Mick Quilliam

This is an extract from page 30 of The Cotton Papers: Land of the Sleeping Gods. Moinee rose from the lake and said ‘people must be honoured, and will be my servants on Trowenna’ (the island now called Tasmania). A child was born and crawled from the lake, its hair hanging in ringlets of red mud. On each arm was a large crescent wound, and across its chest were five bloody gashes. ‘Take this child and train it to serve me and rule over you,’ said Moinee. ‘You will see me no more, for I go to rest with the other gods. I hand you over to this child and will communicate with you through him if I think it is necessary’. Raising his arms, he muttered something, and a great explosion occurred. The natives were suddenly standing on a great mountain: Moinee had raised a huge mass of rock high above the surrounding country. Five more times he raised his arms in different directions, and each time a distant explosion could be heard. ‘These several places shall be known as Lielle Moie Mara Bona (Vaults of the Gods) and your leader shall be know as the Larnu,’ said Moinee. ‘You will leave your message sticks here on this mountain, and Pukerin (the messenger of the gods) will bring them to me, and I shall meet your leader at the appointed place at the next eleetipla vetea (full moon).’ Rising his arms towards the natives as if in blessing, Moinee said to them, ‘Farewell, my children,’ looked beyond them to the sun, and disappeared forever. The natives returned to Toogee Low (Port Davey) and told of tall they had seen. The chief immediately sent warriors to find Moinee’s Vaults and told them to make a special hiding place where they could conceal the message sticks. Below are the supposed location and Toogee names of the Vaults of the Gods, preceded by the native symbols denoting each one: Loin-Ne Veta (Mountain of the Moon) – Somewhere in the south-west of Tasmania; Loin-Ne Oldina (Mountain of Snow) – Central, probably Cradle Mountain area; Loin-Ne Railinna (Mountains of the Wind) – Some on the west coast; Toora Benna (Rain Tail) – Ben Lomond; Toora Netta (Rain Hill) – Mt Wellington Lopa Netta (Fire Hill) – The Freycinet Peninsula According to legend, all these sacred mountains had water close to them, whether the sea, a lake at their feet, or, as in case of Ben Lomond, a lake on top of them. The symbols in front of each location mean respectively moon, snow, wind, tail, hill and fire, and were cut or notched on the side of flat messenger sticks called lageta merty (tell sticks). If the Larnu wished to meet Moinee at say, Ben Lomond, the natives would leave the ‘tell stick’ at the hiding place on the Loin-Ne Veta. Pukerin would take it to Moinee, who would then meet the Larnu at Ben Lomond at the next full moon.