The assumption of the perineal band is the subject of a ceremony which will be dealt with hereafter.

Caps are very often worn by men, but not by women or children.  These are simply pieces of plain unstained bark cloth about 9 inches wide, which are coiled and twisted on the head.  The result is often a shapeless mass; but there are methods of arranging the cloth in definite ways which produce describable results.  Sometimes the cloth is merely coiled several times around the head, so as to produce a tall thin turban-shaped band, the crown of the head being left uncovered.  Often this plan is extended by turning the end of the cloth over, so as to cover the top of the head, thus producing in some cases a result which resembles a fez, and in other cases one which looks more like a tight skullcap.  Again the cap often has its centre terminating in an end or tassel hanging over, thus making it look like a cap of liberty; and yet again I have seen the cap look almost like the square paper caps often worn by certain artisans at home.  These caps are seen in several of the plates.

Abdominal belts are commonly worn by both men and women, but not as a rule by children.  There are several distinct forms of these:—­

(1) A thick strong dark-coloured belt (Plate 14, Fig.  I) made of tree bark; made and worn by men only.  The belt is about 3 or more inches wide and is often so long that it passes twice round the body, the outer end being fastened to the coil beneath it by two strings.  This form of belt is sometimes ornamented with simple straight-lined geometric patterns carved into the belt, but it is never coloured.  The process of manufacture is as follows:  they cut off a strip of bark large enough for one, two, three, or four belts, and coil it up in concentric circles, like the two circles of the belt when worn.  They then place it so coiled into water, and leave it there to soak for a few days, after which they strip off the outer part, leaving the smooth inner bark, which they dry, and finally cut into the required lengths, to which they add the attachment strings made of native fibre.

(2) A belt made of a material looking like split cane and thin strips from the fibre of what I was told was a creeping plant [34]; made and worn by men only.  The latter material is obtained by splitting the fibre into thin strips.  These strips and the strips of split cane-like material are rather coarse in texture.  The former are of a dull red-brown colour (natural, not produced by staining) and the latter are stone-yellow.  The two are plaited together in geometric patterns.  The width of the belt is about 2 inches.  It only passes once round the man’s body; and the plaiting is finished with the belt on the body, so that it can only afterwards be removed by unplaiting or cutting it off.