Australijskie ceremonie ognia. Ceremonie Wollunki u Warramunga
Australian Fire Ceremonies. The Wollunqua Ceremonies among the Warramunga

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the significance of the relationship between the Rainbow Serpent and fire in the rituals of the Warramunga (Warumungu) devoted to the Serpent Wollunqua. The myth of the passage of the Wollunqua is closely related to that of the first lighting of fire. The ritual cycle observed by B. Spencer and F. J. Gillen encodes the exchangeability of the two halves (moieties): Kingilli and Uluuru in the organisation of rituals, associating them with the transition from the domination of the symbolism of water (Wollunqua) to that of fire (Mountain Devil). The symbols of the transition are characteristic paraphernalia: the Mini-imburu mound and the Kingilli Miniurka, made from wands. The wintari pole, buried in the land by representatives of the eastern quoll clan, is associated in myth with the Wollunqua’s rearing into a vertical position, between walking on the surface of the land and digging into it. According to the myth, the Wollunqua, raised into the sky, saw a great fire and had to escape to its home. As a result, the rituals of the Wollunqua designate a fundamental cyclical change: rainy season ↔ dry season.

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