Uli-tarra

Uli-tarra In Australian mythology, the first man, who is said to have come from the east. At the beginning of time there was no sea, only the water from a hole that Uli-tarra dug. Ulitarra was the leader of an aboriginal tribe who left one day to fight a tribe on the other side of the mountain. They painted themselves white and red. On the way to the battle the men came upon two women whom Uli-tarra had once beaten for misbehavior. These two women found two straight sticks and pounded them against the ground, then they departed. The beating of the sticks caused the ocean to form, as well as all other bodies of water, both large and small. As the men returned from their journey they found that the ocean, which had not been there before, blocked their passage. They took the entrails of a deer and blew into them, creating a bridge over the water. One man tried to eat the rope the bridge was made of but was stopped, and the men were able to return to their homes safely.

SOURCE:

Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow
Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante