The story told by the Aborigines of the River Yarra is as follows:—Kar-ak-ar-ook, a female (now the Seven Stars), was the only one who could make fire (Weenth).[1] She would not give any one any of it. She kept it in the end of her yam-stick. But Waung (the Crow) fell on a plan to get it from her. Kar-ak-ar-ook was very fond of ants' eggs, and Waung made a great many snakes, and put them under an ant-hill, and then invited Kar-ak-ar-ook to come to the nest to dig up the eggs. After she had dug a little, she turned up the snakes, and Waung told her to kill them with her yam-stick. She accordingly struck the snakes, and fire fell out of the yam-stick. Waung picked up the fire, and went off with it. Kar-ak-ar-ook was afterwards set in the heavens by Pund-jel (the Maker of Men). Waung, however, was nearly as selfish as Kar-ak-ar-ook. He would not give fire to any one, but he would cook food for the blacks—always keeping the best pieces of the meat for himself. Because of this, Pund-jel was very angry with Waung, and he gathered together all the blacks, and caused them to speak harshly to Waung, and Waung became afraid. To save himself and to burn them, he threw the fire amongst them, and every one picked up some of the fire, and left. Tchert-tchert and Trrar took some of the fire, and lighted the dry grass around Waung, and burnt him. Pund-jel said to Waung, "You shall be a crow to fly about, and shall be a man no more." Tchert-tchert and Trrar were lost or burnt in the fire. They are now two large stones at the foot of the Dan-den-ong mountain.
The Boon-oo-rong tribe, who inhabited the district lying to the south-east of Melbourne, give this legend:—Two women were cutting a tree for the purpose of getting ants' eggs, when they were attacked by several snakes. The women fought stoutly and for a long time, but they could not kill the snakes. At last one of the women broke her kan-nan (fighting-stick), and forthwith smoke came from it. Waung (the Crow) picked up the fire and flew away with it. Two young blacks, Toordt and Trrar, both very good young men, flew after the Crow and caught him. The Crow, much frightened, let fall the fire, and a great conflagration followed. The blacks generally were much afraid when they saw this. Toordt and Trrar disappeared. Pund-jel came down from the sky and said to the blacks—"Now you have fire, do not lose it." Pund-jel allowed them to see Toordt and Trrar for a moment, and then he took them away with him, and set them in the sky, where they now appear as stars. By-and-by the blacks lost the fire. Winter came on. They were very cold. They had no place whereat they could cook their food. They had to eat their food raw and cold like the dogs. Snakes multiplied and everywhere abounded. At length Pal-yang, who had brought forth women from the water, sent down from the sky Kar-ak-ar-ook to guard the women. [She is represented as a sister of Pal-yang, and is held in respect unto this day by the black women.] This good Kar-ak-ar-ook, who was a very fine and very big woman, with nerrim-nerrim kan-nan (a very, very long stick), went about the country killing a multitude of snakes (Ood-yul-yul Kornmul), but leaving here and there a few. In striking one, her big stick broke, and therefrom came fire.
- ↑ See Stanbridge, supra, Karick-karick.
