The Udnirringita totem—Alice Springs group consists of forty individuals at the present day—Emily Gap the centre of the totem—Wanderings of Udnirringita people from various places into the Gap—The wanderings of two women—A handicoot woman performs Ariltha on an Unjiamba woman, and then changes the totem of the latter—Two women join the wandering Ulpmerka men and travel on with Kukaitcha northwards—Wanderings of the wild dogs—Two young men steal the two Churinga of an old man, who pursues them to Mount Gillen—They kill and eat wild dog people—The old man is killed on Mount Gillen—The young men travel to the north and go down into the ground—Wanderings of two Unjiamba women—Travel southwards and stop at Ooraminna—Wanderings of emu, honey-ant and lizard men—The Unthippa women—Give rise to deposits of red ochre—Line of hills arise to mark their route—The Unthippa dance at circumcision—Tradition of Erkincha—Tradition of the snake of Imyunga—The fire totem—Origin of fire—The Orunchertwa and the Oknirabata—Association of birds with particular totems.
THE UDNIRRINGITA OR WITCHETTY GRUB TOTEM
THE most important group of the Udnirringita totem is located in the neighbourhood of Alice Springs in the northern part of the Macdonnell Ranges, and consists all told—men, women and children—of forty individuals, which is the largest number, in any one local group, with which we are acquainted. The totemic name is derived from that of a grub or larva, which in turn derives its name from a bush called Udnirringa, upon which the insect feeds and deposits its eggs. The bush bears a berry of which emus are very fond.
The Udnirringita people in this locality occupy a tract of country which is about 100 square miles in extent, and through the centre of which runs a range of often lofty hills,
Then they journeyed on to Laliknika on the Emily Creek about four miles north of the gap, where they painted Ilkinia on their bodies and left one woman, a Panunga, whose descendant is one of the daughters of the present Alatunja of Emily Gap. Thence they travelled on to the Todd River, where some men and women were left, and then, following the banks down to a spot, about half a mile away from the gap, where a Panunga man named Pitcha-arinia was left, they rested for a short time and then went on till they came to the eastern side of the Emily Gap, where they sat down all together and a group of trees arose to mark the place.
The last party of immigrants came from Ungwia in the Hart Ranges. The members of this party were of both sexes, and they travelled underground until they reached Ilpirulcha, a spot on the Emily Creek a few miles to the north of the gap, where they painted themselves with Ilkinia and ate witchetty grubs. Then they went on to Achilpa-interninja, the spot at which one of the travelling groups of the Achilpa lost a small Churinga. After painting themselves here and eating some more of the totemic grub, they came to Laliknika, and then on to one of the Ilthura, where they halted because they heard the voice of Intwailiuka singing. Here they left one Bulthara man, and going on stopped every now and then to listen for the singing. Camping on the Emily Creek half a mile to the north of the spot called Chalipita, they left here a Bulthara woman named Chantunga, and then going on they performed some sacred ceremonies. Leaving behind one
The remaining woman now went on alone to Urapitchera, near to what is now called Boggy Waterhole on the Finke, where she found a number of Achilpa people making Engwura; she caused blood to flow from her sexual organs in great volume, directing it towards the people, who at once fled to a spot close by which is now marked by a number of stones which sprung up where they took refuge. The blood covered the Engwura ground and formed a fine clay-pan which remains to the present day.
Finding at Urapitchera a Kumara woman of the bandicoot totem, she took her on as companion and started off underground towards the north-east. After making quabara at various places they were chased by an old Kumara man of the lizard totem, named Yukwirta, but he could not capture them, and so they went on until they camped at Inkila-quatcha, where they found the Ulpmerka of the plum-tree totem who subsequently travelled northwards under the guidance of Kukaitcha and were at that time engaged in making Churinga by means of opossum teeth, which they used to draw the designs with. With the Ulpmerka the two women went to Quiurnpa, which was close by, and there Kukaitcha decorated the Kumara woman with sacred down, and thus caused her to change her class from Kumara to Panunga, and thus she became Quitia, that is, younger sister of the other woman.
THE SNAKE OF IMYUNGA
About fifty miles north-north-west of Alice Springs there is a gorge opening out from the northern ridge of the Macdonnell Range on to the Burt Plain. In the gorge is a waterfall with a small permanent pool at its base which is said to be inhabited by the spirit of a great dead snake and by some living snakes, the descendants of the former. The spot is
423:* A folding map referring to this chapter is attached to the inside back cover of this book. 431:1 This warning on the part of Intwailiuka at the Emily Gap, and of Kakathurika at the Jessie Gap appears to indicate the exclusive right over a particular area of country which was claimed by, and accorded to, the inhabitants of that area. Even men of the same totem are not allowed to enter without permission from the head man. The same feeling very clearly exists at the present day, as is shown by the fact that a strange black, coming up to a camp, never thinks of going straight up to it, but sits down at some little distance and then waits until he is invited to come forward by the old men. 433:1 Quirra undattha is bird's down which has been used for decoration in connection with a sacred ceremony of the Quirra or bandicoot totem and has thus become identified with the latter. 444:1 The disease is one which is common amongst young people, only attacking each individual once. It affects only the glands of the part of the body in the neighbourhood of the sore. At first sight it has much the appearance of being syphilitic in nature, but Dr. Eylmann, who has studied it, is of opinion that it is distinct from syphilis. It usually appears in the anal region, under the arms or legs, or close to the mouth.