Stirling and Waite — Description of Toas 



109 



^Tiiramuras completed their formation as far as the limbs are concerned; the 

 wrinkles in the skin nn the joints are the scars of the cuts made with a stone 

 knife and demimstratc the truth of the belief. The Aluramura Pitikipana, 

 who perfected the Mili, had much difficulty in herding- all the wnunds in some 

 ])arts of their bodies. 



The Mnranuiras arc rejjarded as the ancestors of mankind: their 

 descendants and subjects are held in veneration and are considered tf) lie the 

 ancestors of the different tribes, b.verv man knows, even at this date, from 

 which Muramura he is deemed to be descended, and he lielievcs that his 

 lang-uage (dialect) is that spoken by his legendary ancestor. The Alura- 

 muras wandered about the couutr_\', meeting with \-arious ad\'entures by the 

 way, and the legends of the natives are nothing less than records of their 

 journeyings, the events which befell them, and their songs of invocation 

 addressed to the Afura, which have been carefully preser^'ed by being handed 

 down from father to son. 



The ])resence of large trees, hills, lakes and other natural features is 

 held to be due to some action of the Muranuira. \\'hcre\er the demigod 

 placed his foot a large tree grew. A certain Muramura killed an exceedingly 

 large kangaroo and pegged out its skin, and in the jilace wdiere this happened 

 a large lake was formed ( T^ake h'yre). Watercourses are supposerl to be the 

 result of the tracks of the Muranuiras and water-holes re])resent their camping 

 groimds, thus f'apapajiana came from the south, and a watercourse of 

 this name (Fronie creeks formed itself in his tracks: Alakadakabana (meaning 

 to make fire by friction) came from the north-west and the country over 

 which he traxelled is tra\crsed by the iMakaniba creek (the \\-<.ird Macumba 

 meaning the hre creek). The Muranun-a fillatajia (meaning wounds caused 

 by glowing coals) tra\'ersed that part of C'ooiier's creek between Lake Eyre 

 and Kallalpaninna : Darana (the Muramura of the drought) journeyed thence 

 to Lake Ho])e. h^roni Lake Hope to the Queensland border the course of the 

 Coiiper denotes the route of the Muramura Ngurawordubunun;i (stumpy- 

 tail, the lizard 'rrdclivsoiinis nn/osiis, which is common in the central clistricts). 



The trih.'d districts are bounded l)v natural features, smdi as creeks, 

 ranges, or remarkable formations surrounding the s])ots wiience 

 mura arose from the earth. In some cases two or more Muramijras arose ^ 

 within one tribal district. Three came into being in the Dianl teTntor-f^, A fa*] 

 namely: Ditji (the sun), a female Muramura who arose at DitjimiKJte^fsun 

 cave), but because the heat of her bodv was too great for her own cl 

 she removed to the east, where she now rises. The Muramura Durana, 

 alreadv mentioned, is said to have petitioned the Mura for rain and the 



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