Notes on Kurnai 150 pages

Transcription - Page 132

The Tŭrndūn + Jeraeil
The Tŭndūn is like a man. He has eyes all
round the top of his head. When at night at
the Jeraeil time the old men come round
the camp and sound the tunduns - the
women are told that the Tundun is there
- the noise is his voice.
There are two tunduns used - a small
one which is called the wrūkŭt tŭndūn
and a large one which is called mŭk [?brojan?]
Sometimes when the old men are
sounding the tundun round the camp
at night one of the small ones will
slip off the string and be lost. A woman
may perhaps accidentally find it and
say "hallo what is this?" She is told
"Do not touch it - it is one of the
paddles which Tŭndūn uses for his
canoe. Tundun is supposed to live in the bush;
at least the women are told us. It was he who
first made the [?norden?] things.
At the Jeraeil when the boys are taken away
into the bush the old men surround them as they
lie on the ground covered with their rug and
sound the Tunduns. The boys are then shown
these and threatened with spears if they reveal anything.

The women are told that he lives upon
"Barlejan" (platypus). The Jeraeil are not allowed
to eat the female of any animal except perhaps
wambat - not can they eat porcupine. But they may
eat some emu for no one can tell the male from the female.