At this stage a bull-roarer is frequently sounded at night by one or more old men, who walk quietly away from camp and conceal themselves in the bush. At the sound of these, the women are overwhelmed with awe and cover their faces with their hands and quiver hysterically. This is the dawn of that period in a young man’s life at which his social status undergoes a complete change; it is the introduction to the series of initiation ceremonies which will ultimately qualify him for acceptance into the inner circle of men who have a voice in the control of tribal affairs. But more than this: it is also the beginning of that time in his life when he must learn to sever himself from his associations with the women and camp apart from his mother, sisters, and other near female relatives. As a matter of fact, this event places him on the threshold of a new life which unfolds to him the secret of the sexes. The sexual significance of the ceremony is clearly indicated through the circumstance that both male and female bull-roarers are sounded during the proceedings, a liberty which is only permitted on rare occasions.
About two days before the expected arrival of the invited tribes, rehearsals are held by the local men. A body of the performers suddenly appears upon the scene, coming from the cover of the forest; they are all richly decorated with red ochre and white pipe-clay, and run in a compact line up to the cleared space. As they approach the spot, they stamp the ground vigorously and hit their hands together. They halt at one of the circular spaces, and, whilst they continue to stamp and beat time with their hands, some of the oldest among them spring along the track to the opposite space and go through all sorts of mysterious acting, which include tricks of sorcery designed to exhort the men and expel any evil spirits from the ground. The act is repeated every day until the guests arrive, and then it is also produced at night. The actors, who have profited by the rehearsals, are now seen at their best, and the visitors first look on in appreciative bewilderment; at a later stage, they join in and their own sorcerers display their tricks as well. This function lasts long into the night, and, should more visitors arrive, it might be repeated all over again for the late-comers’ special benefit. During these demonstrations, the women sit some distance off with their backs turned to the men and keep up their monotonous tune.
The next few days may be spent in convivial sing-songs and food-procuring expeditions, whilst the principal performers busy themselves cutting twigs and leaves from the surrounding trees, with which they completely cover the cleared ground, so that not a track remains visible in the sand. The object of this somewhat tedious process is precautionary, namely, to deny any prowling spirit the opportunity of ascertaining the identity of the persons who have taken part in the ceremony. They fear that, if this information were obtained, the boys would be molested and their teeth stuck tightly into bone of the gums.
When at last the eventful night arrives, a number of the older men decorate their bodies profusely with vegetable down and ochre. The boys’ bodies are smeared with red ochre, over which certain designs are drawn in symmetrical fashion, and embodying a number of circles and dashes. The men endeavour to make themselves as awe-inspiring as possible by concealing as much of their normal appearance as they can. They keep aloof from the novices until immediately before the ceremony.
The fires glaring fiercely, the boys are led to the cleared space and told to keep their eyes closed. Upon a given signal, several of the decorated men rush from the darkness, pounce upon the novices, and throw them to the ground. Each man seizes one of them and kneeling behind him places the lad’s head upon his lap. The initiate offers no resistance and allows his eyes to be covered by the old man’s hands. Whilst some weird chants are being rendered, the operators appear upon the scene, each carrying a short cylindrical stick and a stone in his hands. These men are not decorated and are near relatives of the boys undergoing the ritual. With much dancing and gesticulating, they draw near to the boys, and, as each of the men kneeling behind raises the head of a candidate, one of the operators steps forward and looks into the boy’s mouth as it is being forced open by the assistant. Presently he selects his mark and with his finger-nail presses back the gum from one of the youngster’s incisors. Then he places the point of his stick against the tooth and gives it a sharp blow with the stone he is carrying in his other hand.
As a rule the boy does not whimper, but occasionally one may give way and cry with pain. This is immediately resented and forbidden by the old men, who declare that he has been too much in the company of the women and girls.
The stick is re-applied and another blow imparted to the tooth; and the process is repeated until the tooth loosens and falls out. All novices are treated similarly in rotation.
Whilst the elders are continuing their dancing, the boys are taken back to camp by their initiated male relatives, where they are presented with a pubic tassel, a dog-tail necklace, or other article which is strictly peculiar to such as have undergone the ordeal at the correct time. The boys are again given instructions in all sorts of matter becoming of a man, among which discipline and loyalty towards their elders and tribes-people in general are of first importance. The seriousness of the ceremony then relaxes somewhat, and songs and dances are produced to inspire and amuse the boys; the performance rarely concludes before daylight.
In central Australia the operation is nowadays performed without much ceremony and usually in daylight. Among the Wongapitcha it is known as “Antjuarra.” The novice lies on his back and rests his head against the operator’s thighs, while a number of men sit around in a semi-circle ([Plate XXVII]). The operator forces the gum away from the tooth with his finger nails and endeavours to loosen the root in its socket with a small, pointed wallaby bone he calls “marinba.” Then he applies the bevelled point of a short, stout rod (“tjutanga”) and strikes it with a stone (“puli”). The percussion produces a loud resonant note, at which all present cry “Tirr!” After four or five whacks with the stone, the tooth falls from its socket. It is picked up by the operator and shown to the audience, who respond by exclaiming “Ah” or “Yau.”
The Wongapitcha and western Aluridja remove the left central incisor; only the eastern groups of the Arunndta still practise the rite.