Book contents
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE
- Contents
- ERRATUM
- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
- CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
- CHAPTER II THE SOCIAL ORGANISATION OF THE TRIBES
- CHAPTER III CERTAIN CEREMONIES CONCERNED WITH MARRIAGE, TOGETHER WITH A DISCUSSION REGARDING THE SAME
- CHAPTER IV THE TOTEMS
- CHAPTER V THE CHURINGA OR BULL ROARERS OF THE ARUNTA AND OTHER TRIBES
- CHAPTER VI INTICHIUMA CEREMONIES
- CHAPTER VII INITIATION CEREMONIES
- CHAPTER VIII INITIATION CEREMONIES (continued)—THE ENGWURA CEREMONY
- CHAPTER IX INITIATION CEREMONIES (continued)—THE ENGWURA CEREMONY (concluded)
- CHAPTER X TRADITIONS DEALING WITH THE ORIGIN OF THE ALCHERINGA ANCESTORS OF THE ARUNTA TRIBE AND WITH PARTICULAR CUSTOMS
- CHAPTER XI TRADITIONS DEALING WITH THE ORIGIN OF THE ALCHERINGA ANCESTORS OF THE ARUNTA TRIBE AND WITH PARTICULAR CUSTOMS (continued)
- CHAPTER XII CUSTOMS CONCERNED WITH KNOCKING OUT OF TEETH; NOSE-BORING; GROWTH OF BREASTS; BLOOD BLOOD-LETTING, BLOOD-GIVING, BLOOD-DRINKING; HAIR; CHILDBIRTH; FOOD RESTRICTIONS; CANNIBALISM
- CHAPTER XIII THE CUSTOMS OF KURDAITCHA AND ILLAPURINJA AND THE AVENGING PARTY OR ATNINGA
- CHAPTER XIV CUSTOMS RELATING TO BURIAL AND MOURNING
- CHAPTER XV THE IRUNTARINIA AND ARUMBURINGA, OR SPIRIT INDIVIDUALS
- CHAPTER XVI THE MAKING AND THE POWERS OF MEDICINE MEN; VARIOUS FORMS OF MAGIC
- CHAPTER XVII METHODS OF OBTAINING WIVES
- CHAPTER XVIII MYTHS RELATING TO SUN, MOON, ECLIPSES, ETC
- CHAPTER XIX CLOTHING, WEAPONS, IMPLEMENTS, DECORATIVE ART
- APPENDIX A THE NAMES OF THE NATIVES
- APPENDIX B THE WILYARU CEREMONY OF THE URABUNNA TRIBE, TOGETHER WITH REFERENCES TO MR. GASON'S ACCOUNT OF THE DIERI (DIEYERIE) TRIBE
- APPENDIX C TABLE OF THE MEASUREMENTS OF TWENTY MALES AND TEN FEMALES
- GLOSSARY OF NATIVE TERMS USED
- INDEX
- Plate section
CHAPTER XV - THE IRUNTARINIA AND ARUMBURINGA, OR SPIRIT INDIVIDUALS
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2011
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE
- Contents
- ERRATUM
- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
- CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
- CHAPTER II THE SOCIAL ORGANISATION OF THE TRIBES
- CHAPTER III CERTAIN CEREMONIES CONCERNED WITH MARRIAGE, TOGETHER WITH A DISCUSSION REGARDING THE SAME
- CHAPTER IV THE TOTEMS
- CHAPTER V THE CHURINGA OR BULL ROARERS OF THE ARUNTA AND OTHER TRIBES
- CHAPTER VI INTICHIUMA CEREMONIES
- CHAPTER VII INITIATION CEREMONIES
- CHAPTER VIII INITIATION CEREMONIES (continued)—THE ENGWURA CEREMONY
- CHAPTER IX INITIATION CEREMONIES (continued)—THE ENGWURA CEREMONY (concluded)
- CHAPTER X TRADITIONS DEALING WITH THE ORIGIN OF THE ALCHERINGA ANCESTORS OF THE ARUNTA TRIBE AND WITH PARTICULAR CUSTOMS
- CHAPTER XI TRADITIONS DEALING WITH THE ORIGIN OF THE ALCHERINGA ANCESTORS OF THE ARUNTA TRIBE AND WITH PARTICULAR CUSTOMS (continued)
- CHAPTER XII CUSTOMS CONCERNED WITH KNOCKING OUT OF TEETH; NOSE-BORING; GROWTH OF BREASTS; BLOOD BLOOD-LETTING, BLOOD-GIVING, BLOOD-DRINKING; HAIR; CHILDBIRTH; FOOD RESTRICTIONS; CANNIBALISM
- CHAPTER XIII THE CUSTOMS OF KURDAITCHA AND ILLAPURINJA AND THE AVENGING PARTY OR ATNINGA
- CHAPTER XIV CUSTOMS RELATING TO BURIAL AND MOURNING
- CHAPTER XV THE IRUNTARINIA AND ARUMBURINGA, OR SPIRIT INDIVIDUALS
- CHAPTER XVI THE MAKING AND THE POWERS OF MEDICINE MEN; VARIOUS FORMS OF MAGIC
- CHAPTER XVII METHODS OF OBTAINING WIVES
- CHAPTER XVIII MYTHS RELATING TO SUN, MOON, ECLIPSES, ETC
- CHAPTER XIX CLOTHING, WEAPONS, IMPLEMENTS, DECORATIVE ART
- APPENDIX A THE NAMES OF THE NATIVES
- APPENDIX B THE WILYARU CEREMONY OF THE URABUNNA TRIBE, TOGETHER WITH REFERENCES TO MR. GASON'S ACCOUNT OF THE DIERI (DIEYERIE) TRIBE
- APPENDIX C TABLE OF THE MEASUREMENTS OF TWENTY MALES AND TEN FEMALES
- GLOSSARY OF NATIVE TERMS USED
- INDEX
- Plate section
Summary
In the Arunta tribe there is a firm belief in the existence of spirit individuals, between whom and the individual members of the tribe there exists a very definite relationship.
As we have already seen when dealing with the Churinga, every individual is supposed to be the reincarnation of an Alcheringa being. Now these Alcheringa beings are very closely indeed associated with the animals or plants whose name they bear; indeed, some of them are regarded as having remained in the form of animals, such, for example, as the celebrated kangaroo called Ultainta. We can distinguish three forms of Alcheringa individuals, (1) those who were the direct transformations of animals or plants into human beings; (2) those who were at first Inapertwa, and who were transformed into men and women by the Ungambikula; and (3) those who, like the kangaroo mentioned, were never actually transformed into human beings, but were endowed with powers not possessed by the ordinary animal, and were practically animal-men. In all cases the Alcheringa individuals were possessed of powers far greater than those exercised by living men; they could travel on, or above, or beneath the ground; by opening a vein in the arm each of them could flood whole tracts of country or cause level plains to arise; in rocky ranges they could make pools of water spring into existence or could make deep gorges and gaps through which to traverse the ranges, and, where they planted their sacred poles, there rocks or trees arose to mark the spot.
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- Native Tribes of Central Australia , pp. 512 - 521Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010First published in: 1899