IDNO

LS.109121.TC1

Description

On Catalogue Card: "Australia. Warramunga.
Ceremonies concerned with the Wollunqua Totem, a mythic snake.
Final Ceremony.
The helmets are in the act of being pulled off the heads of the performers who are seated around the ground drawing." [first manuscript in ink]
"North. T.C.A. fig. 81." [second manuscript in ink]

On Catalogue Card for duplicate print P.394.ACH1: "Wollonqua. Final ceremony. Warramunga. North T.C.A. fig.81."

Group of Waramanga (Warramunga) men sitting and standing around a ground drawing while having the helmets pulled off their heads. The ground drawing related to the last of the Wollunqua (mythic snake) ceremonies is concerned with a place called Ununtumurra. The main part of the design consists of a broad, waving band of black charcoal of at least eighteen feet long, terminating in an expanded part attached to a half-circle which in its turn is attached to the outer of a series of three concentric circles. Joined to another side of these again are two curved bands. All along by the side of the main band there is outlined a series of tracks which very cleverly imitate those of a man walking along with naked feet, and thus stands out in strong contrast to the purely conventional design with which they are associated. By the side of the two small curved bands above described are also drawn two impressions of feet. The long broad band indicates the Wollunqua travelling across the country, the swollen end and semicircle represents his head. There are, in addition to these designs, four series of concentric circles which represent paper-bark trees (Melleuca leucodendron) where the Wollunqua left spirit children.
The kneeling men are decorated on their upper bodies and their faces with white down? and black charcoal?. They are wearing conical hats. The men who are standing and pulling off the hats are wearing chilara (head bands) and a waist belt. These men also have full beards and moustaches.
The landscape in the background consists of shrubbery. [WV 18/2/2009]

Place

Oceania Australasia; Australia; Central Australia

Cultural Affliation

Warramuga [also known as Warumungu]

Named Person

Photographer

Baldwin Spencer, Walter; or Gillen, Francis James

Collector / Expedition

Northern Tribes of Central Australia fieldwork by Baldwin Spencer, Walter and Gillen, Francis James [March 1901 - March 1902]

Date

March 1901 - March 1902

Collection Name

Teaching Slide CollectionHaddon Unmounted Collection

Source

?Haddon, Alfred Cort (Dr)

Format

Lantern Slide Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Publication: Image published in Baldwin Spencer, W. and F. J. Gillen, 1904. The northern tribes of central Australia. (London), p. 246, fig. 81 with the following caption:
"Final ceremony in conncection with the Wollunqua totem. Warramunga tribe. The helmets are in the act of being pulled off the heads of the performers who are seated around the ground-drawing." [WV 18/2/2009]

Expedition: Baldwin Spencer and Gillen spent one year from March 1901 to March 1902 in a traverse from Oodnadatta to Powell Creek and then across, eastwards to Borraloola at the mouth of the Macarthur River, on the Gulf of Carpentaria. (Baldwin Spencer, W., 1928. Wanderings in Wild Australia (Macmillan, London), Vol. 1, p. xvi). [WV 10/2/2009]

Cultural Group: Baldwin Spencer and Gillen describe the Waramanga [Warramunga] nation as including the Warramunga, Worgaia, Tjingilli, Umbaia, Bingongina, Walpari, Wulmala, and Gnanji tribes. (Baldwin Spencer, W. and F. J. Gillen, 1904. The northern tribes of central Australia. (London), p. 75). [WV 10/2/2009]

Photographer: Note in Baldwin Spencer, W. and F. J. Gillen, 1927, p. xiii states all photos were taken by the authors. [WV 23/1/2009]

Context: The ground drawing is connected to the ceremonies of the Wollunqua totem which are described by Baldwin Spencer and Gillen as follows:
"The last ceremony was the most important, and was especially concerned with a spot called Ununtumurra, where the Wollunqua ceased from his wanderings. It must be remembered that all this time he had been getting gradually further and further away from his home at Thapauerlu, though the end of his tail still remained there, as he was of a most enormous size. At the same time there was also performed another Wollunqua ceremony concerned with a rock-hole called Miradji, lying in the bed of the creek between Kadjinara on the one side and Thapauerlu on the other, only a few yards away from either of them. The ground design was concerned, however, only with Ununtumurra (Fig. 81). The main part consisted of a broad, waving band of black charcoal at least eighteen feet long, terminating in an expanded part attached to a half-circle which in its turn was attached to the outer of a series of three concentric circles. Joined to another side of these again were two curved bands. All along by the side of the main band there was outlined a series of tracks which very cleverly imitated those of a man walking along with naked feet, and thus stood out in strong contrast to the purely conventional design with which they were associated. By the side of the two small curved bands above described were also drawn two impressions of feet. The long broad band indicated the Wollunqua travelling across the country, the swollen end and semicircle represented his head, just as he was supposed to be in the act of plunging down into the earth at Ununtumurra, which was itself indicated by the annexed circles. There were, in addition to these designs, four series of concentric circles which represented paper-bark trees (Melleuca leucodendron) where the Wollunqua left spirit children. Tradition says that in the Alcheringa a man named Mumumanungara came out of the snake’s body and remained with the Wollunqua as his mate. When the snake set out upon his travels the man was very distressed for fear lest he should leave Thapauerlu altogether. Accordingly he set out to follow him up, and meeting with him at Ununtumurra walked quietly along by the side of his tracks, and then standing close to the snake and lifting up his arms, as indicated by the two curved bands attached to the side of the circles and also by the double footmarks, he struck the snake hard with a stick in the endeavour to drive him back to Thapauerlu. The old Wollunqua curled his body round that of Mumumanungara, lifted himself on high, and with a great dive plunged into the earth and went back with his mate to Thapauerlu." (Baldwin Spencer, W. and F. J. Gillen, 1904. The northern tribes of central Australia. (London), p. 245-247). [WV 18/2/2009]

Context: "Mungai or mungaii: In the Warramunga the term is applied both to the totemic animal which gives its name to a totemic group, to the latter, and also to spots which are especially associated with the totemic ancestors. In the Tjingilli and Binbinga tribe the term is applied to the far past times in whcih their mythic ancestors are supposed to have lived. (Baldwin Spencer, W. and F. J. Gillen, 1904. The northern tribes of central Australia. (London), p. 754). [WV 18/2/2009]