Wurrətyil
Magic Fire
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(N)
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Notes:
This was greatly feared by Wembawemba people. Only one man in the group, the 'wurrətyil-manuk' was allowed to light such a fire. A piece of a garment, covered in sweat, or anything that came directly from the intended victim was put together with some sticks into a deep hole and set alight. If no fresh air was allowed to penetrate into this hole, the victim would fall ill, and groans would be heard from the magic fire; the victim would slowly die. A 'wurrətyil' was lit at the end of the last century as a punishment for Mrs Morrison, a Wembawemba woman who had married a squatter at Murrabit. A white man heard about it, he heard the groans from the fire and dug it up, and Mrs Morrison recovered, cf nyil-ngani.
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Categories:
Ceremony, Belief

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