The Ngawait, also spelt Ngawadj and other variations, and also known as Eritark and other names, were an Aboriginal Australian people of the mid-Riverland region, spanning the Murray River in South Australia.
These women then threw down their cloaks and bags and raised a loud wail, accompanied by frantic gesticulations, lacerating their bodies with sharp shells till the blood flowed from the wounds.
After some time had been spent in this way the women took up their bundles again and returned to the rear of their own party.An elderly man of the Narwijjerook people now advanced and held a short colloquy with the local mob.
He then stepped back and brought his own men forward, exhibiting in front three uplifted spears, to which were attached the little nets left with them by the envoys already referred to, and which were the emblems of the duty they had to perform.
Early in the morning of the appointed day the novices were mustered out of the camp and ran away a short distance, where they were captured and thrown down.
Bunches of green boughs were now placed under the arms and in the hands of each novice, after which several natives took hold of them, raising them suddenly and simultaneously to their feet, while a loud, guttural " whaugh ! "
The heads and bodies of the novices were then rubbed over with grease and red ochre, and tufts of feathers and kangaroo teeth were worn tied to the hair in front.