Murkupang

Accounts describe Murkupang as an enormous being who preys on people, and particularly on children: the standard shape of a cannibal-giant tradition, of which Australia has many, held by many different peoples with distinct languages and laws.

We are going to be brief, and the reason is the reason we gave for Nawao.

"Australian Aboriginal" is not one culture. It covers hundreds of distinct nations and language groups with separate traditions, and the material recorded under a single name in colonial-era or mid-century compilations has frequently been detached from the specific people it belongs to. That has happened here: the sources available to us do not reliably identify the community whose tradition this is, which means we cannot attribute it properly, and improper attribution is not a small error.

A great deal of Australian material was also recorded by people who assumed the cultures were dying, who did not seek permission, and who published knowledge that was restricted. Some of what circulates in general reference works should not be in general reference works.

What can be said: cannibal-giant figures are widespread in Aboriginal traditions across the continent; they commonly function partly as warnings to children about wandering and about specific dangerous country; and they belong to living cultures whose members are the appropriate authority.

What we will not do is compose a detailed portrait to fill the space. If you hold this tradition and we have it wrong, or should not be carrying it at all, please write to us.