Munga-Munga- Aboriginal Australian SpiritSpirit
Also known as: Mungamunga
Description
Spirit women of northern Australia who belong to the great mother Kunapipi. Their totemic form is the water goanna, and they appear in the Kunapipi fertility ceremonies that R.M. Berndt documented across the tropical north.
Mythology & Lore
The Women of Kunapipi
R.M. Berndt documented the Munga-Munga as part of his study of the Kunapipi ceremonial complex, published in 1951. They are spirit women, daughters or companions of the great mother Kunapipi, and their totemic form is the water goanna, the large monitor lizard that moves between the waterways and dry land of northern Australia.
The Kunapipi ceremonies, also called Gunabibi or Ubar, spread widely across the tropical north along established ceremonial exchange routes. The rites centre on fertility and renewal. The Munga-Munga appear within them: their songs and dances form part of the ritual sequence, and through their presence the creative power of Kunapipi enters the ceremony. They are not distant figures. They are the ones in the room when the rite is working.
Relationships
- Family