When Etsa and Nantu looked down and saw the turmoil that had been created they were much displeased. They descended to earth and sought out Ahimbi, accusing him of being responsible for all the trouble because of his conduct with Mika. Seizing him, they brought him to the Pongo Manseriche. Here Etsa took the trunk of a hollow chonta palm and thrust Ahimbi in it. Then Etsa, blowing upon the chonta tube after the fashion of a blowgun, turned it slowly while so doing. As he did so, Ahimbi slowly came forth from the other end in the form of Pangi, the boa. After he had emerged completely from the chonta log, Etsa bound him up and placed him under the waters of the Pongo Manseriche. The boiling, turbulent waters of this narrow gorge are brought about by Ahimbi’s titanic efforts to free himself from his bonds.
After this punishment had befallen him Ahimbi desired that his sons should have peace, so he thrashed his tail and sprayed water into the air, forming the rainbow, as a sign to Etsa to be compassionate and release his bonds in order that he might restore peace among the warring factions. Masata, however, saw the rainbow and ingeniously placed clouds and rain in the way so that Ahimbi’s signal would not be seen by Etsa, and thus bring about an end to the fighting. Whenever Ahimbi attempts his signal, he has always been thwarted thus far by Masata, who has obscured the rainbow with rain and mists.
Having successfully prevented this threat of peace, Masata once more started visiting each of the tribes, hurling out his slogan, “Make war! Make war!” Chingaso, however, feeling sorry for the plight of Ahimbi and desiring to see peace brought about, went down to the Pongo Manseriche in a canoe with the intention of releasing him. Ahimbi, however, thrashing about in his rage, did not recognize her. He overturned her canoe and ate her, thus ending his best opportunity for freedom.
Thus ends the Nuhiño of the Jivaros.
—M. M. Sterling. “The Nuhiño or Earth Story of the Jivaros,” U. S. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 117 (Historical and Ethnographical Material of the Jivaros Indians). Washington, D C.: Government Printing Office, 1938, pp. 124–129
MUNDURUCU
The People Climbed Out Like many Indians of the Amazon Basin in Brazil, the Mundurucu have come to identify their creating culture hero with the Christian supreme god and thereby to elevate him to a position of equal prominence. In this earlier myth, however, Karusakaibo is still rather earthbound and immanent: with the help of an armadillo, he discovers people living in the womb of the earth and, like a midwife, begins to deliver them. Then the rope (symbolizing both the axis mundi and the umbilical cord) breaks, and half of the people remain in the earth as “ancestors.” Thus the cycle of being emerging out of not-being at birth and eventually returning to it at death is established.
KARUSAKAIBO had made the world but had not created men. One day Daiiru, the armadillo, offended the creator and was forced to take refuge in a hole in the ground. Karusakaibo blew into the hole and stamped his foot on the earth. Daiiru was blown out of the hole by the rush of air. He reported that people were living in the earth. He and Karusakaibo made a cotton rope and lowered it into the hole. The people began to climb out. When half of them had emerged, the rope broke and half remained underground, where they still live. The sun passes through their country from west to east when it is night on the earth; the moon shines there when the earth has moonless nights.
—Donald Horton, “The Mundurucú.” U.S. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 143 (Handbook of South American Indians) Vol. 3, The Tropical Forest Tribes. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1948, p. 281.
NINE
MYTHS OF AUSTRALIA AND THE PACIFIC
WULAMBA
The Origin of the Aborigines While many Australian myths speak of an otiose sky deity, their main focus is on the great culture heroes of the beginning, the “Dreamtime.” Typically, the Wulamba people of northeastern Arnhem Land on the northern tip of the continent recall the wondrous Djanggawul beings (Djanggawul and his two sisters), endlessly fertile and creative, who wandered over the earth creating plants, animals, and finally ancestors of the Aborigines. They arrived from Braglu, the island home of the dead for the dua moiety (the realm of not-being), with several sacred objects still used by the Wulamba: the ngainmara mat, symbolic of the womb, and the rangga poles, symbolic of the phallus. And in their wandering, in addition to creating, they ordered the land, removed other totemic beings, established moieties (among the Wulamba, everything belongs to either the dua or jiridja moiety), and created rituals. In all of these activities, the Djanggawul sisters took a most active role until, as is related in some parts of the long Djanggawul myth cycle, they left their sacred paraphernelia unguarded, and it was stolen by their brother and his companions. This presumption of sexual revolution is made in many Australian myths; here it is symbolized by the eventual shortening of the sisters’ genitalia by their brother.
The great and easy fertility of the Djanggawul is celebrated by the entire people annually: women and children of the tribe wriggle under the mat in imitation of unborn babies, while the men dance around and poke it with their rangga poles; finally the women and children emerge, just as their ancestors did from the wombs of the Djanggawul sisters. In rites such as these, the Aborigines take unto themselves the roles of their ancestors, whose work they continue in ordering and maintaining the still sacred world.
IN THE BEGINNING there were land and sky, animals and birds, foliage and trees. There was sea, too, in the waters of which were fish and other creatures; and upon the land were beings of totemic origin. All these things were there, as they had always been; but man, as we know him today, was not among them.
Far out to sea, out of sight of the Arnhem Land mainland, was an island known as Bralgu (Bu’ralgu), the land of the Eternal Beings, which later became the home of the dua moiety dead. It lay to the south-east of Port Bradshaw, somewhere beyond Groote Eylandt.
It was here, at Bralgu, that the Djanggawul were living. They are said to have come from a big ceremony or meeting, in an unknown land far beyond the isle of Bralgu. On their arrival there they held another large ceremony, much larger than the contemporary dua nara, and used all their sacred objects. At that time they possessed a great many emblems, but only a few of these could be brought in the bark canoe to the Australian mainland.
They did not, however, spend very long at Bralgu, for it was only a “halfway” resting place on the journey they were attempting.
There were three of them: Djanggawul himself, his elder Sister, Bildjiwuraroiju, and his younger Sister, Miralaidj. With them, too, was another man, named Bralbral. The Two Sisters and their Brother, however, were nearly always known as the Djanggawul. Djanggawul himself had an elongated penis, and each of the Two Sisters had a long clitoris; these were so long that they dragged upon the ground as they walked. The penis of Djanggawul, gurlga or dulparu (ordinary name for penis) had a long foreskin (dabin), suggesting that it had not been circumcised; at various intervals along the penis were notches, or penis “rings” or “ridges,” as on an ordinary penis towards the apex. These rings were called bugalil, a term also applied to the sacred invocations at present used among the north-eastern Arnhem Land peoples (dua moiety, bugali, or jiritja moiety, bugalili). The elder Sister’s clitoris (the ordinary term being gadin, and the “inside” term ngeribngerib) was the longer, while the younger Sister’s was almost snakelike in appearance.
At Bralgu, as they walked around with these, they left grooves in the ground from their dragging. And when the Djanggawul Brother had coitus with his Sisters, he lifted aside their clitorises, entering them in the usual way. He was able to have incestuous relations with his Sisters, because at that time there were no marriage rules, no moities and no prohibition. Djanggawul had been having coitus with Bildjiwuraroiju for a long time; her breasts had grown large and “fallen down” with milk, and she had produced many children. Miralaidj, though, was quite young, having just passed puberty, and her breasts were rounded and firm. They lived at Bralgu for some little time, putting people there, an
d leaving “Dreamings” in the form of totemic origins, sacred emblems and body paintings. They also instituted their rituals and ceremonies. The Brother’s penis and the Sisters’ clitorises were sacred emblems, like rangga poles.
At last they made ready their bark canoe, and loaded it with “Dreamings,” sacred drawings and emblems; the latter were kept in a conically-shaped ngainmara mat. When all this was ready they themselves, with their companion Bralbral, climbed into the canoe. Then they paddled out to sea, leaving the island of Bralgu far behind. For days and days they paddled, until they sighted the Arnhem Land mainland. At last they came to it, landing near Rose River. But they soon left this part of the country, and continued paddling along the coast until they reached Jelangbars, Port Bradshaw.
Near Gangudol Island, while still in their canoe, the Ancestral Beings saw some trees, in the branches of which were perched two lindaridj parakeets, drying themselves in the first rays of the sun. As they passed this island, the djigai morning pigeon was crying. “Maybe that bird is crying out on the land,” said the Djanggawul, and so they sang about it. They saw, too, trepang on Bauwuling (or Bauwljans) Islands, and there were many lindaridj on Gagubam. A black cockatoo, immediately it caught sight of them, flew over to what are now the sacred sandhills near Ngadibaulwi (or Ngadibalji) rocks.
As the Djanggawul were nearing Port Bradshaw, and while they were still paddling, they could see the white foam from waves breaking around the sacred rock of Gulbinbol, just outside the entrance to the bay. As they looked they saw, too, myriads of small lindaridj parakeets flying over the mainland, the sun’s rays catching the redness of their breast feathers. There was a constant roar of waves pounding on the beach. They paddled farther into the bay, coming to the Garingan rock, and saw the wide curving beach of Jelangbara. They sang with joy, and allowed the surf to take their canoe into the shallow water.
Then they dragged their canoe on to the beach and unloaded it, making this a sacred place. Jelangbara is the largest Djanggawul centre in north-eastern Arnhem Land and, today, the most important.
Here the Djanggawul Brother wished to shorten his Sisters’ clitorises. But the elder Sister said, “No, wait till we reach Arnhem Bay. We can have a good rest, and put Dreamings there.” So they walked around, still dragging the clitorises and elongated penis, leaving marks on the ground which may be seen to-day.
Leaving their canoe, the Djanggawul walked along the coast until they came to Ngadibalji, where they saw the djawuldjanwul mangrove bird. Here too the Djanggawul Brother left his hairbelt, but retained the parakeet-feathered waist-band and arm-bands he was wearing. The hairbelt is now a sandhill. On the sandhill, were track marks of the damwmindjari (damburindari or waburunggu) wild duck; these birds were eating the murnji, or wild peanut roots. On the opposite side was a large barren sandhill, on the surface of which were tracks of the djanda goanna, as well as of many birds. A gamaru tree with non-edible “apple”-like nuts was growing there, too. This tree is sacred; it is a jirijiri bull-roarer tree, and to-day only those who are very old may look upon it. Here the Djanggawul paused and heard again the cry of the ngadili (dangadilji or rirambung) black cockatoo. Here too is the sacred waterhole, milngur, which the Djanggawul made by inserting the mauwulan rangga pole: a spring flows from it down to the beach. It is said that the four Beings entered this hole, and made their camp within.
Later, they walked farther along, and saw two djanda goanna resting on the peak of a sandhill. “Ah,” said the Brother, “I am very surprised to see this goanna. I had better put it Dreaming (wongar) for this country.” Bangguli is the goannas’ “inside” sacred name. The goanna crawled up the smooth surface of the sandhill, dislodging the sand. It attempted to climb on to the sacred djuda pole (that is, tree) the Djanggawul had placed there, but could not do so, because the Djanngawul was still there. Today the djuda ironwood (or “black” bark) tree is still there, at Mauwulanggalngu, where it grew from the sacred rangga.
After leaving the sandhills the Djanggawul continued walking along. Near the beach at Gumararanggu (named from the gamaru tree there), still on the Port Bradshaw peninsula, they heard the noise made by the black malgu flying fox, and saw more sandhills and goannas, as well as gunjan beach worms.
Coming to Wabilinga Island, which was later to become a large Macassan settlement, they saw the Baijini folk who were working there. They were cooking trepang, where the tamarind trees stand to-day. The Djanggawul were much perturbed and said to the Baijini, “Baijini, you had better move from here to your own place; for this place must belong to us, and we are going to establish a sacred site.” So some of the Baijini moved to the other side of the island, and some went to Dagu (vagina or vulva) on the mainland. But they left behind them on the island ashes from their fires, the crisscross elongated bars on which their trepang was left to dry, some huts, and a djiru trepang-stirring “spoon” or ladle. Djanggawul picked this up and looked at it. “Ah,” he said, “this is a good colour. I shall have it for myself.” The djiru was black, a colour that the Djanggawul now used for the first time, together with blackness from the charcoal in the ashes of the Baijini fires. In this way, the locality became partly dua, from the Djanggawul, and partly jiritja, from the Baijini.
Another jiritja moiety Ancestral Being, named Laintjung, was also present at this site. He exchanged gifts with the Djanggawul, and in return for some red parakeet feathered string gave them some black clan patterns, and opossum fur string. That is why, today, each moiety has something belonging to the other: the jiritja took from the dua, and vice versa. Laintjung was also given a red parakeet feathered jiridbald waist-band and some judumiri arm-bands. He possessed, too, a piece of cloth which he had obtained from the Baijini, but the Djanggawul refused to take any of this. The Djanggawul had apparently come prepared for this meeting with people of the jiritja moiety. They had half expected trouble from them when they requested the Baijini to move, and carried in readiness gundmara (“inside” name) fighting dilly bags.
Leaving Wabilinga Island behind them, the Djanggawul moved to Gagubam, where they heard the djawuldjawul mangrove bird calling out in the early morning. After this they heard “people and children” crying; and here spirit footprints of children may be seen on the rocks. These are the spirits who are as yet unborn, and remain in the uterus of the elder Sister, Bildjiwuraroiju. After leaving Gagubam the Djanggawul passed Bauwuling (or Bauwijara) where they saw bauwaldja catfish swimming after small fish and bunabi trepang slugs. And above Bauwuling, in the fresh water well on dry land, surrounded by mangroves and salt water, was biabia refuse from the trepang.
After spending some time in the Port Bradshaw country, establishing sacred sites, they decided to walk down the beach towards Caledon Bay; but there were so many totemic folk in those parts that they again got into their canoe and paddled down to Gambuga(wi) at Caldeon Bay, in territory of the Karlpu linguistic group. There they are said to have made a sacred place, and put special djuda. These were rangga emblems which, with others, they had carried from Bralgu in the ngainmara mat, and trees sprang up as they were pushed into the ground.
When they had done this they looked up, and saw a big dry weather cloud mirage, called wulma. It was coming from Buguwolumiri, in the country of the Djapu linguistic group, towards the “bottom” (or southern part) of Blue Mud Bay; so they travelled towards that place, and put more dreamings there. Their clitorises and penis were still dragging on the ground.
Then they saw another wulma towards the “top” of Blue Mud Bay, at Bugaliji, in Djarlwak linguistic group territority. They paddled around the coast to that place and left dreamings there. Then, abandoning their canoe, they went on foot through the bush until they came to Balimauwi; this is also in Djarlwak country, on the northern side of Rose River. They made a big camp, building a number of different “shades” of huts, which to-day are paperback trees; and there they also placed many dreamings.
Thus through the greater part of the country about Port Bradshaw, below Jelangbara
almost to Rose River, all along the coast and even a little way inland, the Djanggawul left special drawings symbolically related to themselves and to totemic beings. They left, too, sacred rangga emblems, such as the djuda, the djanda (goanna) and mauvulan (associated with water springs), as well as sacred baskets. At all those places moreover, they established their cult, with the singing of songs and the ritual of the dua moiety nara ceremonies.
While at Balimauwi, they looked up into the north western sky and saw a great wulma hanging over Ngaluwi (“inside” name Waguralgu) at Arnhem Bay, in the territory of the Ngeimil and Dadawi linguistic groups. The Djanggawul eventually reached this place and made a camp, putting many dreamings there. They made a fish trap and caught many fish to eat. They also put the wild banana palm, and Djanggawul with his mauwulan rangga poked holes in the ground from which water flowed.
After a time they left Ngaluwi, walking along until they reached Gulugboi(wi), where they made a big “shade.” They pushed their djuda into the ground, and trees sprang forth; and they put the banggada plants there.
At Daramur (or Darar’woi), inland from Arnhem Bay, the Djanggawul saw a djanda goanna in a fresh-water swamp that was covered with wild banana dara leaves; this was in Ngeimil territory.
Farther on a Mingu well, also in Ngeimil country, a djanda emerged from an open well which contained partially submerged banana foliage: new shoots had come up, completely covering the surface of the water.
Passing on to Djaddjananggu (also Ngeimil), they found a swamp where they saw waragai or marabinj fish; here too they saw lily roots and foliage, with flowers, and many ducks. Close by was the Maijulwi billabong where the dadam lily, with its round edible bulbs, was growing in great profusion. The Djanggawul Brother himself declared part of Maijulwi sacred, so that to-day only two tracks, one at each side, lead down to its banks; women may go down one of these only to get water, and must always return by the same road.
Primal Myths Page 48
