Noah N. Version of The Ngurunderi Dreaming

 

The Ngurunderi Dreaming

In the Dreaming of the Ngarrindjeri people, Ngurunderi is the shaper of land, laws and creatures. He can travel through time and space, along rivers and hills, across lakes and seas. His mind and spirit sometimes took human shape and travelled as a man.

The story begins where the wide River Darling joins the River Murray. Ngurunderiwas travelling down the Murray River in a bark canoe, looking for his two wives who had run away after a quarrel. One day, when he was fishing from a bark canoe, Ngurunderi saw Pondi,the giant Murray cod.He tried to spear the huge fish but it quickly swam away downstream. When the giant cod reached the Murray, which was then just a small creek, it had nowhere to swim so it went ploughing and crashing through the bush, making the creek into the mighty Murray River. Ngurunderi chased the fish south into the land of the Ngarrindjeri. On and on it ploughed, making bends and cliffs with its mighty tail. Near Murray Bridge he threw a spear, but missed and the spear changed into Long Island. NearTailem Bend he speared Pondiand caused it to surge ahead at extreme speeds and create a long straight stretch in the river until it finally escaped into Lake Alexandrina.

Ngurunderi rested near Wellington and sent a smoke signal to his brother-in-law,Nepeliwho lived in Raukkan. At last, with the help of Nepeli, the wounded and weakened Pondiwas speared as it swam by Nepeli’s canoe. They both cut Pondiup into many pieces. Ngurunderi threw each piece into the water and told it to become a new fish. Ngurunderi created all the fresh water and salt water fish of the Ngarrindjeri. Ngurunderileft Raukkan and made two huts where Mount Misery is and rested there. He changed some people who were trying to hide from him into blue fairy wrens of the lignum bush that live in the reeds. One night, he smelt bony bream cooking. This fish was forbidden to Ngarrindjeriwomen. He knew it was from the camp of his wives and it made him angry. He decided to leave his camp and find them. His two huts became two hills.Standing on the hills, he placed his bark canoe into the dark night sky where it became the Milky Way.

Hearing Ngurunderi coming, his wives just had time to build a raft of reeds and grass trees and to escape across Lake Albert. On the other side their raft turned back into the reeds and grasstrees. The women fled along the Coorong, heading south. Ngurunderi followed, but met a man called Parampariclose to Kingston. Parampari was a great evil sorcerer, a malignant spirit. “Have you seen my two wives walking?” Ngurunderi asked him. Paramparistarted to quarrel and fight with Ngurunderi. The two men fought with spears, clubs and magic forces, until eventually Ngurunderi won by killing Parampariwith his club. He burnt Parampari's body in a huge fire to destroy the magic spell that made himself walk in a single place and never reach anywhere. The area of the fire changed into huge granite boulders. During the extraordinary battle, Ngurunderi’s wives had slipped past them unnoticed and fled back along the Coorong towards Encounter Bay.Ngurunderi noticed and followed their footprints north through the sandhills of Coorong. Here he camped several times, digging soaks in the sand for fresh water, and fishing in the Coorong lagoon.

Having lost the trail, Ngurunderi made his way across the Murray Mouth and along the Encounter Bay towards Victor Harbor. He made a fishing ground at Middleton by throwing a huge tree into the sea to make a seaweed bed that trapped fish. At Port Elliot his fishing net became the stained rocks of Pullen Island. At Victor Harbor he made islands by throwing spears into the sea.

Finally, after resting in a giant granite shade shelter on Granite Island for several days, Ngurunderi heard his wives laughing and playing in the water near King's Beach. He threw his club to the ground, creating the headland called the Bluff at Victor Harbor and chased after them.

The women fled along the coast towards Cape Jervis. Ngurunderi called out to them to stop. At this time, Kangaroo Island was still connected to the mainland, and the two women began to hurry across the shallow water to it. Standing high on the cliffs he called out in a voice of thunder for the seas to rise. The women were swept from their path by huge waves and fought the water until they could swim no more. Their bodies and belongings became the Pages Islands.

He crossed to Kangaroo Island where he made a huge swamp oak tree to rest under. But the sound of the wind through the trees caused him to mourn his wives. Ngurunderi then knew that it was time for him to leave this world. He went to the far end of the island and after first throwing his spears into the sea, he dived deep into the sea to prepare his spirit. After becoming fully cleansed, he left the water and entered into the spirit world. He can be seen there today as a bright star in the Milky Way.

 

 

 

Notes:

How things were created, how we think it was formed, images of places,

Aim: Make the story come alive using ICT (images, sounds and music, voice narration and text). Explain how the geological features formed from the Aboriginal point of view.

The story explains how many geological features and places were created in the eyes of the Aboriginal Australians. It shows that Ngurunderi (Man) dominates and rules everything. Throughout history, man has always dominated the world. In this story, the two sisters seem to be the property of Ngurunderi. They were killed after having escaped. The women were only able to become the rocky Pages Islands whereas the man went up to the sky; heaven; a star in the Milky Way. But it is a myth and is very old. The great sorcerer, Parampari slowed Ngurunderi down and allowed the sisters to run away. Nepele helped Ngurunderi to spear a fish. Then he disappears and never comes out again. Most cultures have a tendency to discriminate against women. Apparently in Aboriginal society women are valued just as much as men are.

How well you used ICT. Geography, what you do with the content, 10 paragraphs each one has images… Add resources for photos and pictures…