128
NATIVE TRIBES OF SOUTH-EAST AUSTRALIA
CH.
natural beings such as Bunjil, who is anthropomorphic, while the others are animal and yet human. The legends speak of Bunjil's "sons," or of Bunjil's "boys," who are said to have been carried up with him when he went aloft in a whirlwind to the Tharangalk-bek. When I came to inquire further as to these sons of Bunjil I found that they are stars. The following table shows what they are, and it is not an unreasonable assumption that they represent some, if not all, of the totems of the class Bunjil. The first column gives the names of Bunjil's sons, and the second that of the star.
| Tadjeri | Achernar | Phascologale pennicillata | Brush-tailed Phascologale. |
| Turnung | ? | Petaurus pigmaeus | Flying mouse. |
| Yukope | α Crucis | Zinchoglossus porphyriocephalus | Green parroquet. |
| Dantun | β Crucis | Trychoglossus multicolor | Blue mountain parrot. |
| Thara | α Centauri | ? | Swamp hawk. |
| Jurt-jurt | β Centauri | Tinnunculus cenchroides | Nankeen kestrel. |
The belief that these stars were the totems is strengthened by the fact that Thara, the one remaining totem of Bunjil, is one of his "boys" in the above list. Bunjil is Altair;[1] while Nurong, Bunjil's brother, is Antares.[2] The two stars on either side of Bunjil are his wives, being of the totem Ganewara (black swan). The stars on either side of Nurong are his wives, but the legend does not record their totems. The star which is Turnung was pointed out to me, but I cannot now identify it.
The Wurunjerri used a curious aide mémoire for Bunjil and his "boys." The little finger of the left hand is Tadjeri, the ring-finger Turnung, the middle finger Yukope, the forefinger Dantun, the thumb Thara, and the thumb of the right hand is Jurt-jurt. Here the record ends.
The totems which the class Waang must have had seem
- ↑ I have here to correct a previous statement in my paper, "Further Notes on the Australian Class Systems," Journal Anthrop. Inst., August 1888, in which I said that Fomalhault was Bunjil. Further inquiries have satisfied me that Bunjil with the Wurunjerri was Altair, but with the Wotjobaluk it was, as I have said, Fomalhault. In the Western District tribes, according to Dawson, it was also Fomalhault. It is a curious coincidence that the principal star in the constellation Aquila is the eagle-hawk of the Wurunjerri.
- ↑ I have to thank Mr. Jas. Shaw for kindly taking much pains to ascertain this for me.