Beliefs

Transcription - Page 21

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[Left margin note next to para one]
(1) Yemun = sleep
yemun-urra = snoring

It is believed tha[t] a man's murup could leave
him during sleep, and the exact period of
departure is fixed as being when the sleeper snored (1).
But the murup might be sent away if the
individual by means of evil magic. For instance when
a hunter out alone in [?incautiously?] went to sleep in
the open at a distance from the camp and then fell
a victim to a hostile medicine man. Then belief
in the temporary departure of the human [crossed out - spirit]
[word crossed out] murup during sleep, still survive in the
last of the Kulin after a almost a lifetime of
combat with the whiteman and his elders.

Berak explained to me about this matter as
follows "when I sleep and snore my murup
goes away sometimes to the Tharan galk bek,
but I cannot get into it and come back. It
can talk with other murup for instance my
fathers and others who are dead:

[Left margin note with next paragraph]
Insert at p5.
Insert next page
look this up

This statement was [?paralelled?] by that of one of the Kurnai
who in speaking to me of dreams said "When I sleep I go to
other places, I see people there that I know and others that I have
not seen before, I even see those that are dead." -

A good instance of Berak/Berak's belief in the supernatural
of [crossed out - their murup dreams] a man's murup for himself during sleep is an

account he gave me, near 20 years ago of what happened when he and his comrades
returned from taking his sick son to the Melbourne Hospital, when
in fact he shortly after died. [crossed out - He said] I note down his statement
at the time as follows. "We had been crying about him all
the evening after we returned and then my friend went to sleep.
When he woke he said "I saw that poor fellow, he was here and he
said to me "Stand there". There were two strings hanging
down and he said to me we will go up them, and will be
afraid, you will not fall down! I climbed up after him
and we came to a hole, where a lot of people were