Field file · Humanoid · Folklore
Yara-ma-yha-who
Also known as Yara-ma-yha-hu, Little red man of the fig tree
A small red tree-dweller of Aboriginal storytelling that drains and swallows those who rest under fig trees, recorded by David Unaipon.
The Yara-ma-yha-who is a being of storytelling from south-eastern Australia, described as a small red, frog-like figure about the height of a child, with a very large head, a wide toothless mouth and suckers on its fingers and toes. It is said to live in the branches of fig trees, where it waits for tired travellers to rest in the shade. It drops down, drains blood with its suckers, swallows the victim whole, and then sleeps; on waking it spits the person out, alive but a little shorter and with reddish skin. After repeated encounters the victim turns into a Yara-ma-yha-who.
The story is known mainly because of David Unaipon, a Ngarrindjeri man born in 1872 who collected tales from across South Australia in 1924–1925. His manuscript was printed in 1930 as Myths and Legends of the Australian Aboriginals under the name of W. Ramsay Smith, a doctor, without acknowledging Unaipon, and the text was restored under Unaipon’s name in 2001 as Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines.
The creature acts only in daylight, and only on living prey, so the traditional advice is to lie still and play dead until sunset. Colonial writers labelled it a vampire, but some modern commentators read the story as practical teaching: it warns people against sheltering beneath dense trees, where animals and falling branches are a danger, in favour of rock ledges.
The Yara-ma-yha-who is part of Aboriginal oral heritage and is presented here with respect. Where this site treats it as a ‘creature’, that is a convention of the field guide, and it is not an attempt to say how Aboriginal people themselves understand the story.
What does Yara-ma-yha-who look like?
A small red man with a large head, thin limbs, a round belly, a wide toothless mouth and suckers on the hands and feet.
Where is Yara-ma-yha-who seen?
Thick-leafed trees, especially wild fig trees, in daytime; it is said to attack travellers who rest in their shade.
Yara-ma-yha-who sightings
- 1924–1925Unaipon collects the tales South Australia
David Unaipon gathered stories from across South Australia, including the Yara-ma-yha-who, in a manuscript.
- 1930Published under another man’s name Australia
The manuscript was published as Myths and Legends of the Australian Aboriginals under W. Ramsay Smith’s name, without acknowledging Unaipon.
- 2001Unaipon’s text restored Melbourne
Stephen Muecke and Adam Shoemaker edited and published the tales as Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines under Unaipon’s name.
Is Yara-ma-yha-who real? What could explain it
- Bernard Heuvelmans suggested in 1958 that the story could come from the tarsier, brought by Malay traders, but this is speculation.
- Some writers link the tree-dropping predator to the extinct marsupial lion Thylacoleo carnifex, which may have climbed, but there is no evidence of a memory that old.
- Seen as a teaching story, the creature warns of the real dangers of resting under big trees and of straying from safe campsites.
Legend, culture and tourism
David Unaipon, whose face is on the Australian $50 note, is the best-known recorder of the tale. A 2010 short film, Yara-Ma-Yha-Who, adapted the story, and the creature is often listed alongside the drop bear and the garkain in Australian folklore.
Places to visit
Holds historic records relating to David Unaipon’s writing and Ngarrindjeri culture.
Where it’s reported
Sources
First published · Updated
