HORN EXPEDITION—ANTHROPOLOGY. 
185 
Alkappera came from the east {iknnrra) who, seeing these strange creature.s, felt a 
great pity for them and, on examination, discovered tliat, with tlie aid of his magic 
knife, lie could, by releasing from the curious mass of flesh the faintly outlined legs 
and arms, give these creatures the same shape as himself. Taking up one of the 
Inap7verla he quickly released the arms, adding fingers by making four clefts at 
the end of the arm ; the legs were then released and toes added in like manner. 
The figure could now stand erect, the nose was formed and the nostrils bored with 
the finger ] one stroke of the knife added the mouth, which was pulled open several 
times to make it flexible; eyes were formed by the simple process of incision and 
another stroke or two of the magic knife provided the new being with genital 
organs. The A/kappera continued his operations until all the hiapwerla were 
converted into living images of himself. In this way both sexes were created with 
equal rapidity. Having finished his task the spirit called all the men and women 
together, endowed them with the gift of speech, and informed the men that the 
women were made for their use, with a view of increasing their numbers. It was 
ordained that the men, before taking wives, must undergo the ordeals of circum¬ 
cision and subincision, and that they must hide from the women during recovery; 
these operations being performed on them at once. The men and women assembled 
were then divided into four classes, Pultarra, Kumarra, Panunga and Purula, and 
were instructed in the marriage laws, which are observed at the present time. 
Tradition of the Origin of Fire. 
Fire {iiira) is produced by the friction of hard against .soft wood. A hard¬ 
wood stick is pointed at one end and inserted in a small hole bored in a piece of 
softer material, generally of a root. The pointed stick is then rotated quickly 
between the hands until the friction produces fire.* 
The natives explain that their ancestors in the distant past {pilchurrhiga)^ 
which really means in the dream-times, for this is the manner in which the natives 
always speak of the long ago, acquired the art of “ urpmalla ” (fire-making) from a 
gigantic arrunga [Afacropus robustus) called Algurmvartna. This monster was, 
according to native tradition, endowed with the gift of speech, and, while making 
fire, always chanted— 
* It will be observed in niy own notes that the soft-wooded shields of Erythrina wood, collected on the 
Expedition, which bore evidence of bavin"' been used for the production of fire by the iilouffhing method, i.e., 
by driving: the point of the hard-wooded stick backwards and forwards alon^' a tfroove. Mr. Gillen informs me that 
both methods are practised.—(E.C.S.). 
