This arrangement did not suit some of the birds who were an important song and dance cycle in the ceremony. He was told to hunt for food for all the performers, and that he and his helpers were to cook and look after the young initiates waiting for their call to join in the latter part of the ceremony. They discussed their choices for other important performers in the ceremony and eventually decided that Karurrken, a female kangaroo, should be the lead caller and dancer of the ceremony, whilst her husband Kolobbarr, the male kangaroo, would be in charge of a camp well away from the main ceremonial ground. Novices were told by initiated men that this was the voice of the Rainbow Serpent calling to them to participate in the Ubar rites. He was to beat a hollow log, called the Ubar Drum, with a long heavy stick to announce the commencement of the ceremony. They both agreed that a big ceremony in honour of the two women would be the best thing to do, and Yirrwadbad appointed Nadulmi as the Keeper of the ceremony, which was to be called Ubar. He met a kangaroo called Nadulmi, who had once been a human Ancestral Being, and discussed the matter with him. The snake turned around and bit each one in turn, killing them instantly.Įmerging from the log and once more changing back into his human form, he realised that he would soon be in deep trouble with the women’s tribespeople. The women ran to each end of the log and inserted a hand. One day he changed into a snake and slid ahead of them into a hollow log, where he made scratching noises to imitate a goanna or bandicoot. Angry and frustrated, Yirrwadbad vowed vengeance and followed the two women each time when they went out hunting. Instead of sending her back to her husband, in accordance with traditional law, her mother protected her and allowed her to stay. In the Dreamtime a man called Yirrwadbad took a young girl from a neighbouring camp as his wife, but she refused to sleep with him and ran home to her mother.
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