Dreamtime Story #4 Biami and Bunyip

Dreamtime stories are a way for Indigenous Australians to share their cultural values with younger generations. "Biami and Bunyip"is a tale of caution to youth to respect and value the words of their elders.


"Biami was one of the wisest men whom the Rainbow Serpent created at the beginning of time, and when he grew old, the Mother of Life gave him a spirit form and the power to protect all tribes from harm. As Biami the Good Spirit he lived among the tribes and was much loved.

Now there was one tribesman who disobeyed the rule laid down by the Rainbow Serpent, and ate one of his own totem animal. This made Biami very angry. At this time the Rainbow Serpent was sleeping in the place whence she came, below the earth, so Biami himself punished the wrongdoer by banishing him from the tribe. This man too took a spirit form upon himself, but he became an evil spirit. He was known as Bunyip. Biami warned the tribes to have nothing to do with Bunyip.

Bunyip was stirred with a deep anger; he vowed he would use his evil influence to bring unhappiness to the tribes. He made his home in the deep waterholes and the rain forests, lurking in the gloom by day and roaming the earth by night during the time of darkness. He brought fear to the tribes, threatening to devour any human he might meet. The tribes called loudly upon Biami, asking them to protect them from Bunyip.

Some of the younger women of the tribes foolishly disobeyed the elders, who had told them they must have nothing to do with Bunyip. They went to find Bunyip to test his evil power. Bunyip lay in wait for the women, and when they were close enough to fall into his power he trapped them and made them his slaves. They lived with him as water spirits and were lost to the tribes forever. The elders discovered what had happened and warned the tribes that these water spirits were being used by Bunyip to lure men into the black waters of Bunyip’s gunyah, his home. So the tribes learnt to fear the water spirits too.

These water spirits who had once been women of the tribe were lithe and lovely and very evil. When a hunter drew near they would sing songs of love, and the hunter, hearing their beautiful voices, would seek them out. The water spirits would lead him on until he came at last to the place of dark waters where none of the tribe would venture by day or night. Then, when the evil power was strong upon the hunter, the water spirits would show themselves upon the water. ‘Follow, follow,’ they would call—and the hunter, overjoyed to see such beauty, would obey. He followed the spirits into the swamp and was drowned."

http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/37310/20081022-1214/www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/bunyips/html-site/abor-stories/biami.html

Even today, Bunyip still roams the evil waters and rain forests of the land.

Dreamtime Story # 3 Garriya

Dreamtime stories are also a way that Indigenous Australians have passed down a mixture of spirituality and practical knowledge through oral tradition. The following story relates to water safety:

"Long ago, the Garriya terrorised the local people around Boobera Lagoon. Garriya had travelled down to the Boobera Lagoon from up near Yetman, his tracks making the watercourses past Toomelah. Garriya prevented the people from hunting and gathering food. No-one could paddle a canoe, or even fish from the bank, because Garriya had developed a taste for human flesh.

The people asked Dhulala to attempt to kill Garriya so that they could live and hunt in peace. Dhulala was a headman of Noona on the Barwon and was known as a great warrior. Dhulala went to the lagoon early one morning and stood on the bank, peering through the mists for Garriya. After some time he saw a ripple on the water, then Garriya’s dark shape emerged from a hole, his fiery eyes glaring.

Dhulala hurled his spear but it only glanced off Garriya’s skin. He threw several spears and clubs with all his force, but they had no effect on Garriya. He took up another, then another and kept throwing spears till he had no more. Garriya charged Dhulala, mouth open and fangs flashing. Dhulala fled across the plain with Garriya sliding after him. Garriya gave chase, the earth piling up against his chest, like the bow-wave before a canoe, winding about like a huge snake and travelling at a great pace.

In the distance Dhulala caught sight of a Bambul tree—the mother-in-law of Garriya and the only living thing that Garriya feared. Reaching the tree with Garriya still hard on his heels, Dhulala threw himself at it and clung to its trunk. When Garriya saw that Dhulala had reached the Bambul tree, he skidded to a halt and returned to the Lagoon along the channels he had made. The channels which he had carved in the land in pursuit of Dhulala remained, empty in the dry times and filling up with water when it rained.

Today the Garriya is still in Boobera Lagoon. Local Aboriginal people still keep the law that no-one should go into the Lagoon or stay close to the banks after sundown. "


http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/37310/20081022-1214/www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/bunyips/html-site/abor-stories/garriya.html

The Garriya, also known by some tribes as the Rainbow Serpent, is the being that replenishes the water in the waterholes, which is vital for life. However, the Garriya also punishes those who go into the lagoon and contaminate the water supply and also those who go near the water after dark, which can be dangerous. So all at once, the story of the Garriya explains the origin of water in the waterhole, provides a connection to an ancestral being, and also gives a warning about water safety. 

Dreamtime Story #2 Ayers Rock

This week, I read an Urulu dreamtime story that revolves around one of the most sacred sites for Indigenous Australians; Ayers Rock. Ayers Rock is very unique geologically and contains many holes. This is the Dreamtime story of how those holes were created.


"Long, long ago in the Dreamtime the animals gave shape to some of the Rock. At that time a young Woma Python, called Kuniya was surprised by a group of Liru, which are venomous snakes. The Liru threw spears at the python and killed him. So hard did they throw their spears, that the points made holes in The Rock. The boy's aunt, called Kuniya, was so angry that she killed one of the Liru with her stick. They made holes in the rock when the points of Kuniya's stick hit it. You can still see these holes today. Kuniya, the Woma Python can still be seen as a dark wavy line on Uluru."


www.umsl.edu/.../uluru%20aboriginal_dreamt...

This story not only explains the holes in Ayers Rock but it also serves to remind all Indigenous Australians that those holes are a symbol of the consequences of anger.  

Dreamtime Story #1 "The Koala Boy"

The Dreaming is a method of oral tradition, through which Indigenous Australians relate their creation myth and values. This week, I am sharing a story that I read called "The Koala Boy", which is an Indigenous Dreamtime story about the Koala and its importance in preventing drought:

"T here was once a child whose parents died, and who was left in the charge of cruel relatives who forbade him to drink the water they had collected from the creek. The child was forced to eat eucalyptus leaves, and he was thirsty most of the time.
One day, these relatives went off into the bush for the day to hunt for food. By an oversight, they left their water vessels in a place where the child could reach them. As soon as they were out of sight, he took the opportunity to drink his fill.
Then, thinking of what might happen when they returned, he had the foresight to take some full vessels and hang them among the branches of a small tree. After that, he climbed into the tree himself, and began to sing an ancient and magical song.
At once, the tree began to grow taller and taller until the boy was high above the forest floor.
At dusk, his relatives returned, tired and thirsty. They immediately looked for their water vessels, but they were nowhere to be seen. Then one of them caught sight of the child sitting in the tree, with the water vessels beside him.
The hunters became very angry, for they could not reach the water, and they knew the boy had tricked them. But they were clever people and spoke gently to the child, telling him they were sorry they had treated him badly and that, if he were only to come down and bring the water with him, they would be kind to him. The boy believed them and made his way down to the ground.
But straightway his relatives set about him with sticks and stones, beating him until his body was quite soft. Mad with anger, they continue to beat him until at last a strange thing happened. The boy began to change. He became shorter, stockier, and covered with grey fur. He was a koala!
At once, he turned and ran up the tree again, far out of reach of his tormentors.
They, in turn, began to chop the tree down, hacking away at its truck until it crashed to the ground, spilling the water vessels as it did so. The water poured down, flooding across the forest floor as a mighty creek, and the koala-boy disappeared for ever into the night.Since that time, it has been forbidden for the Aborigines to break the koala's bones when they kill it. Though they may eat the animal, they may not skin it, and they must always treat its body with respect. If they do not, there is a danger that all the water in the land will dry up, and there will be a terrible drought."

http://www.geom.uiuc.edu/~jpeng/KOALA/kstory.html

This story provides several lessons to the people who hear it, as well as insight into Indigenous Australian culture. "The Koala Boy" emphasizes the importance of respect in Indigenous culture, both for humans and for koalas, by showing that people who tormented the boy ultimately got their just desserts when their behavior led to them wasting all of the water. The story also shows how sacred and valuable a resource water is in Indigenous societies. Finally, the story sends the message that one should keep their wits about them and not be gullible because things may not always be what they seem.

This is a blog documenting Dreamtime Stories from different Indigenous Australians tribes.