Questions tagged [indigenous-australian]

For questions regarding the mythology of the indigenous peoples of Australia.

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What do we know of the Willauk, the Tebwem and the Pioial?

Wikipedia lists the three creatures as originating in Tasmanian mythology, but other than a very short description it provides no details or references: Tasmania Willauk, giant demon that ...
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What is Thardid Jimbo's story?

Wikipedia is very thin on details, this is all it's offering: He was a cannibal giant, ultimately defeated by the resourcefulness of the family of a hunter he had killed. Thardid Jimbo. (2017, July 2)...
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Why does the Yara-ma-yha-who live on fig trees?

The Yara-ma-yha-who is the indigenous Australian version of the vampire. It's a "little red man with a very big head, a large mouth with no teeth and suckers on the ends of its hands and feet" that ...
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Is there a relationship between the Dreamtime and dreaming?

Wikipedia suggests the English name of the concept is imprecise and provides no evidence of a relationship with dreaming: The term is based on a rendition of the indigenous (Arandic) word alcheringa, ...
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How does Australian Aboriginal totemism compare to its Native American parallels?

I was surprised to find out that the concept of totemism is present in Australian Aboriginal tales. Up until today, I was under the - obviously mistaken - impression that it was a concept unique to ...
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What legends inspired Cleverman's Hairypeople?

The plot of the Australian television series Cleverman is centred around the struggles the mythological Hairypeople - or Hairies for short - face in co-existing with humans. Wikipedia describes these ...
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Why is the Loch Ness monster all the way from Scotland draw so many parallels with the Hawkesbury river monster?

They seem to be described the same way (a long sea serpent that eats stuff), and are commonly compared to each other. Are there any reasons there are so many parallels?
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Who is Cleverman?

The titular hero of the television series Cleverman is - according to Wikipedia - a "superheroic version" of an "important figure in many Australian Aboriginal cultures". I'm trying to find more ...
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Looking for good information on Australian Aboriginal Mythology

Looking for good, uncomplicated sources on Australian Aboriginal Mythology - books, web, whatever. Not heavy scholarly stuff, but with plenty of detail
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Why are the Wondjina mouthless?

Wikipedia proposes two explanations for why the Wondjina are typically depicted without mouths: Common composition is with large upper bodies and heads that show eyes and nose, but typically no mouth....
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How did the Wondjina travel in the Dreamtime?

During the Dreamtime, the Wondjina (or Wandjina) are said to have come to Earth and created the landscape. How did they travel? Were they able to move independently or did they ride on some other ...
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Why is the Serpent the most common motif as the creator in indigenous Australian cultures?

Related to the question How long ago was the Dreaming?, according to the Wikipedia Rainbow Serpent page, the Rainbow Serpent is an integral part of many indigenous Australian cultures, and ...
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How long ago was the Dreaming?

The Dreaming, or dreamtime, is the Australian Aboriginal term for the pre-creation formless world, which was then given form by various deities including the rainbow serpent. How long ago was the ...
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