AustLit

Includes nineteen stories that Robinson has transcribed from Aboriginal storytellers. In the pages that precede these stories, under the heading 'Aboriginal Tales', Robinson writes: "These aboriginal tales were related to me mainly by my friend Percy Mumbulla. Percy Mumbulla is one of the very few remaining full-blood aborigines who are natives of the south coast of New South Wales. Percy's father, who is now dead, was "King" Jacky Mumbulla, well known to white residents of the south coast. Mumbulla Mountain and the Shire of Mumbulla take their names from this old 'king'.

Percy was born at Wallaga Lake Mission. He can neither read nor write but, like most full-blood aborigines, retains a rich store of his tribal mythical beliefs handed down to him by his father and other old men. Percy travels, carrying his swag up, and down the south coast from Victoria to Nowra. He engages in seasonal work, but often lives off the bush. I have seen him spearing fish with his spears which he still makes.

These stories are not myths but they are stories of mythical beliefs and magico-religious practices persisting in these contemporary times.

Readers interested in our aborigines will not fail to recognize the authenticity of these accounts of mythical beliefs and practices.

The avenging doowan are the counterparts of the kadaitcha of the tribes of Central Australia. The bugeens of these stories are paralleled by individuals throughout the tribes of Australia who have the mythical powers of their totemic ancestors to assume the forms of animals, birds, reptiles, and so on, at will. The use of guneena, the devils' stones, has the same power as 'bone pointing' in other tribes. An aboriginal's moodjingarl is clearly the spirit of his totemic ancestor and the symbol of his tribal kin relationship.

The 'bunyip', although different in form to the 'rainbow serpent' of Northern Territory tribes, is identical in its behaviour and habitat. Like the rainbow-serpent, it inhabits swamps or rivers. It emerges from the water, making the water churn and 'boil' as it does so. It is a punishing agent for the violation of tribal laws. Percy gives a clear description of this creature. His insistence that it is something like a lion is interesting in view of the fact that the remains of a prehistoric marsupial 'lion' have recently been found in Victoria.

The belief in the doolagarl, the hairy-man, is wide-spread among the 'dark people' on the south coast. It is possible that this doolagarl may be, or may have been, some kind of primitive ape-man. It should be remembered that the remains of huge prehistoric animals such as the diprotodon have been discovered around Lake Eyre and Lake Callabonna.

Gooins and doonoots are evil spirits which assume the forms of birds or animals, and the 'wild women' in one of these tales are similar to the 'siren' women such as the murinbungo or the mungamunga of Northern Territory tribes" (106-107).