a rite amongst the aborigines ofeastern Australia; the ceremony of admitting a young black tothe rights of manhood. Aboriginal word.
The word bur, given by Ridley, means not only girdle but`circle.' In the man-making ceremonies a large circle is madeon the ground, where the ceremonies take place.
1875. W. Ridley, `Kamilaroi,' p. 24:
«Girdle – – bor or bur. Hence Bora, the ceremony of initiationinto manhood, where the candidate is invested with the belt ofmanhood.»
1885. R. M. Praed, `Australian Life,' p. 24:
«The great mystery of the Blacks is the Bora – – a ceremony atwhich the young men found worthy receive the rank of warriors.»
1892. J. Fraser, `Aborigines of New South Wales,' p. 6:
«These ceremonies are . . . called the Bora.»