batch.motif.indigenous-australian-australian-legendary-tales-parker-gutenberg-l1443-l1549
---
record_id: batch.motif.indigenous-australian-australian-legendary-tales-parker-gutenberg-l1443-l1549
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
passage_locator:
label: CONTENTS / PREFACE / INTRODUCTION / ANDREW LANG.; lines 1443-1549
start: '1443'
end: '1549'
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: The passage contains the end of a tale in which two thirsty children are
rescued by their elder brother, who splits a water-holding tree and releases a
stream that later drowns the negligent adults. It then gives the tale of the Mayamah,
where enemies find a deserted camp, threaten an old dog, and are turned to stone
after the dog speaks. The passage ends with the opening of the Bunbundoolooeys
tale, in which a pigeon mother carries her infant in a goolay while hunting for
grubs.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Googarh the iguana is married to Moodai the opossum and Cookooburrah the laughing
jackass; Cookooburrah has three sons, one grown and two small.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The family camps near a goolahgool, described as a water-holding tree with
a hollow below a split fork.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Googarh and his two wives go hunting and leave the two small Cookooburrahs
at camp without water.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The two small Cookooburrahs become nearly speechless from thirst and point
toward the goolahgool when their elder brother asks what is wrong.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The elder Cookooburrah climbs the tree, splits it, and water gushes out as
a running stream.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: The two small Cookooburrahs drink and bathe in the growing water.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:7
text: The returning hunters meet the stream, fail to dam it, and are separated from
their camp by deep water.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: The small Cookooburrahs direct the returning adults to cross at a place that
proves dangerous.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:9
text: Cookooburrah the laughing jackass asks for a stick, but her sons answer with
derision, and the three hunters drown in the current.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:10
text: In the Mayamah tale, the people of a camp have gone away to attend a borah,
leaving only a very old dog behind.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:11
text: The Gooeeays arrive at night as enemies intending to surprise and kill the
absent people.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:12
text: The Gooeeays are described as wearing war-paint, top-knots, feathers, kangaroo
teeth, waist-bands, boomerangs, and woggoorahs.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:13
text: The Gooeeays repeatedly ask the old dog where the people have gone and threaten
to kill him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:14
text: The old dog says only that the people have gone to the borah.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:15
text: When the old dog speaks, the Gooeeays and everything they have with them turn
to stone.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:16
text: When the camp community returns after the borah, they see their enemies standing
around the old camp as stone figures.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:17
text: The passage connects the stone figures with mayamah stones near Beemery, marked
and coloured like the painted men.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:18
text: In the Bunbundoolooeys tale opening, a pigeon mother places her crawling child
in a goolay and goes hunting.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:19
text: The pigeon mother finds grubs near wattle trees, digs for more with a yam
stick, and puts down the goolay while gathering them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Googarh, the iguana
description: Husband of Moodai and Cookooburrah; goes hunting, returns to the stream,
and drowns.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Moodai, the opossum
description: One of Googarh's wives; goes hunting and drowns in the stream.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Cookooburrah, the laughing jackass
description: One of Googarh's wives and mother of three sons; asks for a stick while
crossing and drowns.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Elder Cookooburrah brother
description: Grown son of Cookooburrah who comes to camp, sees his little brothers'
thirst, splits the goolahgool, and directs the later crossing episode.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Two little Cookooburrahs
description: Small sons of Cookooburrah left without water; they drink from the
released stream and later call out to the returning adults.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: The Gooeeays
description: Enemy group who come to attack the deserted camp and are turned to
stone with their belongings.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Old dog
description: Very old dog left in the camp; refuses to answer except by shaking
his head, then speaks and the Gooeeays turn to stone.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Camp community attending the borah
description: The people who leave their camp for a borah and later return to find
the stone enemies.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Boys made young men
description: Boys who have been made young men at the borah and then go into the
bush for their novitiate with solitary guardians.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Mother Bunbundoolooey, the pigeon
description: Mother who carries her small child in a goolay while hunting for grubs.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Little boy Bunbundoolooey
description: Crawling child carried by his mother in a goolay.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: negligent hunting caregivers
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
basis: They go hunting with water for themselves but leave none for the small children.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: punitive elder sibling
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: He rescues his little brothers by splitting the tree and says he will punish
those who left them thirsty.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: endangered younger siblings
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: They are too small to get water themselves and nearly perish from thirst.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: attacking enemies
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: They come intending to surprise and kill the absent camp community.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: abandoned speaking animal
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The old dog is left in the camp and speaks only after threats.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: absent ritual community
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The community has gone to attend a borah and later returns.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: initiated novices
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The boys have been made young men and go into the bush for their novitiate.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: foraging mother
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: She carries her child and hunts for grubs near wattle trees.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: dependent infant
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The child can only just crawl and is carried in the goolay.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: goolahgool water-holding tree
literal_form: A hollow tree with a split fork that stores rainwater.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: released running stream
literal_form: Water that gushes from the split tree and becomes a deep running stream.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: mayamah stones
literal_form: Stones described as striped, marked, and coloured like the painted
men turned to stone.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: war-paint and weapons turned to stone
literal_form: War-paint, top-knots, feathers, kangaroo teeth, waywahs, spears, and
other equipment of the Gooeeays.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: borah and novitiate
literal_form: The ritual gathering and later bush novitiate for boys made young
men.
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: goolay
literal_form: A small netted hammock carried on the back for babies and goods.
associated_figures:
- fig:10
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:7
label: wattle trees and grubs
literal_form: A clump of bunnia or wattle trees where edible grubs are found and
dug out.
associated_figures:
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Children left thirsty beside the goolahgool
summary: The adult hunters leave the two small Cookooburrahs in camp without water,
though the camp is near a water-holding tree the children cannot use by themselves.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Elder brother splits the water tree
summary: The elder Cookooburrah discovers the children nearly speechless from thirst,
climbs the goolahgool, splits it, and releases water for them.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Hunters drowned in the released stream
summary: The returning adults encounter the new stream, try unsuccessfully to dam
it, attempt to cross, and are drowned while the sons deride the mother's cry for
help.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Gooeeays at the deserted camp
summary: While the camp community is away at a borah, the war-painted Gooeeays arrive
to attack but find only an old dog, whom they question and threaten.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Enemies turned to Mayamah stones
summary: The old dog says the people have gone to the borah, and the Gooeeays and
their possessions become stone; the returning community later finds them as stone
enemies.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Mother Bunbundoolooey goes hunting
summary: The pigeon mother carries her crawling child in a goolay, hunts for edible
grubs near wattle trees, and puts the goolay down while gathering more.
figure_refs:
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: water released from a split tree
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A water-holding tree is split open by the elder brother, causing water to
gush out and form a stream.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the event literally within the tale; no broader cosmological
function is stated in this excerpt.
- id: motif:2
label: punishment of negligent caregivers by released water
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The elder brother states he will punish those who left the small children
to thirst; the returning adults are later drowned in the stream released from
the tree.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The punishment is enacted by a kin figure, not explicitly by a deity or
formal judgment figure.
- id: motif:3
label: enemy war party petrified after animal speech
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Gooeeays threaten an old dog; after he speaks, they and their possessions
turn to stone.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The cause of the transformation is narrated, but no agent beyond the old
dog's speech is explained.
- id: motif:4
label: ritual absence for initiation
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: The camp community is away at a borah, and boys who have been made young
men later go into the bush for novitiate.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives only brief contextual details of the borah and novitiate.
- id: motif:5
label: mother carrying infant while foraging
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The pigeon mother carries her crawling child in a goolay while hunting for
grubs, then puts the goolay down to gather more.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: Only the opening of this tale is included, so the narrative function of
the action is not yet shown.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 1443-1454
quote_or_summary: Googarh, Moodai, and Cookooburrah are introduced with Cookooburrah's
three sons; their camp is near a goolahgool, a hollow water-holding tree recognized
by overflow marks.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 1456-1478
quote_or_summary: The adults go hunting with their own water but leave none for
the two small children; the elder brother finds them nearly speechless from thirst,
splits the tree, and water gushes out for them to drink and bathe in.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 1480-1498
quote_or_summary: The returning adults meet the running stream, fail to dam it,
try to cross, ask for help, are derided by the sons, and are drowned in the current.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 1500-1519
quote_or_summary: The camp community has left for a borah, leaving an old dog; the
war-painted Gooeeays arrive to attack, question the dog, and threaten to kill
him until he says the people have gone to the borah.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 1521-1535
quote_or_summary: At the old dog's speech, the Gooeeays and their belongings turn
to stone; after the borah, the returning community sees their enemies standing
as stone figures, while initiated boys have gone into novitiate.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 1537-1541
quote_or_summary: The passage identifies beautiful striped, marked, and coloured
mayamah stones at a mount near Beemery with the painted men turned to stone.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 1543-1549
quote_or_summary: Mother Bunbundoolooey carries her crawling child in a goolay while
hunting, finds edible grubs near wattle trees, digs with a yam stick, and puts
the goolay down to gather more.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/indigenous-australian/project-gutenberg/australian-legendary-tales-parker.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The extraction uses only the supplied passage. Motif labels are descriptive
because most events do not map directly to the provided taxonomy; the initiation
motif is explicitly supported by borah and novitiate references.
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: |-
No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not make an explicit comparative connection to another tradition or motif family.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:indigenous-australian-australian-legendary-tales-parker-gutenberg__l1443-l1549
passage_sha256=5fe365f758ee8ca864b696094e0078ce3faaa0ec53add96d74542c81cec85054