batch.motif.indigenous-australian-australian-legendary-tales-parker-gutenberg-l1341-l1440
---
record_id: batch.motif.indigenous-australian-australian-legendary-tales-parker-gutenberg-l1341-l1440
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
passage_locator:
label: CONTENTS / PREFACE / INTRODUCTION / ANDREW LANG.; lines 1341-1440
start: '1341'
end: '1440'
translation: 'Australian Legendary Tales: folk-lore of the Noongahburrahs as told
to the Piccaninnies'
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: Wurrunnah reaches a camp of seven young women called the Meamei. After
receiving food and shelter, he follows them, steals two yam sticks, and uses the
stolen sticks to isolate and seize two of the women as wives. Later he orders
them to cut bark from two pine trees despite their warning that doing so will
make them disappear from him. When they strike the trees, the pines rise upward
until their tops reach the sky, where the five other sisters call the two upward
and draw them in. The narrator identifies the seven sisters in the sky as the
Pleiades, called Meamei.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The camp Wurrunnah reaches contains only seven young girls who identify themselves
as Meamei.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The Meamei give Wurrunnah food and allow him to camp with them for the night.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Wurrunnah hides near the Meamei and decides to try to steal a wife from among
them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The seven sisters dig for flying ants with yam sticks and sit down to eat
the ants.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Wurrunnah steals two yam sticks while the sisters are eating, causing two
girls to remain behind to search for them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Wurrunnah places the stolen yam sticks in the ground, waits until the two
girls try to pull them out, then seizes both girls around their waists.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Wurrunnah tells the two girls he wants two wives and threatens to quiet them
with his moorillah if they do not come quietly.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: The two Meamei say their tribe will someday come and steal them back again.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:9
text: Wurrunnah later orders the two Meamei to get bark from two pine trees because
the fire is not burning well.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: The two Meamei warn Wurrunnah that if they cut pine bark he will never see
them again in that country.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:11
text: Each Meamei strikes a different pine tree with a combo, and each tree rises
higher from the ground while bearing her upward.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: The two pine trees grow until their tops touch the sky, and the five other
Meamei look out from the sky and call to their two sisters.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:13
text: The five sisters stretch out their hands and draw the two girls into the sky
to live with them there forever.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:14
text: The narrator states that the seven sisters can be seen together and are known
as the Pleiades, while the black fellows call them the Meamei.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Wurrunnah
description: A lone hungry traveler who reaches the Meamei camp, later hides, steals
two yam sticks, seizes two Meamei girls, and commands them to cut pine bark.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: The seven Meamei sisters
description: Seven young girls whose tribe is in a far country; they are later identified
as the seven sisters in the sky, the Pleiades.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: The two Meamei girls taken by Wurrunnah
description: Two of the Meamei whose yam sticks are stolen, who are seized by Wurrunnah
as wives, and who later rise to the sky on pine trees.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: The five Meamei sisters in the sky
description: The five sisters who appear from the sky when the pine trees touch
it, call to the two girls, and draw them in.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: hungry visitor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Wurrunnah arrives alone and hungry at the Meamei camp, where the girls feed
and shelter him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: deceptive stalker and thief
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He hides near the Meamei, follows them unseen, and steals two yam sticks.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: abductor and coercive husband
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He seizes two girls, says he wants two wives, forces them to travel with
him, and threatens violence if they resist.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: sister group from a far country
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The seven girls name themselves Meamei and say their tribe is in a far country.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: abducted wives
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The two girls are seized by Wurrunnah, told they must be his wives, and made
to travel with him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: sky rescuers
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The five sisters call to the two girls from the sky and draw them in when
the pine trees reach the sky.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: celestial sisters
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:4
basis: The passage identifies the seven sisters together in the sky as the Pleiades,
called Meamei.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: ascending sisters
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The two girls are carried upward by the rising pine trees and then enter
the sky.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: yam sticks
literal_form: Two yam sticks stolen and later stuck into the ground as a lure.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: flying-ant nests
literal_form: Nests where the Meamei dig up flying ants for a feast.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: fire
literal_form: A fire that Wurrunnah says will not burn well, prompting his order
to fetch pine bark.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: two pine trees
literal_form: Two pine trees that rise higher from the ground after the two girls
strike them for bark, carrying the girls upward until the treetops touch the sky.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: combos
literal_form: Cutting tools used by the two Meamei to strike the pine bark.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: sky
literal_form: The place reached by the rising pine trees, where the five sisters
appear and where the seven sisters live together.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: Pleiades
literal_form: The seven sisters visible together in the sky, called Meamei in the
passage.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Wurrunnah at the Meamei camp
summary: Wurrunnah arrives at a camp occupied by seven young Meamei girls, who feed
him and let him stay overnight.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Theft of the yam sticks
summary: Wurrunnah secretly follows the Meamei while they dig for flying ants, steals
two yam sticks, and causes two girls to become separated from the other five.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Seizure of two Meamei girls
summary: Wurrunnah uses the stolen sticks to lure the two girls, seizes them, declares
that he wants two wives, and compels them to travel with him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Command to cut pine bark
summary: When a fire burns slowly, Wurrunnah orders the two Meamei to cut pine bark
despite their warning that doing so will make them leave him forever.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Ascent to the sky
summary: The two Meamei strike the pine trees, which rise and carry them upward
until the trees touch the sky; the five sisters in the sky call them and draw
them in.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Identification as the Pleiades
summary: The narrator states that the seven sisters can be seen together in the
sky and are known as the Pleiades, called Meamei.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: abduction of women as wives
taxonomy_refs:
- stolen_beloved
basis: Wurrunnah explicitly plans to steal a wife, steals two sticks to isolate
two Meamei girls, seizes them, and says he wants two wives.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy label is approximate because the passage emphasizes coercive
abduction rather than a mutual beloved relationship.
- id: motif:2
label: deceptive lure using stolen objects
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: Wurrunnah hides, steals the yam sticks, places them to attract the two girls,
and then emerges to seize them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents deception and ambush, but does not explicitly characterize
Wurrunnah as a trickster figure.
- id: motif:3
label: ascent to the sky by growing trees
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
- sacred_tree_axis
basis: The pine trees rise from the ground after being struck, carry the two girls
upward, and reach the sky, enabling the girls to join their sisters there.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not call the pine trees sacred; the tree-axis classification
rests on their literal function as an earth-to-sky connector.
- id: motif:4
label: celestial origin of the Seven Sisters
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The story ends by identifying the seven Meamei sisters in the sky as the
Pleiades.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: No external Pleiades traditions are supplied in the passage; only the
local identification is recorded.
- id: motif:5
label: warning ignored before disappearance
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The two Meamei warn that cutting pine bark will mean Wurrunnah will never
see them again, but he orders them to do it anyway; their ascent follows.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly matches this warning-and-disappearance
pattern.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly identifies the Meamei seven sisters in the sky with
the Pleiades.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Pleiades / Seven Sisters celestial group
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is an internal identification within the passage, not evidence
by itself for historical contact or common inheritance with other Pleiades traditions.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1341-1350
quote_or_summary: Wurrunnah reaches a camp of seven young girls, who feed him, let
him camp for the night, and identify themselves as Meamei from a far country.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 1351-1364
quote_or_summary: Wurrunnah leaves as if for good, hides nearby, plans to steal
a wife, follows the seven sisters as they dig flying ants with yam sticks, and
steals two sticks while they eat.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 1365-1392
quote_or_summary: Only five sisters find their sticks and leave; two stay searching.
Wurrunnah sets the stolen sticks in the ground, seizes the two girls when they
take hold of them, says he wants two wives, threatens them, and forces them to
travel with him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 1393-1413
quote_or_summary: Wurrunnah says the fire burns poorly and orders the two Meamei
to cut bark from two pine trees; they warn that if they cut pine bark he will
never see them again, but he insists and threatens them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1414-1435
quote_or_summary: The two Meamei strike separate pine trees with their combos. The
trees rise, carrying them upward until their tops touch the sky. The five sisters
in the sky call to them and draw them in to live there forever.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 1436-1438
quote_or_summary: The narrator says the seven sisters may be seen together, are
known as the Pleiades, and are called Meamei by the black fellows.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Literal extraction is strongly supported by the supplied passage. Motif labels
are partly interpretive and should be reviewed, especially taxonomy matches for
stolen_beloved and trickster_boundary.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
The following line after the tale heading, '11. THE COOKOOBURRAHS AND THE GOOLAHGOOL,' appears to begin a new section and was not treated as part of the extracted narrative.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:indigenous-australian-australian-legendary-tales-parker-gutenberg__l1341-l1440
passage_sha256=d4fc55b453900f9280f130ef21721a27d2f10d8b883ced880a36b2ce0e46b3d3