The Fortnightly Review: No. CCCCLXIII, New Series [‎653r] (196/239)

AMONG THE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES.
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they can at once propitiate and coerce him. Thus they make a
long mound of wet sand and draw wavy bands on it to represent
the water-snake. Round this at night they sing and dance by the
light of fires until the earliest streak of dawn glimmers in the
east. Then they attack the mound fiercely with their weapons
and soon demolish it. If shortly afterwards they hear thunder
rumbling in the distance, they declare that it is the voice of the
water-snake saying that he is pleased with what they have done
and that he will send rain. But if the remains of the ruined
mound are left uncovered, he growls, and his growl is a peal of
thunder. When they hear it they hasten to cover the ruins with
branches, lest the snake should come and eat them up. On the
other hand, the savage destruction of the mound seems to imply
that they can to some extent control the beast by force. The
Wollunqua differs from all other known Australian totems in that
he is a purely mythical being. He is not the only snake totem of
the Warramunga, but he is the most important, and, more than
that, he apparently occupies in the native mind the position of a
dominant totem. 9 In short, he seems to be a totem on the high
road to become a god.
Again, in the south-eastern parts of Australia “ a belief exists in
an anthropomorphic supernatural being, who lives in the sky, and
who is supposed to have some kind of influence on the morals of
the natives. . . . This supernatural being, by whatever name
he is known, is represented as having at one time dwelt on the
earth, but afterwards to have ascended to a land beyond the sky,
where he still remains, observing mankind. As Daramulun, he is
said to be able ‘ to go anywhere and do anything.’ He can be
invisible; but when he makes himself visible, it is in the form of
an old man of the Australian race. He is evidently everlasting,
for he has existed from the beginning of things, and he still lives.
But in being so he is merely in that state in which, these abori
gines believe, every one would be, if not prematurely killed by evil
magic. ... In this being, though supernatural, there is no trace
of a divine nature. All that can be said of him is that he is
imagined as the ideal of those qualities which are, according to
their standard, virtues worthy of being imitated. Such would be
a man who is skilful in the use of weapons of offence and defence,
all-powerful in magic, but generous and liberal to his people, who
does no injury or violence to any one, yet treats with severity any
breaches of custom or morality. Such is, according to my know
ledge of the Australian tribes, their ideal of a headman, and
naturally it is that of Biamban, the master, in the sky-country.
(9) Spencer and Gillen, Northern Tribes of Central Australia, ch. vii., and
pp. 495 sq.