“The Wareenggary and Karambal”
Culture: Bundjalung & Koombanggary | Narrator: Unidentified | Source: Matthews (1899:26)
Entry by Michelle Scalise Sugiyama
Story
On the Clarence River there once lived seven young women who were sisters, named Wareenggary; they were members of the Bunjellung [Bundjalung] tribe, and belonged to the Wirrakan division. They were very clever, had yamsticks, in the ends of which were inserted charms, which protected the girls from their enemies. Every day they went hunting for carpet snakes, and always carried their yamsticks with them on these occasions. A young fellow named Karmbal, of the same tribe, and of the division Womboong, became enamoured of one of these young women, and followed within sight of them every day, but they did not favour his suit. He watched for an opportunity, and at length came suddenly upon one of the sisters who had strayed a little way from the rest, and had not her yamstick with her, and carried her off, taking her to his own camp. Her companions became very angry, and held a consultation as to what was best to be done to release their sister from Karambal, who was of the wrong division for her to marry, being in fact her tribal brother.
The eldest sister proposed sending a fierce storm of wind to blow up the trees by the roots, and tumble them upon Karambal and kill him. The other girls were afraid that their sister might also lose her life by the falling trees, and one of them made another proposal, that they should all go away to the west, where they knew the Winter lived, and bring the frost and chilly winds, and in this manner punish Karambal for what he had done. Accordingly, they went away and brought the Winter, and on the place where Karambal was camped with their sister they made the cold so exceptionally severe that he was almost perished with the frost. The girl whom he had captured did not feel this terrible cold, because her sisters had managed to send her, by way of a secret messenger, the charmed yamstick she formerly carried when out hunting with them. In a short time Karambal was glad enough to let Wareenggary return to her own people, who were very much rejoiced to get her back again amongst them. They then consulted amongst themselves, and determined to go away towards the east, in quest of the summer, so as to melt the frost and ice. They did not wish to impose any further hardship upon their tribe than was necessary, their only object being to rescue their sister from her captor.
After this trouble the Wareenggary resolved to leave the earth altogether, but before doing so they went into the mountains, and made springs at the heads of all the rivers, so that their people might always have plenty of water throughout their hunting grounds. The seven sisters then went up into the sky, where the constellation known as the Pleiades still represents their camp. They come into view every Summer, bringing pleasant warm weather for the benefit of their tribe, after which they go away gradually towards the west, where they disappear. They then send the Winter to warn their kinsmen not to carry off a woman of the wrong totemic division, but to select their wives in accordance with the tribal laws.
Soon after the departure of the Wareenggary from the earth the young man, Karambal, looked about for another sweetheart, and this time he was determined to comply with the marriage rules of his people. After a while he was smitten by the charms of a young woman who belonged to the Kooran division, being that from which he could lawfully select a wife. She was, unfortunately, already united to another man, named Bullabogabun, a great warrior. Karambal succeeded in inducing her to leave her husband, and go away with him. When Bullabogabun discovered that his wife had eloped, he followed her tracks to the camp of Karambal. The latter, in order to escape the wrath of Bullabogabun, climbed up into a very large and tall pine tree growing near his camp, but his pursuer observed him hidden among the topmost branches. Bullabogabun then gathered all the wood he could find for some distance around, and piled it into an immense heap against the butt of the tree, and set fire to it. The fire raged with great fury, burning the pine tree into cinders. The flame reached high into the air, carrying Karambal with it, and deposited him in a part of the sky near the Wareenggary, where he became the star Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri), in order that he might follow the sisters continually, the same as he had done in his youth.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Zoology
The fact that the young women are hunting carpet snakes implies that these animals are good to eat, and the reference to yamsticks suggests that this implement can be used to kill them. The sisters’ lack of fear indicates that these snakes are not dangerous. The information that the sisters lived along the Clarence River, as well as the references to trees, indicates that carpet snakes can be found in wooded, riparian habitats. Conversely, the fact that the sisters do not hunt these snakes when they travel to the mountains implies that carpet snakes are not found at higher elevations. The fact that the sisters are hunting the snakes before they bring cold weather suggests that these animals are not available or not hunted in the winter.
Carpet python (Morelia spilota) | Photo by Cedricguppy
Physical Geography
This story contains information about seasonal weather patterns. The references to summer and winter indicate that the region experiences pronounced warm and cold seasons, and that the latter is characterized by frost, chilly winds, and storms that come from the west. The observation that Karambal almost freezes to death indicates that winter weather is cold enough to be life-threatening. The association of summer with the east may reference a seasonal change in the prevailing wind direction and an associated rise in the air temperature that combine to melt the frost and ice.
The story also provides information about the distribution and availability of water resources. The observation that the sisters created springs in the mountains at the heads of all the rivers indicates that the rivers in the region are spring-fed, which in turn indicates that water is available year-round. The observation that water is available “throughout their hunting grounds” indicates that water sources are abundant in their territory. The reference to a tall pine tree growing near Karambal’s camp suggests that pine forests occur in the region.
Cultural Geography
This story provides information about marriage rules. The observation that Karambal was of the wrong division to marry the Wareenggary girl indicates that marriage is only allowed between certain divisions. By noting that the Wareenggary belong to the Wirrakan division and Karambal belongs to the Womboong division, the story identifies two divisions between which marriage is prohibited. The information that, as a Womboong, Karambal is classified as the young women’s brother explains why they are not allowed to marry and, in so doing, implies that marriage between both genetic and classificatory siblings is forbidden. The story further notes that Karambal could legally select a wife from the Kooran division, indicating that marriage was allowed between the Kooran and Womboong. The Aboriginal peoples of Australia are famous for their complex kinship systems; information of the sort presented in this story may have helped children master the intricacies of these systems.
By illustrating the consequences of violating marriage rules, the story also teaches the importance of following tribal law. Karambal’s transgression results in the emergence of an annual period of harsh weather. The message here is that breaking the rules harms the entire group. This is underscored in the comment that the sisters decide to bring summer because they “did not wish to impose any further hardship upon their tribe than was necessary.” The association of Karambal’s crime with the hardships and discomforts of winter ensures that, every year, the people will be reminded of this lesson.
The sisters’ behavior contrasts sharply with that of their thwarted suitor. While Karambal is motivated by selfishness, the sisters always consider how their actions might affect others. They decide against knocking down trees to kill Karambal because this might kill their sister as well. To compensate for bringing Winter, they also bring Summer. Before leaving the earth, they create springs to ensure that their people will always have plenty of water. These actions communicate an ethos of generosity and consideration for others.
Tristania Falls, New South Wales | Photo by tim from coffs harbour
Great Dividing Range | Photo by Jerry Nockles
Red Cedar Falls, New South Wales | Photo by Diliff
Photo by John Robert McPherson
Photo by Michelle Scalise Sugiyama
Fruit of giant water gum (Syzygium francisii) | Photo by Stephenpratt
Astronomy
This story identifies an ecological cue that can be used to predict seasonal change, noting that the Pleiades are visible in the summer but not in the winter. Thus, when this asterism becomes visible in the night sky, the people know that warm weather is coming; conversely, when it disappears, cold weather is on the way. By noting that these stars move towards the west, the story traces their changing position in the sky as the season progresses. This provides a means of estimating how much longer the warm weather will last: the farther the constellation moves to the west, the fewer the days of summer that remain. The observation that the Pleiades move west gradually indicates that they are visible—and that summer lasts–for a considerable period of time. The observation that the sisters traveled to the sky from the mountains suggests that the Pleiades rise or set above the local mountain range.
The conceptualization of this asterism as seven sisters indicates that it consists of seven stars. The observation that it represents their camp indicates that the stars are close together, like people gathered around a fire. The story also notes that Karambal, transformed into Aldebaran, follows the Wareenggary continually, indicating that this star rises after the Pleiades. Along with the observation that the sisters eventually disappear in the west and the reference to the mountains, this information may have helped people identify and locate the Pleiades in the night sky.
The Land and The People
The Bundjalung and Koombanggary people lived along the Clarence River and its tributaries in what is now the northeastern region of New South Wales. Known as the Boorimbah to the Bundjalung people, the Clarence originates on the eastern escarpment of the Northern Tablelands, in the Border Ranges of the Great Dividing Range. From there, it passes through the fertile valleys of the Northern Rivers region, and empties into the Coral Sea. Its many tributaries include the Timbarra, Nymboida, and Esk rivers.
The climate in the Clarence River drainage ranges from temperate to subtropical. On the high plateau of the Northern Tablelands, many parts of which exceed 1000 meters in elevation, winters are cool with frosty mornings. The terrain in northeastern New South Wales is characterized by deep gorges, waterfalls, rainforests, swamps, and white sandy beaches. Life for the Bundjalung and Koombanggary was nomadic, with people moving camp as resources in the surrounding area were exhausted and resources became available elsewhere.
Great Dividing Range, Australia | Photo by fir0002flagstaffotos
Crystal Falls, New South Wales | Photo by Cgoodwin
Aboriginal nations across Australia were commonly organized into two or more divisions or sections (“skins” in Aboriginal English). These sections are similar to clans in that they are based on descent, are often associated with one or more animal totems, and are the basis of certain marriage rules. For example, marriage between members of the same section was forbidden, and in societies with four or more sections, only certain sections were allowed to intermarry. The Martu of the Western Desert are a case in point. They were organized into four sections: Banaga, Garimara, Burungu, and Milangga (Tonkinson 1978). Members of the Banaga section were required to marry members of the Garimara section (and vice versa), and Burungu were required to marry Milangga (and vice versa). Children’s section membership was determined by that of their mother: the children of a Garimara woman would belong to Milangga (and vice versa), while the children of a Banaga women would belong to Burungu (and vice versa). Like the Martu, the Bundjalung were organized into four sections.
A wide range of animal species were eaten, including the carpet snake, a rainforest-dwelling python. Women were largely responsible for providing vegetable foods, but took small game opportunistically. Yam sticks, used solely by women, were used to extract roots and small burrowing animals. This implement also served as a weapon, and was carried constantly for offensive and defensive purposes. Made from hardwood, yam sticks ranged from four to seven feet in length, and one to two inches in diameter. One end was honed to a point, and the other was shaped into a wide, sharp cutting edge hardened by fire. The “yams” harvested with it were most likely murnong, an Indigenous name that includes Microseris walteri, M. scapigera, and M. lanceolata. These tuberous species, which are native to alpine and subalpine regions of New South Wales, were an important food source for many Aboriginal peoples.
Murnong “yam” (Microseris walteri) tubers | Photo by EditorAndrew
Photo by Sanx
Murnong “yam” (Microseris lanceolata) flowers | Photo by EditorAndrew
“During domestic scenes in the camp the yam stick was a terrible weapon.”
—Matthews & Thomas (2007:65)
Wood ant (Formica accreta) with cocoons | Photo by Alex Wild
Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) | Photo by butupa
Dingo (Canis lupus dingo) | Photo by Jarrod Amoore
Pleiades |Photo by Donnie Ray Crisp on Unsplash
Asterisms were widely used across Australia to mark the seasons and predict resource availability. Indeed, knowledge of the “night journeys” of the stars and “their positions denoting the particular seasons of the year” was so essential that astronomy was considered “one of the principal branches of education” (Dawson 1881:99). This lore was encoded in myths about ancestral heroes who were transformed into celestial objects and phenomena. For example, the Mallee of Victoria used the appearance of Arcturus (Alpha Bootis) in the northern sky to mark the beginning of the wood-ant larvae season. This information was associated with a myth about Marpeankurrk, the first ancestor to discover the tasty larvae, who became a star so she could tell people when this food was coming into season. Similarly, the Boorong used Vega (Alpha Lyra) to determine when the eggs of the malleefowl were available. The Pleiades in particular were widely used to predict changes in weather and resource availability. In the Western Desert, for example, their heliacal rising signaled the onset of cold weather and the birth of dingo pups. The myths of many groups characterized these stars as a group of women who caused the morning frost when they bathed or urinated.
“The seasons . . . are associated with the appearance and disappearance of mythological heroes and heroines represented as stars, whose interwoven stories link into fishing, hunting, and food collection over a yearly cycle.”
—Johnson (2014:35)
Map
The Bundjalung and Koombanggary people lived along the Clarence River and its tributaries in what is now the northeastern region of New South Wales.
References
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Dawson, J. (2009 [1881]). Australian Aborigines: the languages and customs of several tribes of Aborigines in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Johnson, D. (2011). Interpretations of the Pleiades in Australian Aboriginal astronomies. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 7(S278), 291-297.
Johnson, D. (2014). Night skies of Aboriginal Australia: A noctuary. Sydney: University of Sydney Press.
Matthews, R. H. (1898). The Victorian Aborigines: Their initiation ceremonies and divisional systems. American Anthropologist, 11(11), 325-343.
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Matthews, R. H. (1900). The Walloonggurra ceremony. Queensland Geographical Journal, 15, 67-74.
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Tonkinson, R. (1978). The Mardudjara Aborigines. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.