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Vol. 55, no. 4 (Winter 2013)

Contents

Articles

Five Versions of a Dyirbal Legend R. M. W. Dixon 305

If You Go Down to the Soak Today: Symbolism and Structure in an Arandic Children’s Story Jennifer Green and Myfany Turpin 358

Book Reviews
Secret Manipulations: Language and Context in Africa (Anne Storch) Jeffrey Heath 395
Geographical Typology and Linguistic Areas, with Special Reference to Africa (Osamu Hieda, Christa König, and Hirosi Nakagawa, editors) Jeffrey Heath 397
The Languages of Urban Africa (Fiona McLaughlin, editor) Jeffrey Heath 399
Writing in the Air: Heterogeneity and the Persistence of Oral Tradition in Andean Literatures (Antonio Cornejo Polar; Lynda J. Jentsch, translator) John Holmes McDowell 401
Publications Received 404

Abstracts

Five Versions of a Dyirbal Legend

R. M. W. Dixon
Language and Culture Research Centre, James Cook University

Abstract. The Dyirbal peoples of North Queensland believe that at one time the spirit of a departed person could return to visit their relatives. Then one returning spirit saw his own rotting head, which his mother had retained when burying his body. This meant that he must now return permanently to the land of spirits and everyone would follow him when their turn came. This was the origin of death as we know it today. Five versions of this legend were recorded, from three narrators; no one version includes every detail. A similar story was told by the neighboring Yidiñ people. The versions are analyzed, compared, and assessed.

If You Go Down to the Soak Today: Symbolism and Structure in an Arandic Children’s Story

Jennifer Green
University of Melbourne

Myfany Turpin
University of Queensland

Abstract. In an Aboriginal children’s story from Central Australia, small creatures such as dragon lizards and ground-dwelling insect larvae known as ant lions convey rich symbolic meanings. This article analyzes the story, song, and graphic schema of a story that reinforces the dangers of being alone and the unpredictable incarnations of malevolent characters. By comparing versions in several Arandic languages, we elucidate the network of social and cultural meanings of the story and the poetic and artistic devices used to express them. We suggest that formalized children’s “play” routines such as this story perform an important role in socialization in Arandic society.

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