against its stem, so that their backs assume a horizontal position and present a kind of platform. As soon as it is announced that the pardnapa is brought back from his hiding-place, which is always done blindfold, the whole mass utter an unearthly sound which bears some resemblance to a distant moaning, and during the performance of the operation keep grinding their teeth. The pardnapa is placed backwards on the altar or platform formed by.the backs of the men, his arms and legs are stretched out and held fast, and the man sitting in the fork of the tree descends and sits down on his chest, so that he is utterly unable to move one limb of his body. A person well acquainted with the operation, after drawing the foreskin properly forward and causing the circumciser to make only the first incision, completes the business very deliberately with a chip of quartz; while some charm, supposed to have the power of allaying pain, is rapidly pronounced by a few lookers-on. The men then draw up in a line, left foot forward and both hands filled with dust, and gradually move towards the pardnapa, who is now allowed to open his eyes. They do not place one foot before the other in moving, but set their feet alternately only a few inches further, so that the left foot always remains foremost. At each movement, which is performed simultaneously by all, each man throws a little dust into the air, and all of them have, during this parade, their beards in their mouths. In conclusion, every one beats and thumps the poor pardnapa to his heart’s desire, enjoining him secrecy with, regard to his newly-acquired mysterious knowledge, but assuring him all the while that they mean no harm. On the completion of the ceremony, the men conclude the festive day by another wallaby hunt. The pardnapa, whose hair has previously been allowed to grow to a great length, now has it secured on the crown of his head in a cap of net-work manufactured of opossum’s hair; and over the pubes he wears a fringe or tassel made of the same material: these sacred badges are worn for many months after the operation, and when the cap is laid aside, the hair is still preserved, and suffered to fall down in long matted locks.