The Mythology Book

308

L

uma-Luma is one of many

devious monsters that fill

Aboriginal folklore. This

version of his story, as told by

Mangurug, a senior member of the

Gunwinggu tribe of Arnhem Land,

in northern Australia, is often used

in local rituals conducted to initiate

boys into manhood.

The story shows the origin and

importance of vital rituals he gave

to humanity, at a terrible cost to all:

he would wreak havoc across the

land, and die for it, but he still

wanted to pass these rituals on.

Luma-Luma was a giant who

had two wives, although in some

versions of the story he began life

as a whale, swimming to Arnhem

Land from the east and crossing

the sea from Indonesia. Landing

at Cape Stewart, Luma-Luma

and his two wives then set off

westward, bringing with them

sacred rituals and totems, known

as mareein, which were gifts for

mankind. Luma-Luma kept the

ritual objects in a basket, or dilly

bag, and also carried long spears

to be used for fighting.

Greed takes over

Wherever they went, Luma-Luma

declared that the food gathered

and cooked by the people they

encountered was taboo, and so

sacred that only he could eat it.

Terrified, the people abandoned

their food—wild honey, large yams,

freshly speared kangaroos, and

fish—leaving it for him to consume.

His wives scolded him for

making the people go hungry, but

it was no use. Luma-Luma kept

on eating, using the mareein he

carried in his basket to justify his

SPEAR ME SLOWLY.

I STILL HAVE MORE

TO TEACH YOU

THE KILLING OF LUMA-LUMA

IN BRIEF

THEME

Sacred rituals

SOURCE

Oral tradition recorded in

The Speaking Land: Myth and

Story in Aboriginal Australia,

Ronald M. Berndt and

Catherine H. Berndt, 1989.

SETTING

Arnhem Land, northern

Australia.

KEY FIGURES

Luma-Luma A greedy giant

who ate everything, even

dead children.

Luma-Luma’s wives Tw o

mortal women.

An Arnhem Land aboriginal hunter

spears a kangaroo in a 20,000-year-old

rock painting at Nourlangie Rock,

Kakadu National Park, in Australia’s

Northern Territory.

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OCEANIA 309

See also: The Dreaming 302–07 ■ Ta’aroa gives birth to the gods 316–17 ■ Tane and Hine-titama 318–19

behavior. In the evenings, he wore

the basket full of mareein around

his neck and beat his special

clapping sticks together, while his

wives danced, all to demonstrate

sacred rituals.

One day, Luma-Luma and his

wives arrived at a place where the

corpses of children were laid out

on platforms. Luma-Luma started

to eat these corpses. When the

people saw the empty platforms

and Luma-Luma’s giant tracks,

they were horrified. Sick of him

eating their food—and now their

children—they plotted to kill him.

Imparted knowledge

Armed with sticks and spears,

the people attacked Luma-Luma

and his wives. The giant told them

to spear him slowly and not use

too many spears, to give him time

to show them the rituals he knew.

They included ubar (which

reminded women they should

obey their husbands); lorgun

(an initiation ritual); and gunabibi

(a string of songs and dances to

win the favor of totemic spirits).

According to some versions of the

story, he also gave them the sacred

criss-cross designs they painted on

their faces during these ceremonies

and the dances that were part of

the rituals.

Once Luma-Luma was satisfied

that the people had received the

rituals, and after giving them his

basket of totems, he finally died.

The people did not bury him but

instead propped him up against

a tree on the beach, tied ropes

around him, and built a canopy

to shade him.

In time, his body was swept

into the sea and disappeared under

the water. There, he came back to

life as a sea creature; some claimed

he became a whale once more. ■

This full-breasted woman, shown

with two dilly bags and a digging

stick, is probably associated with

a fertility ritual.

He’s eating our children.

What are we going to

do to him?

The Speaking Land

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