Adnoartina, protector of Uluru. After the earth and stars had been formed by the Mura they used their hands to create the first life, a black Gecko named Adnoartina. The Mura, elated by their creation, deemed Adnoartina the lord of all things that creeped. The Mura then removed Adnoartina’s tail, using it as the medium to sculpt the first humans. Adnoartina was then free to roam the world, settling near the formation Uluru. While on the hunt Adnoartina noticed another spirit, the dog Marandi, who had been stealing Adnoartina’s prey and hunting their progeny, the black geckos. Adnoartina challenged Marandi to a battle, but as the blinding sun was still in the sky the two settled on their fight in the evening. The two gathered at Uluru, and once the sun began to set the two leapt at each other. The two’s battle was a grand display, with Adnoartina summoned their geckos to combat Marandi’s horde of emanated predators. Their fierce battle came to ahead when Marandi attempted a killing bite onto Adnoartina, but the gecko quickly dove under the beast’s jaws and decisively clamped down upon Marandi’s throat. As Adnoartina’s teeth sunk into Marandi’s throat the dog tried to shake off the determined lizard but to no avail. With a roar of pain, Marandi’s blood shot out of his neck, coating all of Uluru in crimson red while Marandi succumbed to his fatal wound. The blood wove into Uluru’s very being, and through Adnoartina, became the red ochre it is today.
Adnoartina is a being spoken of in the stories told by the indigenous Diyari people of Australia. The Diyari, like most of the native Australians, considered the Uluru formation to be of incredible spiritual significance. Adnoartina is one of many stories detailing Uluru and its history, though they all differ they all share the commonality of explaining that Uluru’s red ochre was stained red by the blood of a spiritual being, indicating the shared origin and development of the story. During ceremonies, the Diyari are patterned with body paint and given sacks of red ochre gathered at Uluru to celebrate and evoke Adnoartina’s blessing of protection.
