Ancient Aboriginal mythology and the Dreamtime

[Partridge]

It's interesting that the Bunyip achieved the same result the Loch ness monster did. Stopped kids playing in dangerous water ways, stopped people using the natural boundaries the water way was, to sneak up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunyip

Hate to break it to you, but the Loch Ness monster doesn't exist, never did, and neither does a Bunyip.

Although, indigenous civilization is so old they were here when larger roos and wombats roamed, science has shown. Chances are there is some truth to the stories.

Yep, possibly played a large part in the decline of Australia's megafauna from that era too. Diptrodon australis would have been an awesome sight; unfortunately it could have easily had the nickname "walking roast on 4 legs", as it wouldn't have stood much chance against such expert hunters. Plus Procoptodon and Palorchestes as well.

Did Australia's extinct megafauna influence their cultural stories? Sounds reasonable. Does that make their myths real? No, it doesn't.

 

[Partridge]

I'm not sure that figuring out you can kill someone by injecting foreign substances into their organs equates to "an infinite understanding of human anatomy".

Yeah, you'd think they might have noticed things like circulation of the blood. Rather silly term too - human anatomy is not infinite.

 

[kfc1]

Hate to break it to you, but the Loch Ness monster doesn't exist, never did, and neither does a Bunyip.

Pretty sure he meant that the story achieved the same aim as the Loch Ness story.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

Pretty sure he meant that the story achieved the same aim as the Loch Ness story.

Encouraged tourists and tin foil hat conventions?

 

[kfc1]

Encouraged tourists and tin foil hat conventions?

No, made people fearful of the waterways

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

No, made people fearful of the waterways

Yeah, I got that.

 

[DardySingh360]

Fairy stories.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

Fairy stories.

Much like christian, islamic, hindu, norse, scientology etc creation myths really.

 

[Partridge]

Much like christian, islamic, hindu, norse, scientology etc creation myths really.

Pretty much. And if they are known and taught as just that - myths - there's no problem. There are some very interesting and entertaining stories in there.

 

[DardySingh360]

Much like christian, islamic, hindu, norse, scientology etc creation myths really.

Yup.

 

[Richard Pryor]

Pretty much. And if they are known and taught as just that - myths - there's no problem. There are some very interesting and entertaining stories in there.

Is there honestly anyone who genuinely sees the dreamtime myths as 'gospel' so to speak?

 

[kfc1]

Is there honestly anyone who genuinely sees the dreamtime myths as 'gospel' so to speak?

I doubt most whities would but how do aboriginal communities generally see them? A lot of sacred sites and cultural heritage is built around the dreamtime mythology

 

[Illinois Nazi]

I doubt most whities would but how do aboriginal communities generally see them? A lot of sacred sites and cultural heritage is built around the dreamtime mythology

That doesn't mean they believe the stories to be literally true.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

Is there honestly anyone who genuinely sees the dreamtime myths as 'gospel' so to speak?

Probably a lot less than believe that a bloke made a boat that carried two of every animal or that Mohammed flew on a magic horse or that Xenu brought billions of people to Earth in DC-8's.

 

[Partridge]

Probably a lot less than believe that a bloke made a boat that carried two of every animal or that Mohammed flew on a magic horse or that Xenu brought billions of people to Earth in DC-8's.

And I doubt those who do hold as much influence as the fruitloops you mentioned.

 

[Power Raid]

Evidently for thousands of years the scientists amongst them had a an infinite understanding of human anatomy. One culture, who possessed perhaps the richest of land anywhere in Australia (if you ever been there and understand what wealth was to them), didn't like some of the visitors. They would knock them out in their sleep then inject poisoned animal fat directly in their kidney. The bloke would go home, and after a few days die. Not having any idea, apart from a sore head, what went on.

This sort of evidence of the evolved nature of their culture, makes you think about their dreamtime stories.

why inject them? why not just hit them harder when knocking them out?

 

[kfc1]

why inject them? why not just hit them harder when knocking them out?

Hot Topic Board

 

[Illinois Nazi]

why inject them? why not just hit them harder when knocking them out?

Presumably to avoid all-out war with the fella's tribe, as his death would come at a distance from his visit.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

why inject them? why not just hit them harder when knocking them out?

Not one bit of evidence to back up this story.

 

[little graham]

why inject them? why not just hit them harder when knocking them out?

Hang on a minute, I'll jump in Docs delorian and I'll go ask ok.

Why did America invent wmd's in Iraq? Why didn't they just plant some?

 

[little graham]

Interesting article this one.

https://www.academia.edu/9621614/Stories_from_the_Sky_Astronomy_in_Indigenous_Knowledge

The evening appearance of the celestial shark,Baidam traced out by the stars of the Big Dipper tells Torres Strait Islanders that they need to plant their gardens with sugarcane, sweet potato and banana. When the nose of Baidam touches the horizon just after sunset, the shark breeding season has begun and people should stay out of the water as it is very dangerous!

Thats what you call power quoting.

 

[Jakko]

Yep, possibly played a large part in the decline of Australia's megafauna from that era too. Diptrodon australis would have been an awesome sight; unfortunately it could have easily had the nickname "walking roast on 4 legs", as it wouldn't have stood much chance against such expert hunters. Plus Procoptodon and Palorchestes as well.

Did Australia's extinct megafauna influence their cultural stories? Sounds reasonable. Does that make their myths real? No, it doesn't.

I remember seeing a doco about this maybe 12 months ago. Several white fella experts didn't think that the first inhabitants could have done the bulk of the extinctions. But every Aboriginal elder they spoke to was of the opinion they would have hunted them no worries. The megafauna were quite slow growing overall, so it didn't take a fast kill rate to thin down the population over a few hundred years. Just pick off the young when you can and a decline is imminent.

The original human conquest of our continent would have been an epic few thousand years.

 

[little graham]

The original human conquest of our continent would have been an epic few thousand years.

They think they created everything, not conquered.


That explains their infinite knowledge. Which they have,of all things.

 

[Ripper]

Back on topic , most of the dream time stories have a basis in fact. That they were passed on verbally from generation to generation is a massive effort.

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

Every cultures people dream similarly

Points to common ancestry and more being passed down than just chemical codes

Carl Jung thought cultural and religious archetypes are implanted in each of us as part of a vast 'collective unconscious' that connects us all.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/125572/collective-unconscious

collective unconscious, term introduced by psychiatrist Carl Jung to represent a form of the unconscious (that part of the mind containing memories and impulses of which the individual is not aware) common to mankind as a whole and originating in the inherited structure of the brain. It is distinct from the personal unconscious, which arises from the experience of the individual. According to Jung, the collective unconscious contains archetypes, or universal primordial images and ideas.

There's more on that here;
http://www.carl-jung.net/collective_unconscious.html