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THESES SIS/LIBRARY TELEPHONE: +61 2 6125 4631 R.G. MENZIES LIBRARY BUILDING NO:2 FACSIMILE: +61 2 6125 4063 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY EMAIL: [email protected] CANBERRA ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA USE OF THESES This copy is supplied for purposes of private study and research only. Passages from the thesis may not be copied or closely paraphrased without the written consent of the author. Cautionary Note This thesis contains names of actual people who may have subsequently died. Care must be taken not to mention these names to Marrangu people because this would cause distress. Similar care must be taken with photograghs of people. Details of Marrangu ceremonies contained in this thesis could cause concern to Marrangu people if revealed in public contexts. 'MEWAL IS MERRI'S NAME' FORM AND AMBIGUITY IN MARRANGU COSMOLOGY, NORTH CENTRAL ARNHEM LAND. Craig Elliott A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Arts of the Australian National University in June 1991. All work presented in this thesis de rives from my own research unless otherwise credited in the text. C. A! £~ Craig Elliott iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Over a two year period while writing this thesis I was financially supported by a scholarship from the Australian National University. The Faculty of Arts, Australian National University, also provided fieldwork funds. In Darwin the North Australia Research Unit assisted with accomodation and provided invaluable research support. At N.A.R.U I especially thank Jann King and Colleen Pine. Consultations with the Donald Thomson and Northern Australian Collections at the Museum of Victoria, Melbourne, were highly rewarding thanks to Lindy Allen. While researching this thesis I benefitted greatly from correspondence with other fieldworkers ·Ad Borsboom, Greg Anderson and Margaret Clunies Ross· all of whom I thank sincerely. Indeed, this thesis is indebted to Borsboom's careful study of Marrangu people, especially in Maradjiri (1978). At A.N.U my supervisor, I an Keen, tirelessly ploughed through earlier drafts and offered precise and penetrating comments. His correspondence while in the field provided immeasureable encouragement. I am grateful for his interest and supervision. I thank Ingrid Slotte and Fiona Magowan who read and commented on earlier drafts. Doreen Bowdrey and Margaret Burns, my roommates, were always supportive and a joy to work with. Debbie Mcgrath and Helen Nicoll showed enormous tolerance of my unceasing demands. Lynn Lobo spent many hours typing my manuscript and her encouragement and patient labour has in large measure made this work possible. At Ramingining Ron and Cynthia Lawler offered me warm hospitality and day to day assistance, which I greatly appreciated. Djon and Belinda Scott Mundine were always ready to stop for a cuppa and a chat and responded to my inexperienced questions with a wealth of v information and acumen. I am grateful to Djon also for information regarding the Djareware Dreaming Story. My Djinang hosts at Galawdjapin and Gattji tolerated my intrusiveness with patience and good humour for six months in 1989-90. Heartfelt thanks go to everyone, children and adults at Galawdjapin and Gattji who allowed me to share their home. I hope this thesis contributes in a small way to an understanding of their culture. I especially thank Ray Munyal, Dick Miwirri, Bridgette Gorrupudu and Freddie Yuwalarra. This work is dedicated to Robert Gurral and Margaret Mayal, who under incredibly difficult circumstances did everything and more to teach me their culture. vi CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..... .. ....................................................................................................... .iv LIST OF FIGURES ......... ...... .. .............................................................................. .......................vii LIST OF TABLES.. ..................................................................................... ........... .................... viii LIST OF MAPS.. ................................................................................................................. .. ...... .ix LIST OF STORIES AND SONG TEXTS.... ......................................................................................... x LIST OF PLATES.... .............................................. .................................. ............................. ........ xi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .................. ..................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 MARRANGU LAND AND SOCIALITY .................................................................. .. ... 15 CHAPTER 3 MEWAL, MERRI, DJAREWARE DREAMING AND LUMA LUMA DREAMING ...........58 CHAPTER 4 MEWAL, MERRI AND MANIKAY ..................... .... ................... ................... ............93 CHAPTER 5 MARRANGU DEATH AND MOURNING ..................................................................1 26 CHAPTER 6 MERRI, CONCEPTION, THE BODY AND AFFUCTION ........................................... 181 CHAPTER 7 COSMOLOGY, AMBIGUITY AND FORM ................................................................. 215 APPENDIX 'IS WULAKI DJINANG?' ...................................................................................... 238 GLOSSARY. ........................... .................................................................................................. 241 REFERENCES.. ................................................... ... .. ........................................... ........ ........ ... .. 244 vii LIST OF FIGURES FIG 2.1 Marrangu Nongere genealogy ..... ................................................................................47 FIG 2.2 Marrangu Guraknere genealogy ........................... ........................................ .............. 48 FIG 2.3 Clan, baparru and language groups in North Central Arnhem Land ....•..................... 51 FIG 3.1 Djareware, Mewal and Merri Dreaming tracks ........................................................ 62 FIG 4.1 Mewal bunggul - body positions ....... ...................................................................... 113 FIG 4.2 Merri bunggul - body designs ..... ............................................... .............................118 FIG 5.1 Burarra Marrangu Djareware ground sculpture ................ ................................... 155 FIG 5.2 Djinang Marrangu Djareware ground sculpture .................................................... 156 FIG 5.3 Shape of paperbark container, djarra, carrying bones in Bogabod ceremony .......162 FIG 5.4 Bardurru ceremony, dupun and bordjirrai... ........................................................ 168 FIG 5.5 Mullitdji fish trap, Gapi (Water} bunggul, Bardurru ceremony .......................... 169 FIG 6.1 Marrangu conception process ................................................................................. 183 FIG 6.2 Marrangu kin classification and body parts ........................ ........ - ......................... 203 viii LIST OF TABLES TABLE 2.1 Galawdjapin population profile ..................................... .................... .................. 40 TABLE 2.2 Gattji population profile ................................................... ...................... .............41 TABLE 2.3 Marrangu links with other clans by five criteria .... ........................................ ... 50 TABLE 3.1 Mewal and Merri in Marrangu cosmology .......................................................... .. 64 TABLE 3.2 Borsboom's summary of Merri and Mewal in Maradjiri (1978b) .................... 66 TABLE 4.1 Profile of typical Marrangu manikay verse ........................................................ 96 TABLE 4.2 Djinang, Djambarrpuyngu and Burarra Marrangu manikay cycles ...................97 TABLE 4.3 Djinang Marrangu manikay order ........................................................................ 99 TABLE 4.3.5 Reported Marrangu manikay order, 8.11.89 ........... .....................................1 00 TABLE 4.4 Djinang Marrangu manikay groupings .... ............ .................................... .. ........ 102 TABLE 4.5 Borsboom's Marrangu manikay 'sub-clusters· ............................ .................... 1 02 TABLE 5.1 Marrangu mortuary sequence .............................................................. .............. 130 ix LIST OF MAPS MAP 1. 1 Gattji and Galawdjapin in relation to Arnhem Land ............ .. ..................................... 2 MAP 2.1 Vegetation and drainage in Marrangu territory and surrounds ..............................34 MAP 2.2 Settlement pattern, north central Arnhem Land ..................................................... 35 MAP 2.3 Clan territories adjoining Marrangu country, north central Amhem Land .......... 36 MAP 2.4 Nongere and Guraknere Marrangu country ............................................................. 37 MAP 2.5 Marrangu baparru clan countries on Honey Dreaming track ................................. 38 MAP 5.1 Plan of 'Tank' funeral, Dec, 1989 ....................................................................... 142 X LIST OF STORIES AND SONG TEXTS MEWAL AND DJAREWARE STORY ............................................................................................58 LUMA LUMA- GOMIRRINGGU STORY....................................................................................... 84 MEWAL MANIKAY SONG TEXT ................................................................................................111 MERRI MANIKAY SONG TEXT .........................................................................................