170 ETHNO-PORNOGRAPHY.
cross-examination has been used to satisfy me on this point. Furthermore, let it be borne in mind, that in this portion of Queensland at all events, the knocking out of the two upper incisor teeth (sect. 177) as well as the cutting of the "flash"-marks or "brands" (sect. 186) on the shoulders and breast, are independent of the various ceremonials which give an individual his social status in the community.
300. The First Ceremonial (male) (a) in the Boulia District. In the Pitta-Pitta tribe, as soon as a boy begins to shew signs of puberty in the growth of the pubic hair, &c., he is known as koo-e-ri . at the full deve]oj)ment of this physiological epoch, the commencing moustache, beard, &c., he is called yup-pi-e-ri, and the first ceremonial publicly celebrates this to him important event. For the first time in his life, a grass-necklace is put round the novitiate's neck, below this an opossum-string f ringed-necklace hanging over the upper portion of his chest, a human-hair belt is wound round his waist, a bunch of white-cockatoo feathers is stuck into his hair, while some white-feather down is fixed on with blood in the form of a band reaching from shoulder to shoulder (Fig 409). He must not leave the camp or his people now, although he may accompany them to fetch up some friendly neighbouring tribe to join in the ceremony. In the meantime, at some distance from the main-camp an er-rul-li is built: this is a sort of bush fence or palisading, in the form of an arc, about 83^ to 4 feet high and about 30 or more feet long. Within this enclosure the elder men of the tribe are sitting, the women either straggling round outside, or else joining (Fig. 410 f) in bringing up the visitors. During the latter end of the afternoon, as the "friendlies" come up, the novitiate is hoisted on to one of the men's shoulders, with calves dangling over his carrier's chest (same position as in Fig. 419) and leads the procession; the other men all follow in Indian-flle, and, stamping the feet as they come up, circle round the errulli (Fig. 410 c, d) in front of which they perform an evolution. During this procession the singing is done by the men within the enclosure: it runs as follows : — "na-li-li-Zj?j-jana-li-li-7&-ia til-pa-row-i til-pa-roM-i," but unfortunately, like all the songs in these initiation ceremonies, its meaning is unintelligible even to the singers themselves. As sundown comes on, the gins' corrobboree commences, the men all sitting down by themselves close up in the errulli around a fire (Fig. 410 e) while the novitiate shifts his position to some yards further back (Fig 410 a to b) where he sits by himself: the women now emerge from behind either side of the enclosure, all dressed and painted as in the Boulia District corrobboree- costume proper (sect. 193, Fig. 287), and dance to the accompaniment of the men's voices singing " jin-in-go-a-ra jin-In-go-a-ra lam-^o-ra," &c. This concluded, the evening meal is partaken of, and all together, both men and women, go to sleep within the palisading; the novitiate alone sleeps by himself close up to, but not within, the fence. About the middle of the night, the proceedings re-commence, the women dancing as they did at sundown, but instead of coming from behind the "wings," they advance from the front, and dance in the fire-light to the men singing the same song as on the previous afternoon. The singing and dancing continue till daylight, when the gins, after returning to the main-camp and collecting all the spears, boomerangs, shields, and other weapons, remove to a distance remote from both camp and enclosure, in order to decorate themselves after the manner of warriors about to fight, i.e., with white bands of gypsum upon the thighs, chest, face (sect. 238). These would-be amazons next pretend that they are black-fellows going to engage in combat, and shout " Hoo ! hoo ! hoo ! " as they advance up to the enclosure, also making pretence of fighting one with the other and using their weapons. At last they get closer and closer, and, after circling round the errulli in Indian-flle just as they did in the procession of the previous day, squat down for some little time behind the novitiate : when sufficiently rested they depart once more to the main-camp. The novitiate next lies on his back on the ground, and one by one the elder men, i.e., those that have been "whistled" (sect. 317, &c.), pass over him from foot to head — the lad is really between their legs — and as they pass (Fig. 411), each keeps on jagging the cicatrix of his introcised penis more or less transversely with a piece of flint, &c., thus covering him almost completely with the sprinkled blood : there may be as many as a score of men engaged m
