IDNO

LS.109122.TC1

Description

On Catalogue Card: "Australia. Warramunga.
Ceremonies concerned with the Wollunqua Totem, a mythic snake.
Ground-drawing of the final ceremony." [first manuscript in ink]
"North. T.C.A. p.p. 245,740." [second manuscript in ink]

On Catalogue Card for duplicate print P.388.ACH1: "Ground drawing of last Wollonqua ceremony. Warramunga. North T.C.A. p.245, 740."

Ground drawing made at last Wollonqua ceremony. The drawing made with charcoal and pipeclay? is associated with a spot called Ununtumura, where the old Wollunqua ceased from his wanderings, dived into the earth, and returned to his home at Thapauerlu, where he has remained ever since. The long curved band represents the snake, the head of which is indicated by the swollen part terminating in two bands in contact with the circles. The latter represent Ununtumura, and the snake is supposed to be in the act of actually diving down into the ground at this spot. Of the separate series of concentric circles, the two larger ones indicate "paper-bark" trees, and the two smaller ones bushes, in all of which spirit children were left behind. A striking feature of this design is the tracks of a man who is reported to have lived with the snake at Thapauerlu and to have followed him up when he started off his wanderings, being very anxious to make him return. At Ununtumura he came up with him and, standing by his side, lifted up his arms and struck the snake as hard as ever he could in the hope of making him dive down. The two human footprints side by side close to the head of the snake indicate the man standing by the latter, while the two large curved bands attached to the circles represent his arms lifted up to strike the snake.
The landscape in the background consists of shrubbery [WV 9/2/2009]

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: Drawing published in Baldwin Spencer, W. and F. J. Gillen, 1904. The northern tribes of central Australia. (London), p. 740, fig. 312 with the following caption:
"Ground-drawing associated with the Wollunqua totemic ceremony of a place called Ununtumurra." [WV 9/2/2009]

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 last of the ceremonies associated with the Wollunqua (mythic snake) totem is 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 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 bans 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 (Melaleuca 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 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 Tapauerlu. 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 9/2/2009]