Extracts from a letter of Herr C. Strehlow, a missionary of the New Delittsemer body of Missionaries, at Hermannsburg Finke River South Australia. 20/12/01
According to the view of Aranda there is a being of the highest order called Altjira also Altjira mara (mara=good). (In a remarkable way this word Altjira greatly resembles to dream altjirerema. Verbs can be formed in the present language from every substantive adjective or word used adjectively outting off the ending a. (every word of the modern language ends in a with the exception of some interjections) and adding the ending erema which expresses a becoming or ilama which means making. So rela means man; relerama - to become man ' mara = good marirama to become good ; marilama = to make good ninta – one ninterama = to become one nintilama = to make one unite. To dream is rendered now by altjirerama. To draw a conclusion from (or argue a posteriori from) the rule given before would altjira = dream signify. To be sure the Arunta does not draw this conclusion. For dream as an abstract they have no word. Yet it appears to follow from the relationship of these words Altjira (God) and Altjirerama (to dream) that their God is more a dreamy Being to them, although it possesses reality as has been said.
This God of theirs Altjira is eternal: ngambakula (in every case the Ungambakula with Spencer and Gillen) ngambakula means without beginning and without end. His dwelling place is Heaven. His form is that of a great man only he had emu feet and in this account he gains the epithet ili - inka: emu-footed. It is worthy of note that he is neither of white nor of black complexion. He has a wife of the figure of a woman but with dog’s feet. That he has a child which remains always a child is an error. The latter idea would be foreign also to the whole mode of thought.
Thus Altjira mara is the highest divinity. He is the creator of the world and the originator of men. The origin of men is thought to have taken place in the following manner – Altjira once visited the earth from heaven and lost a sacred stone (pata ajurunga) out of this was formed a human being (atua=man). God repeated this visit and lost another stone out of which a woman was formed. These married and children followed but not through procreation. Procreation through the man know or knew they not but only the ( fact of)
God had laid in the beginning germs of little boys in the mistlezmuge: germs of little girls on the other hand in the stones which were burst open. From here Altjira send them to the woman who conceives in the neighbourhood of such a place where such germs of children are found. Such a germ of a child enters the mother body through the loins.
They know nothing of the transmigration of souls; that children should be reborn spiritis of the dead is an idea which is foreign to them. Altjira passes as director of the dance and festivities; he has given them, for this the sacred stones and woods (pata tjurunga and rula tjurunga). In the presence of the women there were carefully kept secret. In addition Altjira brought it to pass that very much mana = foods grew on the earth as he himself also lives on food. He is strong but kind and on this account they have no fear of him, bring no offerings him, and do not pray to him. They let him pass as a good man, only they do not trouble themselves further since he will inflict no evil on them.
Twanyirika is a spirit, which is hidden in the mountains; the older men profess that they have seen him; He has a long pigtail. They want to produce his voice at the festivities of circumcision only to drive the women away. He has a wife Ngamkara and a child Rukaparuta which ever grows and is also circumcised. Twanyirika is the leader of the circumcision.
Ulthana (Report of the Horn Exped.) is in every case lltana and is a spirit. Altjira, erinja (also erinja kuna kuna bad) is an evil spirit, lives fro ever on earth his dwelling place is called rhalpara; he is a being without flesh, a skeleton, is very strong and cruel and devises means for injuring men; from him descend many other erinja kuna, little black forms which have eyes and ears but no feet. They often enter into men and so cause them pain.). Twanyirika are ltana = spirits.
