Aboriginal Mythology - Mudrooroo

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huts and shelters Bark huts and shelters were perhaps the most easily erected dwellings of Aboriginal people. Depending on the environment, dwellings could be either simple constructions of sheets of bark propped up on a framework; substantial stone houses, as in chilly Victoria; sturdy miyas (or miyu miyas), sturdy dwellings constructed of boughs and leaves in an igloo shape, as in Western Australia; or a bark or palm frond hut built on a raised platform to escape the floods of the rainy season in tropical Australia.

      There is a Dreamtime story from the Wik Munggan people about the Bush-nut husband and wife who constructed one of the first, if not the first hut when the rainy season caught them in the open. Mai Maityi (Bush-nut) husband and wife travelled upriver, hunting and gathering as they went along. The stormy season came on them and they quickly began to cut sheets of tea-tree bark and lay them on the ground. After this, they cut stakes and placed them in the ground in a circle and tied their tops together. After this, they tied them all around and covered the framework with the sheets of bark. They lit a fire inside and took in their food. The rains came, but they were dry and snug inside.

      Barra See Monsoon.

      Barrier Reef The Barrier Reef, lying off the northern coast of Queensland, is one of the wonders of the world. The Aboriginal people who live along the coast have passed down stories about when the line of the Barrier Reef was the shore line and when the waters arose.

      In the past a man, Gunya, and his two wives were travelling by canoe. They stopped to fish and caught a fish which was taboo. This resulted in a tidal wave arising and rushing towards them. Gunya had a magic woomera or spear thrower, an instrument which gives the spear added impetus, called Balur and this warned them of the danger. Gunya placed the magic woomera upright in the prow of his canoe and it calmed the seas enough for them to reach the shore. They hurried towards the mountains and the seas followed them. They reached the top of a mountain and Gunya asked his wives to build a fire and heat some large boulders. They rolled the hot stones down at the advancing sea. It stopped there, but never returned to its original home.

      Barrukill See Hydra.

      Bar-wool See Yarra river and Port Phillip.

      Baskets and bags Aborigines’ baskets are important containers. Although they are often called dilly bags, they are more like baskets than bags, in that they are semi-rigid, unlike the string bags which are also made. Small baskets are used by men to carry sacred objects and in Aboriginal mythology they are used for such things as the storing of winds or water. Bags were also made from kangaroo skins and were used for storing water. In some stories it is the piercing of a skin bag which results in floods.

      There is a central Australia myth about two brothers, one who was prudent and made provision for the future by making a kangaroo skin bag and filling it with water, and the other who did not. The prudent brother refused to share his water with the other when a drought came. He left his bag and went off to hunt. The other brother, maddened by thirst, seized the bag greedily and spilt the water. It gushed out across the sand. The prudent brother saw what was happening and rushed back to save what water he could, but he was too late. The water continued gushing out and filled the hollows and a depression which became part of the sea. Both brothers were drowned in the flood. The birds became alarmed at the spreading flood and attempted to build a dam. They used the roots of a kurrajong tree and this tree became known as the ‘water tree’. In times of drought, its roots hold water longer than other trees and can be used as an emergency water supply.

      See also Pukamani funeral ceremonies.

      Bathurst Island See Tiwi people.

      Beehive The Beehive constellation was Coomartoorung, the smoke of the fire of Yuree and Wanjel (Castor and Pollux), two hunters who pursued, caught and then cooked Purra the kangaroo (the star Capella). When the Beehive disappeared from the sky, autumn had begun.

      See also Two Brothers.

      Bellin-Bellin Bellin-Bellin the crow is a moiety deity, or ancestor, the opposite to Bunjil the eaglehawk. There are many stories of their rivalry. Eaglehawk is a much more sober bird and Crow is renowned for his cunning – though one must be aware from which side the information is coming. A person belonging to the Eaglehawk moiety would tell stories in which Crow would be seen in a bad light and vice versa.

      See also Bunjil; Crow; Eaglehawk and Crow.

      Bennell, Eddie (?-1992) The late Eddie Bennell was a Nyungar story-teller from Brookton in the south west who left only a few stories behind. His legacy was seen in Perth when his opera My Personal Dreaming was staged in 1993.

      Bennett’s Brook Bennett’s Brook is a stream near Perth, Western Australia, which is sacred to the Wagyal or rainbow snake. It is an important sacred place to many Nyungar people.

      See also Bropho, Robert.

      Berak, William William Berak was an elder of the Koori people of Victoria. He lived in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Through his efforts many of the traditions of the Koori people were passed down. The grave of this great elder is at Healesville, near Melbourne.

      Berrwah See Grasshouse mountains.

      Bhima See Bima.

      Biame (or Baiame, Byamee) Biame the All-Father is perhaps the most important deity of the present-day Aboriginal communities in the south-eastern region of Australia and the present mythology has taken into it elements of Christianity.

      In the versions of the myth which are told today, Biame is a true creator-god. He experimented first in creating the animals, then used them as models in attempts to create humankind. In the Dreamtime, animals were self-conscious and thus had all the discontents of humankind. Kangaroos became ashamed of their tails; fish felt they were imprisoned in water; birds wanted to be like the kangaroos and insects to be larger than they were. Eventually, Biame gathered all the animals together in a cave, took out all their desires and placed them in his new creature: a human being. Thus the animals lost their longings and desires. Men and women alone found themselves the discontented guardians of creation, under the care of the All-Father, who lives up in the sky world and gazes down upon his creation. The Southern Cross is the visible sign that he watches over humankind and protects us as well as punishing us when we break his laws. Biame created the laws by which humankind are meant to live; he also created the first bull-roarer (which when swung represents his voice) and gave the man-making ceremonies to the Aboriginal communities of south-eastern Australia. His chief wife was the All-Mother Birrahgnooloo.

      See also All-Fathers; Boro circles; Crow; Curlews; Ground carvings and sculptures; Kuringgai Chase National Park; Marmoo; Narroondarie; Rainbow snake; Rock engravings; Sleeping giant; Southern Cross; Unaipon, David; Yhi.

      Bibbulmum My people, the Bibbulmum, occupy a corner of south-western Australia and were once made up of a number of groups having different dialects of a single language and similar laws and customs. When the British invaded and settled Western Australia, the tribal basis of our communities was destroyed, especially with the massacre at Pinjarra when the resistance of the people was shattered (see Yagan). We have now coalesced into a single people made up of a number of extended families based on the old tribes. We now call ourselves Nyungar, which simply means ‘the people’.

      See also Conception beliefs; Crow; Dogs; Dreaming tracks; Hair string; Seasons; Trade; Willy wagtail; Yagan; Yamadji.

      Bidjigal See Eora tribe.

      Bildiwuwiju Djanggawul’s elder sister. See Djanggawul and his two sisters myth.

      Bildiwuraru

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