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25.
22. Festivals, Initiations, Ceremonies etc. No festivals celebrated at birth of a child, marriage, at certain seasons etc and females go through no bora ceremonies whatsoever. The young boys at an early age, about 11 or 12 years, get one or other of the two upper incisors knocked out, but this constitutes no ceremony and is not absolutely necessary. Then subsequently when a sufficient number of "friendlies" can be got together in one locality (and this will depend upon the suitable season and adequate food-supply) all the boys who are to undergo the rite are removed taken to a spot well removed from the ^women and the actual camp, where a "lean-to" of branches is set up. About 10 or 15 yards distant from this shed is the "Ring" a space about 12 yards by 6, formed in some sandy spot, the sand scooped out, and raised thrown up to form a raised edge, just wide enough for one individual to walk along. At the shed each boy is covered with from head to foot with beef-wood bark charcoal by his father or mother's brother, the ashes being applied by with the hands which are spat upon. The proceedings will com-mence [commence] at any time during the day or evening. The boys are now taken to the ring within sight of sound of which are no women or other uninitiated males dare to be present. Here the elders go through every one of the corrobborees they know, and as each is performed the father or mothers' brother explains to his ward the meaning and details of it : at the commencement of each separate corrobboree (except the wild cat one, during which their faces are turned aside in the direction of "home" throughout the whole performance) they are directed to look home-wards for some little lapse of time, before the respective explanations of the dance are vouchsafed to them. These dances are done in relays, and extend over a space of sometimes 4 days, without sleep, and but little food, and that only of a certain kind, with the result that the poor novitiates are half-starved and knocked up ^for want of sleep. They are also painted differently at the close of the ceremony, with red-ochre etc, to what they were at the
[note on left side margin - [indecipherable] initiation ceremony [indecipherable] nothing to do with [indecipherable] sexual stage or with [indecipherable] : a man need [indecipherable] necessarily have gone [indecipherable] it soon before [indecipherable], or even before [indecipherable] have been [indecipherable] him.]