Aboriginal Mythology. Mudrooroo
a double star in the constellation Taurus, symbolized Gallerlek the rose-crested cockatoo for the Koori people of Victoria. In their myth he chased the female Pleiades when on Earth and followed them into the sky. Versions of this myth are found all across Australia, with the pursuer and the women identified with different beings.
Alice Springs See Adnyamathanha people; Arrernte landscape of Alice Springs; Arrernte people; Hermannsburg Mission; Molonga ceremonies.
Alinda See Death.
All-Fathers The All-Fathers, or the Great Father deities, form the basis of mythology in a number of Aboriginal communities and perhaps are a result of the influence of Christianity. They are primordial deities who are said to have come before the ancestors, although often the rainbow snake may be seen as the All-Father (or All-Mother) deity in the sense that all things stem from him or her.
All-Father deities have a number of features in common, for example each sent sons to Earth to carry out designs for humankind, to care for them and to punish evil doers. Some of these All-Father deities are: Biame, widely known throughout south-eastern Australia, and his son Daramulun (or Gayandi); Nooralie of the Murray river area and his son Gnawdenoorte; Mungan Ngour of the Kurnai community and his son Tundun.
See also All-Mothers; Creation myths.
All-Mothers The All-Mothers are similar to the All-Father deities and are often their wives or some of their wives. The most important All-Mother is Birrahgnooloo, the chief wife of Biame. Gunabibi (or Kunapipi) is another important All-Mother, whose worship is extensive in northern Australia (see Gunabibi ceremonies); another is Warramurrauungi. The great snake or rainbow snake is often seen as the mother of all things, though perhaps it should be seen to be androgynous.
See also All-Fathers; Creation myths; Gunabibi; Gunabibi ceremonies; Mudungkala.
Altair For the Koori people of Victoria, Altair, a star in the constellation Aquila, represented Bunjil, Eaglehawk, the moiety ancestor who, it seems, evolved into an All-Father deity under the influence of Christianity. The stars to each side of him were his two wives, the black swans.
Among the people of the Murray river, Altair was Totyerguil, the son of Neil-loan (Lyra), and the stars on either side were his two wives. He was killed when his mother-in-law made him fall into a waterhole. His body was recovered by Collenbitjik (the double star in Capricornus), who was his mother’s brother.
Altjeringa See Dreamtime.
Ancestral beings Ancestral beings are considered to be those Dreamtime beings who shaped the world and eventually transformed into human beings, the fauna and flora that we find today. They are the great archetypes of existence and can be contacted through dreams and ceremonies.
The Great Ancestral Being of the Nyungar people is considered to be the Wagyal, a primordial snake deity who formed everything and who is still with us.
See also All-Fathers; All-Mothers; Bandicoot ancestor; Creation myths; Dreamtime; Djanggawul and his two sisters myth; Dogs; Dreamtime; Wandjina; Walbiri creation myth; Walkabout; Women ancestral beings.
Animal behaviour Animals behaving in an unusual manner were considered by many Aboriginal communities to be the spirits of the dead or simply spirits who had possessed animal bodies in order to get close to human beings in order to harm them, though there were also friendly spirits who came in the guise of animals to warn humans of danger. These generally took the form of Dreaming (totem or moiety) animals. There are many stories of ghosts in the guise of animals.
It was widely believed that shamans could turn into animals, for example Paddy Roe, an elder and story-teller of the Broome area of Western Australia, relates the story of the shaman Mirdinan who escaped from prison by turning first into a cat, then an eaglehawk.
Antares Antares, in the constellation Scorpius, to the Wotjobaluk Kooris of Victoria represented Djuit, son of Marpean-kurrk (Arcturus), and the stars on either side were his wives.
To the Kulin Kooris, Antares was Balayang, Bunjil’s brother.
See also Totems.
Aragwal See Bundjalung nation.
Aranda people See Arrernte people.
Arcturus Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation Bootes, to the Koori people was Marpean-kurrk, mother of Djuit (Antares) and Weet-kurrk (a star in Bootes). Marpean-kurrk was the ancestral being who introduced the larvae of the wood-ant as a food. During August and September, when they were in season for the Kooris, they were out of season for her and she was not visible in the sky. When Arcturus was in the north in the evening, the larvae were coming into season. When the star set with the sun (in the west), the larvae were finished and summer had begun.
Arnhem Land Arnhem Land in the far north of Australia is the home of the Yolngu people. Much of it was once a government reserve for Aboriginal people and, as it was away from the main areas of British influence, the Aboriginal culture there maintained strong links with tradition. Since the Northern Territory Land Rights Act of 1976, much of the reserve has reverted to Aboriginal control.
See also Barama and Laindjung myths; Bark paintings; Black; Bralgu; Death; Dhambidj song series of Arnhem Land; Djanggawul mythology and ceremonies; Djanggawul and his two sisters myth; Duwa moiety; Fire; Great Mother; Ground carvings and sculptures; Gunabibi; Hollow log coffins; Honey; Luma Luma the giant; Marwai; Mimi spirits; Morning Star song series; Nara; North-eastern Arnhem Land; Red ochre; Rom ceremony of Arnhem Land; Thunder Man; Wangarr; Yellow ochre; Yiritja; Yothu Yindi; Yuendumu.
Arrernte landscape of Alice Springs Alice Springs in central Australia in the country of the Mparntwe group of the Arrernte people is an example of how the Aboriginal landscape of Australia continues to endure under the buildings of a modem city.
Alice Springs is situated on a flat area surrounded by bluffs, two of which are Anzac Hill and Annie Meyer Hill. From the top of Anzac Hill to the south the Todd river passes through the city area to Ntaripe (Heavitree Gap), while eastwards there is a dip in the Heavitree Range called Anthwerrke (Emily Gap). This is the sacred djang place where the caterpillar ancestors of Mparntwe originated. It was they who formed the landscape around Alice Springs. There were three species of caterpillar, Yepereny, Ntyarika and Utnerrengatyre, which can still be found, though because of the city enclosing their djang sites, the increase ceremonies to keep up their numbers have been abandoned. The caterpillar ancestors came from Anthwerrke and created the small ridge, Ntyarlkarle Tyaneme, behind the Desert Palms Motel. Unfortunately, this sacred ridge has been desecrated by the municipal authorities and the road, Barrett Drive, has been renamed Broken Promise Drive by the Arrernte people of Mparntwe to remind them of what happens when the sacred gets in the way of progress.
Ntaripe has other sacred sites, including one sacred to the Dog ancestor, here called Akngwelye, who formed most of the features of the Mt Gillen range. The Dog fought a major battle here before transforming into a boulder embedded in the ground near Akeyulerre (Billy Goat Hill). This boulder now sits outside the entrance to a fast food outlet.
Within the Olive Pink Flora Reserve, towards the south-eastern end of the hill, near Lhere Mparntwe (Todd river), is a sign indicating the location of several Arrernte sacred places. The Arrernte people are striving to protect them in the face of determined opposition. from those who wish to exploit the area for tourism. The traditional owner of the area, Thomas Stevens, has written a book about the effects of British colonization on his country called Damaging