Handout on Australian mythology - St. Bonaventure Universityweb.sbu.edu/theology/bychkov/australian_mythology.pdfnagina Nanarbarelja wurawiljaba Najafjbarefja nagina iigira . they

Handout on Australian mythology

Nambirrirrma (explanations to the color chart that must be studied in conjunction with the text of the myth, Turner's charts and articles)·

A - Wurramarrba clan ("0" on Turner's chart and map) B - Wurramara clan ("M" on Turner's chart and map) C - Warnungwadarrbalangwa clan ("r' on Turner's chart and map) D - Wurragwagwa clan ("N" on Turner's chart and map)

1. An "A" man moves into B territory and meets Nambirrirrma

2. A "C" man moves into B territory and meets them both

3. Nambirrirrma learns that his B clan bas moved to D territory

4. The "A" man goes to fetch B people from D territory

5. The "c" man goes to fetch his C people from C territory Note!!! C clan does not want to provide a wife for Nambirrirrma and is camped

away from the others on the beach

In the end, all the characters work out how they are related to one another (i.e., the whole totemic, kinship, and marriage system of their four clans), and Nambirrirrma marries.

Real problems:

3. clans that are not part ofthe same totemic brotherhood (A and C) trying to take over the vacant land belonging to clan B

b. Clan C threatening to leave the island and destroy the four-clan marriage system.

Role ofNambirrirrma: mediator who restores the original "federative" system.

Yandarranga (Jadarna, "Central Hill")

To trace the "Dreaming track" of Central Hill, please use the chart (p. 39) and map (following page) in Turner's handout with a map of Australia on the first page, in combination with the myth itself on p. 41 and in Turner's "Life before Genesis" (pp. 72­75).

First of all, one must understand that Central Hill is the "totemic connector" who links five clans through his "Dreaming track."

Real problems:

a. "Sinking down," i.e., settling in one clan's territory, instead of observing the system of connected clans within a brotherhood residing in a number of territories, which gives the benefits of an alliance (e.g., the right to use many more lands).

b. Co-producing (working together) with - which means marrying - a woman from the same totemic brotherhood that is supposed to be exogamous (no marriage within the brotherhood); in other words, a threat to the marriage system.

Role of Central Hill: mediator who maintains the system of totemic ally related clans with no marriage inside the system

Turner's general ideas on Australian mythology

In federative societies, such as Australian aboriginal, the assumption is that things are perfect the way they are. Such societies are conservative and try by all means to preserve ' the existing order (hence the importance of the tribal lore). In such societies myths explore what would happen if the present structure were damaged and warn the clans not to destroy the system.

TRADITION AND TR.\"<SFORMATION

II i 1j1llJg~\'i!iillu go icljm} Ira ganijdmijada gall1bira wunalagina giinijiimijada they painted so that thev can live then those two they can live each other tog~ther

gallijiimijada :pnijiimijada. A lriljiigaro mriljiigara nal71baribaba. Nijamdjama they can li\ e wgether for a long time they lived together (time passed)

got um pickJninny nagina Nanarbarelja wurawiljaba Najafjbarefja nagina iigira they had a bJby him one (child) (personal name) him name

Sajaljbarelja pickaninny. /v"idjIIIj 1m. fjaH'a bina da . ljGlr' aragba da' .:hild he died finished That's all now

General translation: One day. a man from the Wufamafbalocal group went fishing on Bickerton Island in the country of the neighbouring Wufamara people. At the same time. a ~lan called Nambififma descended from the sky to a place in Wuramara country . Wh~:1 the Wufamarba man arrived at his destination he saw this stranger and wonderd where he could have come from. Nambifirma told him that he belonged to this paEticular place, but before they could talk further, the Wuramarba man sighted his AANlljJA, a !!Ian in the WaQulJwadarbalalJwa local group, coming toward them. He called his NAN/!jJA over and asked him if he knew this stranger. He replied h~ did not but suggested he may have come down from 'God'. Both men found it odd that this man, if he were a stranger, should speak their language. ;\ambirifma :Jen asked them where the people were who belonged to the country they were in . The Wuramafba man answered that they, the Wuramara, were presently on the other ;ide of the island in Wuragwagwa country, the country in which their de!J(la were Jo' .1ted. Pointing out the boundaries of Wuramara country to Nambirirma, the two men Then showed him the location of their own countries. From the in­formation nL'\\ 3vailabl'e to Nambifii'ma, he was able to deduce that he called the Wufamafba ;nan by the kin term NADIDJA and the WaQllowadarbalalJwa man, Y..JB£RA.

While Nambirii'ma remained behind, the Wufamarba man went to fetch the \Vuramara people from Wuragwagwa country. and the WaQulJwadafbalalJwa man \\ent to get his own people. When the Wui'amara arrived back in their own country they asked \'.1mbifii'ma who he was. and he replied he was als9 Wui'amara and. therefore the:. should all call each other by the kin terms NA WA " VA'v/CUMANDJA. After holding a meeting, Nambirirma's NADIDJA, the Wuramafba man , arranged to give h;m r. :s own dahda as wife, providing him with a choice between two or three adult \\ 0men with children , and one young girl without. Nambifirma picked the young girl and they were married, eventually having one child . Finally, ;\ambififma die<:!.

The Nambii'irma myth yields the following information (Table 6) relevant to this analysis of kinship and marriage:

TABLE 6 Kin and marriage relations found in the "ambirirma myth

Rule 35. The \\ufamara call each other jadijaramal/{lja. that is NA WA f

NA'SICL.\IANDJ...J /dijoba.'dadijamandja. By implication , so do the members of each of the other local groups in the story.

36. The \\ufl.J11arba call the Wuramara NADIDJA and l'ice l'ersa . . 37. The \\ ufamarba call WaQul)wadarbalalJwa NA'NlljJA (and dadiljja).

38 . Wuramara call WaQulJwadafbalalJwa NA SERA (and dabefa) . 39 . Wufamara call the Bickerton Wuragwagwa de!J(la (and N/lBA). 40. Wuramara marries his NADIDJA'5 dabera. 41. Marriag;! arranged by an ego's NADIDJA.

24

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D_' m QUf Ic:llometna.

MAP 2. Afythologicallinks between patrl -g.roups .!n eastern Arnnem Land

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