young man.' The whole ceremony appears to be typical of the severance of the boy from his mother's influence and control, and also possibly of his future married state. There seems to be no fixed time upon which the ceremony of Jerryale takes place, but it is fixed upon by the elders of the tribe or of several tribes in concert; for instance, the Jerryale at which my informant was made 'young man' was attended by the blacks from Lake Tyers to the Tarra in South Gippsland. The proceedings, as told me, are as follows:—All the youths, candidates for Jerryale, sit down on the ground at a distance of thirty to forty yards from the camp. The women, that is the married women, sit down at the camp and beat rugs folded up. The youths are called Jerryale, and I shall speak of them by that term. The Jerryale sit down in a row, and immediately behind each Jerryale sits a young girl called Growun. The Growuns are appointed by the elders, and, I am informed, are only 'mate-partner to help the Jerryale,' and not in any way as a wife—as it is also expressed, 'something like it sister or cousin;' the Jerryale sits cross-legged with his arms folded on his breast, and the Growun sits behind him, close to him, in a like attitude. When there are more Jerryale than Growun, one of the latter sits half-way between two of the former. Thus—J for Jerryale, G for Growun:—
| (G) | (G) | (G) | (G) | |||
| (J) | (J) | (J) | (J) | (J) |
At this time the men are arranged at a little distance in a row fronting the Jerryale. At a signal, they run forward and halt just in front of them. They beat up the soil or sand in front of the Jerryale with sticks, shouting 'Ai-ee-ee-ee-ei;' at each cry they strike the ground so as to make soil fly up towards the Jerryale. These say nothing, but slowly incline the head—the arms being folded first on the left breast, then on the right. The Growun exactly imitate the gestures of the Jerryale. The men have a stalk of grass thrust through the perforation in the cartilage of the nose instead of the bone goombert. They are also rubbed round the eyes with charcoal-dust. This ceremony is performed every evening, from about four o'clock to ten o'clock, for two weeks; and it is moreover done at different places, thus progressing through the tribes from one limit of the district to the other. In addition to the cry of 'Ai-ee-ee,' the words 'Bu-ee-bu-ee-bu-ee' are also used, but no explanation can be given of these terms. During the fortnight that this ceremony continues, the mothers of the youths go down to the young men's camps (called Brew-it), which are apart from the main camp, and beat upon folded 'possum rugs there—their sons the meanwhile sitting silent in front of them in the manner above described. The mothers go from camp to camp in this way. The ceremonies now change; the Jerryale stand in a row at the camp, naked; behind them all the gins stand naked, except an apron of emu feathers round their waists, and cords made of stringybark round their heads; they hold upright in front of them their yam-sticks with boughs tied on the end. The men come up with bundles of wood-splinters a foot long in each hand, singing 'oo-oo-oo-oo-yay-yay-yay-yay,' &c., &c. When they come near, they, while chanting 'oo-yay,' throw the splinters one by one to the gins, who gather them up, and beat the bundles on
