"The offended person walks about the central area of the camp in a belligerent manner, making throwing movements and declaiming loudly. He usually carries spears, spear thrower and boomerang. The emotional level is high. His anger may be directed on to an observer if the observer interferes with the display []. The haranguing soon draws an audience [and] the two principal protagonists become more excited and each makes throwing movements with his weapons. This phase may culminate in the aggrieved person thrusting or throwing a spear at the other; the speared person in turn thrusts or throws one back again, and the aggressor has a second thrust so that, in all, three blows are struck. Thrusting is more common than throwing. The spear is always aimed at the thigh and penetrates the muscle mass over the inner aspect to a variable extent, the tip sometimes passing right through the muscle. Spearing above the thigh is strictly contrary to tribal lore. Spears may be barbed or unbarbed. The dispute ends when both parties have been injured." (Op. cit., p260; emphasis added.)

"The ritual is called 'boning' or 'singing'. The underlying principle is that a malign spirit is believed to be incorporated by magical means into the victim. Such acts are often, but not always, carried out in private either by the aggrieved person or by a sorcerer. They are not done indiscriminately, since the singer may himself be sung in retribution. The malign spirit may be 'removed' by other incantations, usually by a medicine man who specialises in such matters." (Ibid., p261.)