![]() ![]() The wind could also hide the sound of their approach. Kangaroos sniff the wind, so they were tracked from downwind, to ensure the hunters’ approach was more successful. Any tracks after a wind was known to be fresh, making tracking easier. Water relates to change and adaptation, especially emotionally.Īir – Bat, Bee, Black Swan, Bogong Moth, Brolga, Budgerigar, Butterfly, Clouds, Cockatoo, Cuckoo, Eagle, Finch, Firefly, Fly, Hawk, Galah, Gliding Possum, Moon, Mopoke, Mosquito, Owl, Pee Wee, Pheasant, Possum, Rainbow, Rainbow Lorikeet, Rosella, seagull, Topknot Pigeon, Wattle, Willy Wagtail, Wonga Pigeon.Īir could carry the scents of animals, predators or edible plants growing nearby or the wind could wipe away revealing tracks. ![]() Like water, we can ‘reach boiling point’ or ‘let off steam,’ or ‘chill out.’ Water has softness to it, yet with time and persistence, has the capability of shifting the contours of jagged rock into gentle smoothness. The element of water traditionally relates to the emotions – rushing streams, calm and tranquil lagoons, the hard, violent pelting of rain, and the crisp iciness of frost. There are many Dreamings about the creation of rivers, waterholes, springs and soaks. Pearl shells and the Rainbow Serpent were strongly linked to the wet weather, as well as the Frog. Rain making is a well-known skill of the wirrinins (magic men) who would perform their rites just before the onset of the wet season to ensure its arrival.Īn indication of coming wet weather was the rock gypsum, which in dry weather is dry and powdery, yet with humidity in the air, it begins to swell. Water was an important element for the Aboriginal people in this arid land of searing droughts. Water – Barramundi, Bush Cockroach, Clouds, Crab, Crocodile, Crystal, Curlew, Dolphin, Dugong, Echidna, Emu, Fairy Penguin, Fish, Frilled Neck Lizard, Frog, Gypsum, Ibis, Jabiru, Koala, Leech, Lily, Moon, Pearl, Pelican, Platypus, Seashells, Shingleback Lizard, Sandpiper, Seal, Seagull, Shark, Snake, Stingray, Stormbird, Turtle, Wallaby, Water Rat, Water Goanna, Whale, Wonga Pigeon Earth relates to physical manifestation, abundance and the cycles of life. A predominance of earth symbols can highlight an already existing affinity with the earth, or a need to get out in nature more to feel the dirt between your toes – to be ‘grounded’ or material. Being ‘down-to-earth’ and ‘having one’s feet on the ground’ are earth expressions. All these methods utilised and reflected the natural environment.Įarth traditionally represents a sense of being grounded, or connected with nature. In some areas of south-eastern Australia, sacred ceremonial designs were made on the earth with mud, molded to form patterns and the ‘path’ to the ceremony. Bora grounds were circular rings constructed with large rocks, or delineated by a circle of trees carved and painted with designs in ochre. The churches and temples of the Aboriginal people were natural features such as waterholes, mountains, and other places. There are also many Dreamings about the formation of minerals and gemstones, such as copper, opal, ochre and gold. The earth provides a home for many ‘good tucker’ creatures that burrow into it, such as Bandicoot, Wombat and Goanna. Land’s rights is a big issue, with the Western mindset generally unable to comprehend the strong link that the Aboriginal person has with the land that it is an integral part of his or her identity and very being. Their relationship with the land and its creatures was strongly linked through spiritual tradition and a concept similar (but very different) to the totemism of the American Indians. For the traditional Aboriginal person, they do not own the land, it owns them.
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