Waiyungari

Waiyungari, whose name means 'Red Man' for the red ochre that covers the secluded male initiate (narambi), is a hero of the Lower Murray first recorded by Meyer in 1846 and by Taplin in 1879. While in ritual seclusion he is drawn out by the two wives of his brother Nepele, who take emu form to lure him and then seduce him, breaking the strict prohibition on contact during initiation. When Nepele discovers the betrayal and sets fire to their hut, Waiyungari casts a spear into the Milky Way and climbs it, pulling the two women up after him. He becomes the red star Antares, and the women the stars Tau and Sigma Scorpii on either side of him; his appearance in the sky is tied to seasonal change and to the law governing initiation and continence.

Domains

• sky cosmos
• initiation lore

Powers

• climbs a spear into the sky

Epithets

• Waiyungari — Red ManMeyer, H.A.E. (1846). Manners and Customs of the Aborigines of the Encounter Bay Tribe. Adelaide. (primary)

Relations

• sibling: NepeleYounger brother of Nepele.Meyer, H.A.E. (1846). Manners and Customs of the Aborigines of the Encounter Bay Tribe. Adelaide. (primary)

Sources

• Waiyungari, the 'Red Man', is a red-ochred male initiate who is seduced by his brother Nepele's two wives and, fleeing punishment, ascends a spear into the sky to become the red star Antares, the two women becoming the flanking stars of Scorpius.: Meyer, H.A.E. (1846). Manners and Customs of the Aborigines of the Encounter Bay Tribe. Adelaide. (primary); Taplin, G. (1879). The Narrinyeri, p. 57. Adelaide. (primary); Hamacher, D.W. (2018). Observations of red-giant variable stars by Aboriginal Australians. arXiv:1709.04634. (secondary)