Notes by Howitt on Kulin from Barak

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Transcription - Page 44

31
Warning by Dreams
If a man dreamed of Kangaroos; [if - crossed out] it
[Kan - crossed out] was a sign of “Yarūk”. If he saw
in his dream a Kangaroo coming towards
him he knew that the people in that
direction had got his “Yarūk”.
He then went to a Wirrarap and told
him. The wirarap looking at him
might say “Yes the fire is up so high”
(pointing to his waist). It is well you came
– next time they burned it – it would
be up so far (pointing to the neck) and
then you would be done for”.
Then the Wirrarap [waiting - crossed out] at the next
time the North wind [blows - crossed out] blew would
fly off to the place where the Yarūk
was. Pull the Murriwūn out of the
ground and bring it back. Then he
would give the “Yarūk” from it, hair,
bone, whatever it was to the man
and say “you go and put this
in a running stream so that it will
wash the “Yarūk” out of it”. The
Wirrarap then would himself take
the Murriwūn up aloft through the
hole in the sky (Merŭng=door" or
opening with [som - crossed out] a cover) and there
place it in the water to wash off the
Yarūk.

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Document Details

Date
Letter From
Letter To
Author Howitt, Alfred William
Country Australia
Colony/State Victoria
Holding Institution State Library of Victoria
Collection Name Alfred W. Howitt Collection
Registration Number MS9356/391
Medium Notes
Region
Locality
Summary MS 9356 [Series] Correspondence and notes concerning aboriginal tribes - Aboriginal tribes of Victoria. [Sub Series] Kulin Nation [Item Title] Notes by Howitt titled 'The Kulin tribe. Informant 'Ber-uk' otherwise King William of the Yarra tribe'. [Summary note] 103 pages. Box 1053 [Folder] 2(b) & (c) [State Library Victoria record 2018]
Physical Description Handwritten notes, undated and numbered pages. Additional notations and annotations in the left hand margins; includes a newspaper article.