Howitt and Fison Papers

To the eastward of the Wotjo there was another nation which I have called the Kulin from their word for man. They occupied almost the whole of north eastern Victoria, and extended as far westward as a line drawn from between Geelong and Colac to the Avoca River....

2 Kulin With the Woeworung [a camp was made- crossed out] people fixed their camps as [follows - crossed out] serve all in the following manner, taking Berak's "wilam" (hut) as the starting point.

[Diagram] (1) Berak wife + child (2) Berak's brother ditto (3) Berak's father + mother (4) Berak wife's father + mother (5) Visitors from the Būnurung Tribe (6) young men's camp

The camp to suppose to be in Berak's country, say at Heidelberg. Each hut faces the East That of the parents of Berak's wife are behind a screen of boughs. [and having - crossed out] The hut of [Wille- crossed out] Berak's father between. The Bunurung people camp on that side nearest to their country which is to the southward. The IIII III and young men furthest from the married peoples' huts.

[In the left hand margin] (1) On the Kulin tribes division of food

W. Thomas-Latrobe Papers p65 They seldom travel more than a six miles a day. In their migratory movements all are employed. Children are getting gum, knocking down birds +c, women are digging up roots, killing bandicoots, getting grubs +c; the men hunting kangaroos +c scaling trees for opossums + +. They mostly are at the encampment about an hour before sundown, [crossout] the women first, who get fire and water by the time their spouses arrive.

They hold that the bush and all it contains are men's general property; that private property is only what utensils are carried in their bag and this extends even to the success of the day; hence at the close, those who have been successful divide with those who have not been so. None lacketh while others have it nor is the gift considered as a favor, but as right brought to the needy and thrown down at his feet. (1)

[Written in the left hand margin] Woewrung Game Woeworung

If a Woeworung man when out hunting killed a Kangaroo it was divided in accordance with tribal rules as with [food obtained - crossed out] assuming that the man had a comrade with him, they would take out the Entrails and unless the skin were required for some purpose, roast the kangaroo whole. The division would be that one forequarter was kept by the man for himself, his wife and children. A leg or [a fore- crossed out] the other forequarter to his comrade. The head and an arm sent to the man's father and mother. And a leg and the loins [were - crossed out] went to his wife’s father + mother care of his wife. The tail went to someone else.

In these tribes as in [the - crossed out] those of Gippsland a [the - crossed out] man was obliged to [provide - crossed out] give a certain amount of the game presented by him to his wife’s father. In instance if he caught five opossoums, he kept one, two went to his wife's father. and two to her brothers. This appears like a perpetual purchase of the [woman - crossed out] wife. The woman also divided the food which she collected which was mainly vegetables.

But if a man only killed enough game or procured enough of other food for himself his wife & children then he need not divide it with others. But if he found that his father had no - food, he must give him what he had procured and go out and look for more. Similarly, if his wife’s father had no food - and no son to provide [some - crossed out] for him, he would give him food if he had it and seek more for himself. On the other hand if he had none and his wife’s father had a supply he would send some by his daughter to her husband.

The old people used to say to the younger that people should divide their food with others and particularly with the old people and children. They said that Bunjil was pleased where he saw the old people.

As a comparison with the [Legend- crossed out] beliefs in the Mura-mura [of the Lake Eyre tribe - crossed out]. I know of no better example than those of the [Kurnai - crossed out] Kulin and Kurnai tribes of Victoria. A numbers legends [sic] have been published by different authors taken from their folk lore (1) [and of the - crossed out] of which I note [versions which - crossed out] several different versions (1) [I collected myself and which have been from - crossed out] from Woeworung + Kurnai narrators collected originally myself As the Kurnai were an offshoot from the Kulin stock, the explanation which I am able to suggest as to the legends of the former may be applied to the analagous legends of the latter.

[I have - crossed out] Legends [relating to- crossed out] [I have not been able to learn of the ceremonies appear to be - crossed out] [few - crossed out], I am not aware of any beliefs or legends relating to the initiation ceremonies of the Kulin, and the reason may be that those ceremonies [were merely the- crossed out] did not have the sand or secret character of the Bora at the Kuringal. But with the Kurnai there was one legend relating to the Jeraeil. As to [the number - crossed out] legends recording [the - crossed out] wanderings they also are few, those relating to the sky-country are more numerous, but in most of these [relate to the actions - crossed out] the actors are [anoth - crossed out] beings who combine the human and the animal element.

A few instances will illustrate these several classes of which I have quoted from the work of my daughter in the Folklore and legends of some Victorian Tribes (1) - [The other instances are - crossed out] The Wotjoballuk legend - see reverse of The Kurnai legend relating to the [Init- crossed out] Jeraeil ceremony is the

(quote this)

The Woeworung legend of Lohän is that he when he was [baking eels in- crossed out] cooking eels at the Yarra River a Swan's feather was carried by the south [wind - crossed out] breeze and fell on his breast. Walking in that direction he at length reached [the sea the - crossed out] Westernport Bay where the Swan [was - crossed out] lived. There he remained until they migrated Eastward, where he followed them, and at last came to Corner Inlet where he made his home in the mountains of Wilsons promontory, watching over the welfare of the people who followed him into the country he had found (2)

Another legend relates to the [early - crossed out] wanderings of the [ancestors - crossed out] Kurnai predecessors. Bunjil Borŭn the first Kurnai marched across approched from the north west until he reached the sea at the Inlets where Port Albert now is. On his head he carried his canoe in which was his wife Tūk. Bunjil Borŭn is the Pelican & Tūk the musk duck.

[Upside down] June (see over) 80 Days 1889

[written at top of page] and the Alcharinga ancestors of the Arunta

[written in left margin] 1. Thomas Brough Smyth Dawson Langloh Parker

A legend of the Wotjo tribe gives an account of the wanderings of the two Brambramgals [who were the - crossed out] in search of their sister's son Doän (the flying squirrel) who had been killed and eaten by Wembulin (tarantula); [afterwards they - crossed out] and [went - crossed out] afterwards further meeting with various adventures and naming these places where they occurred, until the younger of the brothers died. [The elder brother + their mother sought for him - crossed out] Then the elder 'shaped' part of a tree into the form of a man and by his magic it became alive + called him elder brother United once more the Brambramgals travelled far to the west where they lived in a cavern, but no one knows where they have gone (p. )

2 Other legends [explain] relate to supernatural beings and their dealings with in Kulin and the Kurnai (3)

[There is one a- crossed out] Among a number which relate to Bunjil there is one which needs to be specially mentioned. Bunjil after living on the earth and teaching the Kulin the arts of peace and war and giving them their laws, gathered his wives, sons and head men round him and told Bellin Bellin the Musk crow to let the wind out of his bag. He doing this Bunjil all his people were carried by a whirlwind through the sky into the Tharangalk-bek a beautiful land where they look down upon the world as stars (4).

There are no Kurnai legends known relating to Mungan-ngaur the analogue of Bunjil but the legend of Baukan relates an ascent to the sky land.

[three lines crossed out] Since The [Kurnai - crossed out] old time Kurnai having left their camp to go hunting and gathering food the Supenatural being Bullum baukan came there and stole their fire. When the people returned they found their fire gone and Ngarangal the crow told them who had taken it. Ngarang the Swamp Hawk who was also there flew after Bullumbanukan and swooping down knocked off part of the fire they were carrying, which falling [on the - crossed out] on the ground were caught and preserved by Tut-brug the Robin. Meanwhile Bullum- baukan had thrown up cords of wallaby sinew up to the sky where it held fast, and up these she climbed with the remainder of the stolen fire. (5).

The Kulin legend of Bunjil and Kurburu, the slothbear tells how the Kulin being away from their camp, Kuburu came by and taking all their wooden bowls of water placed them in thetop of a young gum tree which he caused by his magic to grow [taller than any of the trees- crossed out] bigger than any of the trees about.

The Kulin finding their water gone complained to Bunjil who with his two young men Tadjeri (the Brush tailed Phascologale) and Turnung (the Flying mouse) who killed Kurburu + returned the bowls of water to the Kulin.