Aboriginals believe they have lived in Australia since the Dreamtime, the beginning of all creation, and archaeological evidence shows the land has been inhabited for tens of thousands of years. Over this time, Aboriginal culture has grown a rich variety of mythologies in hundreds of different languages. Their unifying feature is a shared belief that the whole universe is alive, that we belong to the land and must care for it. This was the first book to collate and explain the many fascinating elements of Aboriginal culture: the song circles and stories, artefacts, landmarks, characters and customs.
This classic resource is organized as follows: Chapter I: Origins The Customs and Traditions of Aboriginals The Story of the Creation The Coming of Mankind The Peewee’s Story The Eagle-hawk and the Crow The Birth of the Butterflies The Confusion of Tongues The Discovery and the Loss of the Secret of Fire The Moon The Wonderful Lizard The Lazy Goannas and what happened to them How the Selfish Goannas lost their Wives What some Aboriginal Carvings mean Chapter II: Animal Myths The Selfish Owl Why Frogs jump into the Water This is the legend of the frogs. Kinie Ger, the Native Cat The Porcupine and the Mountain Devil The Green Frog How the Tortoise got his Shell The Mischievous Crow and the Good he did Whowie The Flood and its Results How Spencer’s Gulf came into Existence Chapter III: Religion The Belief in a Great Spirit The Land of Perfection The Voice of the Great Spirit Witchcraft Chapter IV: Social Marriage Customs The Spirit of Help among the Aboriginals Ngia Ngiampe Hunting Fishing Sport Chapter V: Personal Myths Kirkin and Wyju The Love-story of the Two Sisters Cheeroonear The Keen Keeng Mr and Mrs Newal and their Dog Thardid Jimbo Palpinkalare Perindi and Harrimiah Bulpallungga Nurunderi's Wives Chirr-bookie, the Blue Crane Buthera and the Bat Yara-ma-yha-who The Origin of the Pleiades
For centuries, the spiritual life of the Australian Aborigines was concealed behind a veil of misunderstanding and prejudice. In this work, Cowan recounts some of the major myths and analyzes them in detail. The myth material stands alone, independent of Aboriginal culture, and through it we are offered an insight into the Paleolithic tradition.
If you're looking for a captivating collection of Australian myths, then keep reading... With a history reaching back over 40,000 years, Indigenous Australian culture is one of the oldest continually existing cultures in the world. According to DNA tests conducted at the University of Copenhagen, Indigenous Australian people are the descendants of the first migrants to have left the birthplace of humanity in Africa, some 75,000 years ago. Across these many millennia, the Indigenous peoples of Australia have established complex and unique societies that have adapted well to the often harsh conditions of the Australian landscape. Although Indigenous Australian culture tends to be named as though it were a single unit, it is far from monolithic. According to the Australian government's website, at the time of first contact with Europeans, there were some 500 distinct Indigenous nations inhabiting Australia, speaking different languages and following their own religious and cultural practices, with a certain amount of overlap across cultures. As with all human societies, that of the Indigenous Australians is abounding in stories. Stories of how the world came to be the way it is, stories of heroism and perfidy, stories about animals and birds, and stories about love and hate all have parts to play in the wide array of myths, legends, and tales created by Indigenous Australians. Australian Mythology: Captivating Dreamtime Stories of Indigenous Australians invites you to go on a startling journey and discover: Origin stories Myths of Gods, Heroes, and Monsters Animal Tales And much, much more! So if you want a captivating collection of Australian myths, click the "add to cart" button!
This is the first anthology of Aboriginal myth, collected by anthropologists Ronald and Catherine Berndt during fifty years of work among the Aboriginal peoples.
Dark Emu puts forward an argument for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer tag for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians. The evidence insists that Aboriginal people right across the continent were using domesticated plants, sowing, harvesting, irrigating and storing - behaviors inconsistent with the hunter-gatherer tag. Gerritsen and Gammage in their latest books support this premise but Pascoe takes this further and challenges the hunter-gatherer tag as a convenient lie. Almost all the evidence comes from the records and diaries of the Australian explorers, impeccable sources.
This volume contains an illustrated collection of Australian Aborigine folklore, rewritten for a general audience. "Some Myths and Legends of the Australian Aborigines" is highly recommended for those with an interest in mythology and Australian Aboriginal culture, and it would make for a worthy addition to collections of allied literature. Contents include: "Why the Crow is Black", "How the Stars Were Made", "Rolla-Mano and the Evening Star.", "The Story of the Seven Sisters and the Faithful Lovers", "A Legend of the Sacred Bullroarer", "The Great Fight.", "The Flying Chip.", "Why Blackfellows Never Travel Alone - A Legend of the Wallaroo and Willy-Wagtail", etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly rare and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction. First published in 1923.
The Dreamtime is one of the greatest Australian publishing successes. The first edition was published in 1965, and fifteen impressions were issued to meet the constant demand. This is the first electronic edition. The original concept of the paintings was developed by an association between Ainslie Roberts and Charles Mountford. Mr Roberts had made extensive painting tours through remote outback regions, and Mr Mountford, of course, is well known for his anthropological work among the Aboriginal peoples. including Nomads of the Australian Desert. Other books in the series include Dreamtime Heritage, Shadows in the Mist, The First Sunrise and The Dawn of Time.
