Ulanji- Aboriginal Australian SpiritSpirit
Description
A serpent ancestor of the Binbinga people who emerged from the ground at Markumundana during the Dreamtime, traveled across a vast stretch of country raising sand-hills and carving water-holes, then descended back into the earth at the water-hole Uminiwura.
Mythology & Lore
The Journey from Markumundana
During the Dreamtime, the snake ancestor Ulanji stirred beneath the earth and emerged at a place called Markumundana. Spencer and Gillen recorded the journey from the Binbinga people of the Gulf Country. From Markumundana, the serpent traveled to a great sand-hill called Windilumba, where it created a spring and raised a mountain.
Ulanji continued onward, crossing what is now Limmen Creek, shaping the land as it moved. Hills rose along its path. Water-holes opened where it paused. At every place where the serpent stopped to perform ceremonies, it left behind spirit offspring, and these sites became mungai, totemic increase centres sacred to the Snake clan of the Binbinga.
After traveling over a great extent of country, Ulanji descended back into the earth at a large water-hole called Uminiwura. The journey was over. The spirit offspring remained at every ceremony site along the route, and members of the Snake clan trace their identity to the serpent ancestor who left them there.
Relationships
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