The Australian aboriginal

by Herbert Basedow

“The moment the sacred object is completed, the Illiyakuta delegates one of his group to act as its attendant or guardian.”

The snake is an important character in the mythology of practically every tribe of Australia; in fact most of the permanent water-holes are supposed to be inhabited by great serpents which guard the supplies, destroy unlawful consumers or polluters thereof, and frequently communicate with those spirit ancestors of the tribes who are descended from the original snake-man still living in the sky. In many cases the mythic snakes can be recognized in some characteristic features of the landscape. Take, for instance, the great artesian spring near Coward Springs Station which is known as Blanche Cup. This is looked upon as the mouth of a snake, while the hill immediately at the back of it (Mt. Hamilton) is its head. In consequence the formation is called “Worma-Kadiabba” (snake’s head) by the local Arrabonna tribe. The natives have a dread of these imaginary snake-monsters and prefer not to visit a water-hole at night; in fact, at any time, day or night, they feel safer in the company of a man who is “related” to the snake, because he can protect them and give them the right of approach. The snake is possessed of evil and will molest any but its totemic “relatives.”

The fundamental conception of the kobong (or totem), so far as the Australian aboriginal is concerned, is of a religious nature. In the beginning of all things, the Aluridja say a number of exalted creatures of human form came out of the earth and were gracious to their tribes-people. Then appeared a menace in the shape of a gigantic dog which chased the good people from one place to another, until they decided to adopt the forms of various animals and plants, and thereby became either too fleet for the dog or were not recognized by it. Other good people now descended from the hills and drove the dog back to its hiding place in a cave where the evil spirit dwells. The newcomers kindled a fire at the mouth of the cave and kept the evil beings in captivity whilst the original Deities re-assumed the human form. Ever after, however, these good creatures were able to alter their appearance from human to animal at will; but each individual in his choice adhered to the particular animal or plant which had saved him from the ravages of the great evil dog. Eventually they formed themselves into flat slabs of stone or wood, upon the surfaces of which they scratched the emblems of their animal representation and the traditions of their long wanderings on earth. The spirits of these Deities now live in the sky but can return at any time to re-enter the slab generally known as the “tjuringa.” Among the Minning at Eucla the larger of these objects are known as “wagal-wagal,” the smaller as “bobi,” whilst further west, in the Laverton district, “kaidi” is the prevailing word. It is true, the tjuringa is not known to all tribes; in which case the Deities are supposed to have entered such natural objects as rocks, hills, and conspicuous trees.

The Roper River natives believe that their deified forbears were molested not by a dog, but by a hideous old woman or witch, who, by the influence of evil, entrapped them and subsequently ate them. On one occasion, however, a party of warriors were successful in decoying her away from her haunts and slaying her. The jubilant victors decided to cut out the old woman’s tongue as a trophy, but as they were thus engaged, the tongue flew out of the mouth and spun round in the atmosphere above them, making a terrible noise as it did so. The men chased the tongue, but it flew towards a beefwood tree and embedded itself deeply in the butt; in vain they looked for it and tried to cut it out; it had become part of the tree. Before returning, however, the men took a piece of wood out of the tree, shaped like the woman’s tongue, which they tied to a piece of human hair-string and swung round their heads with joy. Behold their mixed feelings of delight and fear when the piece of wood began to howl with a voice like that of the slain witch! The tribe retained that piece of wood as a sacred memento of their victory, and they gave to it the name the witch was known by, namely “Kunapippi.” Nowadays this object is the equivalent of the central Australian tjuringa.

All tribes recognize the existence of deified ancestors, now real or spiritual, whom they regard as sacred and worship accordingly. All ancestors stand in a definite, intricate, and intimate relationship to some animal, plant, water-hole, or other natural object which they have at some time or other represented; some indeed in the first place appeared as animals and later took the human form. They are now looked upon as being those powers who by virtue of sacred ceremonial can produce the species they have at some time incarnated, in plenty or allow it to proliferate. As a matter of fact, some of the sorcerers of the tribes often declare that they can see the inside of a sacred rock or tjuringa teeming with young, ready to be produced.

The Arunndta refer to their “Knaninja” (i.e. “totem” Deities) as “Altjerrajara,” meaning the Supreme Number; the Aluridja as “Tukurata” or “Tukutita”; and the Dieri as “Muramura.”

Just as the “totem” ancestor is connected with an animal, plant, or other natural object, and is embodied in the sacred form of the tjuringa, so the individual who traces his descent from such ancestor recognizes a close and mysterious affinity between himself and the tjuringa which has become his by heredity; henceforth it becomes his sacred talisman which protects him from evil and procures for him the means of maintaining his existence.

The emblematic representation of the deified ancestor, based upon the form of an animal or plant living to-day and in some way “connected” with the individual, is the “kobong” of the north-western tribes first referred to by Sir George Grey.

The “totem” is very dear and sacred to the native, and is religiously protected by him. I well remember on one occasion on the Alberga River I discovered a small black and yellow banded snake which I killed. An Aluridja man who was attached to the party at the time was greatly shocked at this, and, with genuine sorrow, told me that I had killed his “brother.” Turning to an Arunndta he lamented aloud: “Kornye! Nanni kallye nuka kalla illum,” which literally translated means: “Oh dear! This brother of mine is dead.”

One thing is always essential and that is that a native performs frequent, prolonged, and reverential ceremonies, remote from the women and children, and in the presence of his tjuringa. Under these conditions the tjuringa is believed to have powers similar to those of the Deity it embodies.