Australian Mythology: Captivating Dreamtime Stories of Indigenous Australians

by Matt Clayton

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 Captivating Dreamtime Stories of Indigenous Australians invites you to go on a startling journey and Origin storiesMyths of Gods, Heroes, and MonstersAnimal TalesAnd much, much more!So if you want a captivating collection of Australian myths, click the “add to cart” button!

Genres: Mythology, History, Australia, Nonfiction, Religion

98 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 31, 2020

Reviews

[Flo · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the very beginning of the world, everything lay under a blanket of darkness. Darkness enveloped the plains and the mountains. Nothing stirred, nothing moved, not even the tiniest breath of wind. There was no sound and no light, only darkness and silence and waiting…

Australian Mythology: Captivating Dreamtime Stories of Indigenous Australians is a short collection that contains several myths which discuss:

Part I: Origins. ★★★

Part II: God, Heroes and Monsters. ★★★

Part III: Animal Tales. ★★★★

These stories cover a wide range of topics: heroism, vanity, lust, hate, love, envy, laziness and many other values and anti-values, which explain why the world is the way it is today.

How the Kangaroo got its tail
In Dreamtime stories, the final form of an animal often results from one or more acts of violence. Here, the kangaroo gets its tail from a spear thrust, while the wombat gets its flat head from a blow with a rock. This story not only explains the forms and living habits of kangaroos and wombats, but it also functions as a fable about the value of timely work. The fight that changes the shapes of each animal begins with a quarrel that results from the kangaroo's tendency to procrastinate and to do tasks other than the one that most urgently needs completion, while the wombat is more diligent.
A long time ago, when the world was new...

It was a lovely coincidence to finish this book during NAIDOC Week. NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Government agencies, organisations and communities host events and participate in activities that might include listening to Indigenous Australian music, organising art competitions and, of course, reading Dreamtime stories.




July 10, 2021
* Actual rating: 3.5 stars
** Credit: Painting by Aron Gadd.
*** Later on my blog.

[Duchesne Markham · Rating 2 out of 5]

It makes me feel really sad that yet again a white person is going to profit from using and abusing Australia’s indigenous cultures. This could have been a good opportunity to respect and honour the oldest living culture on earth and the people who have passed these stories down, but instead the stories were shortened and mansplained. Not even an acknowledgment to the elders who no doubt trusted him with their stories. Boo

[Adam Fitzwalter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good fun to read one story per bus leg. Dreamtime is so cool: historically, cosmologically, and anthropologically. I’d love a Mythos-style read that condenses even more Indigenous mythologies and storytelling traditions together. The first bit of criticality here would be to reiterate this book’s introduction; that in 1770 there were over 500 ‘Aboriginal’ peoples with diverse languages and practices. So, how to blend? How might these animals and peoples, gods and monsters exist together, today? I feel this might expand on the taxonomical categories used throughout this read.

I also would have liked at least some information on which indigenous groups told which stories. It’s very concerning that there was no formal acknowledgement concerning who exactly has narrated these stories to the author. One would hope that elders had been consulted, but it’s more likely they just used the internet.

[Carley Swanetta · Rating 1 out of 5]

So much is bad about this author’s re-telling of Indigenous Australian’s stories. American accent, surface level detail, incorrect pronunciation (in Audio book) of native animals and names, no formal acknowledgement of the First Nations people of Australia +++…. Ooooff :(

[shannon Stubbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it

I just live reading short stories, legends, and myths. This has all of them. I love the hero stories. They're either taking on quests or saving the day. One of the stories I read made me feel bad for the duck who gave birth to the platypus. Well not every story is happy.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

When we visited Australia many years ago, the Indigenous peoples seemed to all be one language and culture (generally, because they spoke a form of English, but lived separately from the Europeans). However, this book explains that there are many Indigenous tribes with individual cultures, religions, and languages.

The Dreamtime is an important concept for Indigenous Australians; referring to a mythic past where the world was newly made and the animals talked and lived like people. It also refers to their belief that the past and present exist together in a continuum. There are three parts of the Australian myths.

ORIGINS OF THINGS AND HOW THE WORLD CAME TO BE: Although Australian creation myths are generally regional in nature, the belief in the character of the Rainbow Serpent is continent-wide. In some parts of Australia, the knife-wielding Pundjel is the creator-god, while in others, Baiame does that work, with the help of Yhi.

STORIES OF GODS, HEROES, AND MONSTERS: As mentioned above, Baiame is a creator-god. However, he also appears as a hero who experiences many dangers and emerges victorious. Then, there are a pair of semi-divine heroes, the Winjarning Brothers, who travel about helping those in need.

TALES ABOUT ANIMALS AND BIRDS: These are charming stories that explain the unique features of animals and birds in Australia: 'How the Kangaroo Got Its Tail,' 'How the Koala Lost His Tail,' and 'How the Turtle Got its Shell' (to name a few).

This is a unique collection of stories from Indigenous Australians. The author took the time to set the stage for the reader (just before telling the story). Unusual terms or tools are explained, so the reading of the tales goes smoother. Delightful reading.

[Evan Micheals · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to gain some understanding of Indigenous Myth and looked for Jungian Archetypes within the Myth. I found what I was looking for. Taken literally, a lot of these Myths would trouble contemporary social sensibilities with tales of rape and wife stealing often themes. Bad actors only considered could they do what they desired, not should they do what they desire. This is true of international myth. It reflected a highly patriarchal society Might made right which was only constrained by the collective might of the people.

I could recognise the Hostile Brothers in Wyju the Traveller; Boora the Pelican reflected jealousy, lust, and revenge; How the Koala lost its tail investigated the freeloader problem and hinted at how to did water in the desert. Water was an important theme. The animals where once men, and men were able to take animal forms. I found the archetypes I was looking for, but it will take a lot of thinking and contemplating before I can hope to understand these myths. I still question why Indigenous stories are not shared, given at the start of any meeting as part of welcome to country we pay lip service to recognising the stories. These stories need to be known and shared if the culture is to be kept alive and vibrant.

[Gabriel Benitez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se trata de una serie de mitos de los aborígenes australianos, de los cuales hay muchas naciones con sus propias lenguas. Le llaman el tiempo del sueño al mundo del origen , del mundo recién creado donde hombres, dioses y animales pueden hablar y convivir y donde el mundo aún no toma su forma actual. Dioses creadores, monstruos y magia son parte de estos mitos centrados en un entorno hostil y duro.

[Anthony O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating

A bit short and light weight but a quick fun read. Captivating indeed. The dream time!! Dream like. Gods, monsters, kangaroos, and wombats. The amazing platypus. Offspring of a water rat and a duck. Who knew. Or the origin of the bull roarer. All very fascinating.

[Janet B · Rating 5 out of 5]

The dreamtime

These myths are wonderful.I wonder what myths will arise to explain the destruction of the land and enormous loss of animals from the recent fires?

[Lorenzo Samuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gives a few myths of Australian aborigines.

[Anuraag Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intresting stories!