Notes on Kurnai 150 pages

Transcription - Page 19

15
A Jera mŭlŭng could climb up into the
air at night and go down with another
camp and hurt people. Some of them did it
with bits of charcoal.

Warning by animals
Kangaroos - Ebai - Bats - Eaglehawks,
crows can give warnings to people of danger
coming. If a man dreamed that a number of
Kangaroos sate round his camp he would expect
danger. These animals, birds, +c can give warning
either themselves or in dreams.

Gesture
Where are you going? Who are you?
Hold the right hand up about the height of shoulder and
about 12-15 inches infront - palm to front + fingers expanded,
wave it quickly from right to left about 12-18 inches amplitude.

Come here, sit down Beckon toward yourself with
right hand palm up and fingers slightly bent, then
make a motion or two with it towards the ground at
right front.

Pleasure Move the hands precisely as in Interrogation
but held in front of the body not higher than the
breast.

Thirst rub the throat with the thumb + fore fingers up and down

Hunger rub the pit of the stomach with the right hand

to see, touch the eye

to hear touch the ear

to sleep recline the hand over on one hand

the sun indicate the curve of the sun from East to
West

Far off point in the direction at a high altitude

Near point to the horizon

Close at hand - in the camp - point to the ground

Falling stars
When a falling star or meteorite was seen the Murring watched it and
listened silently to it to hear the explosion. It was
believed that this betokened that the blacks in the place
towards which its path was directed were gathering
together for warfare.

Aurora
The Aurora [?Austrites?] was said to be like
"Blood" and to signify that a number of blacks
had died somewhere.