Editing Wawalag (section)

=== Moieties ===

The myth is closely associated with the importance of moieties and the [[Australian Aboriginal avoidance practices|avoidance practices]] that go along with them.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":7" /> In Arnhem Land, the Yolngu clans are divided into two [[Australian Aboriginal kinship|moieties]], [[Dhuwa|Dua]], also known as Dhuwa, and [[Yirritja]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> According to the story, the sisters only travel through Dua territory, meaning that everything they encountered also share the same moiety.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal|last=Hargrave|first=Susanne|date=1983|title=Two Sister Myths: A Structural Analysis|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.1834-4461.1983.tb01998.x| journal=Oceania| volume=53|issue=4|pages=347–357|doi=10.1002/j.1834-4461.1983.tb01998.x|issn=0029-8077}}</ref> In some versions of the story, there is a strong focus on the pregnancy being a result of an [[incestuous]] relationship between the elder sister and a Dua clansmen; while they may not be directly related, they share the same moiety, which is why the act is frowned upon.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":8" />&nbsp;When the baby is born, the sisters encounter for the first time something that does not belong to the Dhua moiety, as children take the opposite moiety from their mother's, making the baby Yirritja.<ref name=":3" />

Similarly, the Rainbow Serpent swallowing the sisters is also seen as an act of incest, as the serpent is also of Dua moiety.<ref name=":3" /> While it is unclear if Yulunggur, the serpent, is male or female because it is often referred to as both, the encounter between he/she and the sisters is often interpreted as a symbolism of sex.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":0" />