 |
Soon after a boy was born a neighbouring group was contacted and arrangements made for the boy’s future initiation. Relationships between people to be involved in it were established. At initiation age he travels with his close family to the host’s country. The initiand is known as "wamulu" in Jiwarli and the principal actor in his initiation as his "nhaankurti". This initiand is also painted with three stripes - of black paint, made from ground charcoal, white paint made from clay, and red paint made from "wilki" red ochre. Initiation involves tying tight bands of fur rope around the upper arms and a wide belt of human hair is wrapped around the waist. The initiands were secluded from their families for six months to a year and experienced severe physical ordeals. After the period of seclusion, the newly initiated man is returned to his family. Initiation establishes a debt, which must be repaid to the initiator in the form of meat, spears and boomerangs. The initiators took the initiand from his family to the initiation ground at the commencement of the initiation. For a long period there is an avoidance relationship between the boy (initiand) and the actor who carried out the initiation. Also once initiated, he must avoid contact with his father’s sister (his aunt) and his sisters, but can relax with his female grandparents who would be his mother’s mother and father’s mother. He must make his own fire and only his eldest sister can bring him food or leave it at his fire. After white settlement these traditions broke down upsetting the older people. In recent times pressure is being exerted on the descendants of Mantharta language speakers, and initiations including circumcision, are nowadays carried out according to the rites of inland groups. There is some evidence, however, that as late as the time of the first world war people were still living a semi-traditional lifestyle. However by 1915 the initiation ceremonies had stopped and the traditional culture no longer functioned.
|
