Mangeri

(map)

A flood from honey is unusual. It may, however, merely indicate that the flood was fresh water, which people often call "sweet water" in contrast to sea water.

Crow, or Gagud, a Dreaming man, was camped at Arguluk Hill at Oenpelli, Gunbalanya. He lived by collecting honey and, when the season was right, gathering goose eggs. All the other Crow people lived there, too.

Two other men, named Djabiru, or Nandjamalamal, and Shag, or Wunyagaul, camped nearby at Red Lily. They had made a fish trap, and Crow went to visit them because he wanted fish. He brought eggs with him.

On his way there, Crow found wild honey. While gathering it, some green ants from the tree got in his hair, but he did not know it. He continued on his way. Djabiru and Shag saw that he was carrying eggs and invited him to sit with them. He gave them eggs, and they gave him fish in exchange. But when he bent to eat the fish, green ants fell on the fish. Eating fish with green ants on it is taboo, because the spirit of the ants would then prevent fish from entering the traps, so when the other two saw the ants on the fish, they stopped Crow from eating. Crow said that the ants must have fallen in his hair when he got honey, but what does it matter? The others still would not let him eat the fish, and he went to sit by himself. He got angry and took back his eggs, which made the other two angry. Crow said he was going back to his camp.

The two said, "If you are angry, come back and we will fight." Crow came back. They took out their clubs and fought. Crow defeated them, but left saying, "We will fight again." He went to his mother's country on the Mang-goralgul plain. He sent two men to muster other people, and they brought the Gagadju and Ngadug people. But Djabiru and Shag also mustered other people -- the Mangeri, Eri, Weni, Wuningag, and Ing-gu -- and they made for the camp at Mang-goralgul. Crow saw them coming and was angry. His relatives, though, said, "You should not quarrel in your own country. We will have a big ceremony, and let those two men be welcome."

All the people started singing and dancing, while Crow sat under the branches of a large banyan tree. He had his axe and a basket full of honey. Crow encouraged everyone to keep on singing until everyone had fallen asleep. Then he took his axe and honey and climbed into the banyan tree. He chopped off a branch which fell on and killed Djabiru and Shag. The others woke up, wondering what was happening. Crow chopped off another branch and poured out his bag of honey. It fell like rain. He turned into a bird and called out, "I am Crow now."

The honey rain fell heavily and flooded the area, making a billabong. All the people turned into birds and flew away because Crow spoilt it all, making the heavy rain like honey.

Berndt and Berndt, 1994, 185-187. Variant without flood: Charles P. Mountford, Records of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land, 1: Art, Myth and Symbolism (Victoria: Melbourne University Press, 1956), 228-230.