Chapter 7 Songs and Songmakers

Transcription - Page 6

runs thus: -
mula-mule Kuruitba tariarara
Guialtura nanga ebermeranga.

Note Mula-mule - platypus, Kuruitba - large rock, tariarara-
bend of river.

The singer said that the words spoke of a platypus sitting on a
rock in the river, and that the song came to his tribe from the
[Richmond River - crossed out]. Whether this statement is well-founded I cannot
say, but the man spoke with certainty and apparent candour.
With some songs there are pantomimic gestures or rhythmical
movements, which are passed on from performer to performer, as the
song is carried from tribe to tribe.

[Such - crossed out] Another instance is a song which was accompanied by a carved stick
painted red which was held by the chief singer. This traveled
down the Murray River from some unknown source.

[(note)- crossed out] The Rev John Bulmer tells me that he saw this perform-
ance in the Wiimbaio tribe at the junction of the Darling and Murray Rivers in 18-
The same song, accompanied by such a stick , [also came -crossed out] was brought into Gipps-
land many years ago from Melbourne, and may even have been the
above-mentioned one on its return.

IN the tribes with which I have acquaintance I find it to be a common
belief that the songs, using that word in its widest meaning,
as including all kinds of aboriginal poetry, are
obtained by the bards from the spirits of the deceased, usua-
lly their relatives, during sleep in dreams. Thus as I have before said the Biraark [of - crossed out]
[the Kurnai- crossed out] professed to recieve [sic] [their- crossed out] his poetic inspirations [from- crossed out]
[the gosts mrarts (mrarts)- crossed out], as well as the accompanying dances, which they were supposed
to have first seen performed in ghostland. I here found An interesting example
of [such - crossed out] an "inspired song" [is found among the Woiworung- crossed out] among the Wurunjeri. Accord-
ing to [my informant- crossed out], Berak, who sang it to me, it was composed by Wenberi (p -) [the headman of that- crossed out]
[section of the Woiworung tribe which was located about Mount- crossed out] the henchman of the Ngurungaeta Bebejan. [who according to- crossed out]
[Robert Thomson was shot and where who belonged to a family in- crossed out]
[Macedon, and in the males of whose family, from one generation to- crossed out]