Field notebook

Page 10 of 44

Transcription - Page 17

very animal has a spirit
That of possum
= mūrŭp. It is just
like a possum- Doctors
can see him -
_____________________
When the mūrŭp catches [something else crossed out]
the wangkūm - he
shows it to the Doctor
-some Ngūrrŭgait [it - crossed out] are
Doctors not all) - I am
not. Doctor comes up
by about 4 o'clock pm and
wangKūm stand there
- Doctor looks at him
and says "you have a
possum there - you
here better too quick to
eat the possum.
Doctor rubs down his

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leg and pull out a
young possum.

Waa has a mūrŭp
it is very good it does
not touch any thing or hurt it.
If a waa comes over
you and cries out
wa-wa-wa then you
know that enemies are
coming. Then you say
Kūlindat mella?
Blacks here!

Then he says more wa-
wa-wa. Then we run
Then he flies away saying
wa-wa-wa - and
we run after him to escape.

Page 10 of 44

Document Details

Date —

Letter From —

Letter To —

Author Howitt, Mr Alfred William

Country Australia

Colony/State —

Holding Institution Museums Victoria

Collection Name Alfred W. Howitt Collection

Registration Number XM 759

Medium Notebook

Region —

Locality —

Summary Belonging to A.W. Howitt. Anthropological notes, from front and back of notebook varied content including notes on language, social organisation and customs and legends. Discusses the Yarra Tribe and groups across eastern Victoria. Includes language notes and diagrams, kin terms, names of people along coast and Victorian group associations with localities. Notes on 'eaglehawk and bunjil'. Possibly information from Barak ''My name is Bairuk - grub of gum tree'. Illustrations of weapons and burial practices. Notes from Paterson's 'The History of New South Wales, from Its First Discovery to the Present Time.'

Physical Description Notebook, black, hard-covered, entries in pencil. Condition: fragile; first section of pages weakly attached. No clasp.