Watiwati facts for kids
The Watiwati are a group of Aboriginal people who traditionally lived in Australia. Their home was on both sides of the Murray River, stretching from Victoria into New South Wales.
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Their Name
The Watiwati people got their name from the word wati, which means 'no'. It's like saying 'no-no' (wati-wati). Many Aboriginal groups in this area have names that repeat a word.
Where They Lived
The Watiwati people lived on a large area of land, about 2,000 square miles (5,200 km2) in size. This land was north and south of the Murray River, near Swan Hill. Their territory reached north towards Moolpa in New South Wales. To the west, their land ended near Piangil in Victoria.
They shared borders with other Aboriginal groups. To their east were the Wemba-Wemba people. To the northeast were the Nari-Nari, and to the northwest were the Muthi Muthi. The Dadi Dadi people lived to their west.
How They Lived
The Watiwati people were made up of different groups called clans. One of these groups, known as the Dacournditch, lived in the area between Tyntynder and Swan Hill.
Watiwati Stories and Beliefs
The Watiwati people had many interesting stories about the world and how it began.
The First People and Fire
They believed that the very first people on Earth were called Bukumurri. These Bukumurri could change into different animals. A powerful spirit named Thathapuli, who lived in the Dreamtime, changed them into ordinary humans.
At first, only the cod fish, named Pandowinda, knew the secret of fire. He later shared this secret with the rakali water rat, Kerambin. But there was a condition: Kerambin had to cook for Pandowinda.
Other Bukumurri were not happy about this. They held a meeting, led by the native bat, Rakur. They wanted to figure out how to steal the fire. The hawk, Keridka, was chosen for this important task.
Keridka tried twice to steal the fire by sending strong winds. These winds were meant to spread the fire that Pandowinda and Kerambin were using. But both times, his attempts failed.
On his third try, Keridka sent a very strong whirlwind. This time, it worked! Even though Pandowinda and Kerambin tried hard to put it out, a huge wildfire spread across the forests. This fire created the flat plains of the Riverina.
Everyone else was happy that fire was now available to all. But Rakur, the bat, was different. He went around clearing fire from some trees and carefully put ashes into cracks in the wood. He wanted to keep the flame alive, even though others made fun of him.
When a big rainstorm put out the huge fire, the others realized Rakur was smart. He showed them how to rub sticks together to make fire from the hidden embers he had saved.
The Journey After Life
The Watiwati also believed that after a person died, their spirit would wander around, feeling confused. The spirit would come to a path with two choices. One path was difficult, covered with thorny bushes. The other path looked easy.
A good person's spirit would choose the harder path, knowing the easy one might have dangers. Further along, the spirit would meet two women: one old and ugly, the other young and beautiful. The old woman would warn the spirit not to be tricked by the young woman's beauty.
Next, the spirit would face a deep, fiery pit. The spirit would jump over it as the flames moved away. Then, two women would try to trip the spirit with a rope across the path. Once past this, the spirit would reach a place of peace.
But even there, the journey wasn't over. The spirit would go through a test period, with special food and challenges. Finally, the spirit would be given a spear in a place where fast emus ran by. To meet their creator, Thathapuli, the spirit had to hit an emu with the spear.
In Watiwati stories, shooting stars are believed to be the spears thrown by spirits trying to hit the emus. If they succeed, they finally meet Thathapuli, their high being.
Other Names For The Watiwati
- Wathiwathi, Wattewatte, Wotti-wotti.
- Withaija
- Wohdi Wohdi
- Woani (= 'man')
- Woonyi
- Dacournditch
- Biangil (the name for Piangil).
