Ringneck Parrot Story

Lots of Ringneck parrots were living at Yaluku at that time and they would often come to this place because of the fire here. There was a big fire around the hill. Minu would bring all the men, women and children here and hunt for food for them to eat. After he had hunted they would all go to their homes and they would cook the meat. When they had cooked it they kept all the best fat and meat for themselves and gave Minu the rubbish meat. He could not tear it but he tried to eat it anyway. Every day he gave meat to the children to eat and he went out all the time and with his club to hunt. When he returned he would give what he had hunted to the Ringneck people.

Minu came from the west. He was a good hunter. he would always go hunting and give the food away. At last he was thinking "Everyone has lots of food so now I might leave hunting and go and sit down there at Mt. Davies."

There were three young fellas sitting up there on the hill waiting for Minu to hunt the meat. They wanted him to hurry up so they could eat. But Minu did not want to hunt anymore. He wanted to rest. He was sitting there looking at everybody. He was just sitting and looking at them all, thinking "What will I do? They are getting bossy for the meat whenever I go hunting. I kill the meat for nothing."

He was thinking like this and he sat there and sang a special song. He was singing for the rain and hail stones to come from the west and fall all over this place. He was singing for the rain and hail to come and kill all the people.

That rain and hail fell very hard at Kunatjara and Waralku, all over and on the plains on the Amata road. When the rain and hail fell it made a flood everywhere and the water killed many Ringneck women, Zebra finch women, children and men. Some of them made shelters on the top of the hill at Pipalyatjara and they are still living there now. They started building their shelters when the rains started. Minu was alright. All around him was raining but the ground he was sitting on was dry. Minu did not get rained on.

It kept on raining. All the others were hit by hailstones and rain and the water washed them down towards the south west and drowned them. Minu was wild and created the flood because of the trouble with his meat.

He was thinking, "They all grabbed my meat and ate it. Every time I kill the meat they grab it without permission and I don't feel good about it. That's why I've sung this song."

It sounded like snoring but it was a song for the rain. The three men were still sitting there watching and waiting but Minu was still snoring for the rain. He was making all the grass come in close to him. Minu was sitting cross-legged watching everyone in the water shouting and drowning - all the men, women and children.

When all the people had died Minu went back to his home and his family in the west. His name is Winpa.

*Transcribed and translated by Rosie Nelson (picture above) and other AEWs. Rosie is an AEW in our JP class and is studying with the Anangu Teacher Education Program (AnTEP) run by the University of South Australia.

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