Balayang, the Bat, Bundjil’s brother, was at a place called Booerrgoen, on the Goulburn Gurnang about twelve miles above stream from Yea. He was amusing himself by thumping the surface of the water with his maanong, and making it splash. As he thumped away, the water became thick, and it thickened until it became mud.

Balayang could no longer see through it, so he took a bough from a darrang and divided the mud with it. He then perceived something in the mud, so he bent the bough into a hook, and put it in the mud. Presently he saw four maanong, then two gawang, and then two marram. He fished them out of the mud, and saw they were two badjurr bootor.

Balayang named one gannawarra, the Black Swan, and the other gurruk, the Native Companion, and he brought them to Bundjil, the Great Kulin, who gave them to the kulin bootor he had made. Bundjil put gooyan into the maanong of the kulin bootor, and ordered them to hunt marram, and to the badjurr bootor he gave gannan, and ordered them to dig for wuleli and barrm. Then he told the kulin bootor and badjurr bootor to live together.

Further Information

Taungurung word list

badjurr bootor women
barrm roots (edible)
darrang tree
gannan digging stick
gannawarra black swan
gawang head
gooyan spear
gurnang river
gurruk native companion
kulin man
kulin bootor men
maanong hand
marram bodies, kangaroo
warrangwan hunt
wuleli yam tuber

The sounds of Taungurung

a as in but
aa as in cart
o as in hot
u as in put
i as in bit
oor as in core
iy as in eye
oo as in
coole as in bed
ii as in sleep
ng as in sing
nj as in new
dj as in gem
y as in yes