Dreamtime Stories
This Term our unit of study is called “Side by Side” and we are learning about Indigenous peoples and culture.
The first homework for the term is about Dreamtime Stories.
Here is a link to to some Dreamtime stories online:
http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/jmresources/dreaming/stories.html
Due to the sacredness of the Aboriginal Dreaming, the following stories have been left in their original form.
Here’s a story to read here:
Why Emu Can’t Fly
Dinewan the Emu was big and strong with huge wings that carried him over great distances. His wife had lots of children each year and he was well respected and feared. As all powerful ones, he also had his share of enemies, chief of which was Goomblegubbon the brush turkey. He envied Emu’s power of flight and the way he could run swiftly over the vast plains without tiring. So he made a plan to injure Emu and he told no-one but his wife of it. He waited till he knew that Emu was going out on the plain to feed and he made sure that he got there before him. He held his wings close in to his body, ruffled up his feathers and squatted on the ground where the grass was rich and long.
When Emu had eaten a lot of grass and was in a good mood, Goomblegubbon spoke to him. “Hello, I feel that as a friend I should point out to you that the others are wondering why a big, strong bird like you should choose to fly everywhere, instead of walking when you want to get anywhere.” Emu looked at him incredulously. How else would he get anywhere, he wondered. Goomblegubbon continued, ” No one else would dare to tell you these things Emu, but like I said, walking is best. Flying is something that any bird can do, its common and ordinary. It’s only men and strong birds like you and me, who can get about by walking. It’s a sign of distinction.” Emu thought about it and replied, “Hmm, perhaps you are right, I will have to talk about it with my wife this evening.” And off Emu went, striding across the plain to test out the theory. His long legs carried him swiftly home to his wife.
The next day, the two birds met again. “I have thought about it and decided that you were right,” Emu said. “My wife and I chopped off our wings with a stone tomahawk last night. It was painful, but my leg muscles are growing stronger already. I’ll race you to that bush.” Brush turkey laughed and laughed. “I never really thought that you would fall for the tale so easily Emu. Your brains must be as small as fledglings. But if you want to, I’ll race you.”
Emu sprinted across the sun-baked ground,as Goomblegubbon waited until Emu had nearly reached the bush, then he flapped noisily through the air, alighting well ahead of Dinewan, the Emu. “Ha, ha, what a simpleton you are Emu,” he cried. “Your people will hardly respect a bird who cannot fly.” Emu was angry. He rushed at Brush turkey, striking out at him with his powerful legs, but Goomblegubbon just flew away laughing. Emu sadly walked home to tell his wife how he had been tricked.
A whole year went by. Dinewan never said anything to the Brush turkey about the loss of his wings, and this puzzled the Brush turkey. Emu’s legs grew stronger and soon he was able to run as fast as the other could fly.
One morning, Emu took his largest two children out with him, leaving his other fourteen in their mother’s care. He met up with Goomblegubbon and his wife and their noisy brood. “Busy?” asked Dinewan the emu. “Busy!” exclaimed the Brush turkey, its hard work all day long just trying to keep all of their bellies full and they still look scrawny. We’re trying to get them to hunt for their own food, but we haven’t had much luck so far.”
“Yes, I can see that,” replied emu, “but the trouble is that there are too many of them. They don’t get a chance to grow big. We disposed of most of ours. We came to the conclusion that the only way to have strong, healthy chicks was to keep the best of them and get rid of the others. See how much bigger my two are than yours. The next generation of Dinewans will be real birds.” Goomblegubbon and his wife walked all around the Dinewan chicks and thoughtfully whispered together. Emu walked off with his chicks, chuckling quietly to himself.
The following day he met Goomblegubbon on the plain. “I have taken your advice, Emu” the Brush turkey said. “Here are my two biggest young. The others have gone. What do you think of this strong pair?” Dinewan laughed and laughed. “What a simpleton you are,” he said. “A bird’s strength lies not in his ability to use his wings, but in the number of his offspring. I am sorry for you, my friend, but perhaps it will teach you that Brush turkeys are even more foolish than emus.
THAT IS WHY EMUS HAVE MANY CHILDREN BUT CANNOT FLY, AND WHY BUSTARDS (BRUSH TURKEYS) ONLY LAY TWO EGGS EACH YEAR.
– From Ngarrindjeri Dreaming Stories (South Australian Department of Education, Training and Employment, 2000)
Hi 5R! Looking forward to reading your blog!
Hello everyone Here is our Blog
awsome love da emu dream time story
That was a long story about the emu
The storie why emu’s can not fly was interesting but I could not follow it some times.
The emu was over dum by what the Goomblegubbon was saying.
the storie is realy good some words you cant read because they are indegenous to aboriganal people
the storie about why emu’s can’t fly I found it interesting in some points and realy hard to understand in other parts. my rating 6/10. Dinewan the emu was distracted by what Goomblegubbon said to him and challenged him.
the Goomblegubbon was a mean and found it easy to hurt feelings of others.
hi guys
i just read up to the were the turky was intradused and im lost
the story why Emus cant fly was interesting.
the bush turky was meen.
the emu shouldnt of done reveng because as my mum always says to wrongs dont make a right
This dreamtime story is about how a emu decides to trick his ‘friend’ into cutting off his wings because he doesn’t like the way his ‘friend’ has nice and big ones. The meaning to this story is if you were never really friends with someone don’t trust them. But if you can’t tell if you were ever really friends trusting them is a big risk. One of the characters(Dinewan) made a mistake by trusting someone he never really liked. He was a big bird with great fantastic wings that took him to places far and wide very quickly. He wasn’t very intelligent in the way that he didn’t think the problem Goomblegubbon gave him over very clearly.
That was an interesting story but I don’t think someone would take jealousy that far
the story why emus cant fly was good. its about this bad bush turkey who is jealous because the emu can run fast and flies well. i think the story just had a meaning not a moral. the emu was smarter than the bush turkey.
i’ve changed my mind. i think the moral is that you shouldn’t if you trick someone you’ll get tricked by them. the story explains why bush turkeys only lay 2 eggs a year and why theemu can’t fly. the emu was a bird who was respected and feared. he had wings but they were chopped off and he can run really fast.
i think that brushturkey is really mean for fooling dinewan but dinewan should not of got reveng on him thats just rong i think this story is trying to get across a message it is very interesting if you think about it i cant wait to hear another
Bush turkey should not have fooled Dinewan, but Dinewan should not have tried to get revenge.This story has a message if you actually think about it.
I think that the characters from the story are mainly the emu and bustard( lol
), the way that two birds could spoil the rest of that species lives are a bit of a long shot, but then again, trading two chicks, are weird, that just caring for them could allow the other to lay for eggs, so the moral of the story is a bit messed up.
oh, and the emu should of cut of the bustards wings as well, just to make him angry
Have I missed anything at school?
Wouldn’t the emu die of pain? Anyway, I thought that was an entertaining explanation for the emu not flying. There are a lot of explanations for the emu not flying that I’ve come across.
The past-times of aboriginal children compared to the ones we play today practice skills needed for later life in hunting, communicating ect.What I would use for spare time would be more to do with going outside or just reading.
I found some interesting pictures of Aboriginals toys. There were toy axes consisting of a rock tied to the end of a stick, balls made of paper bark and vegetable string (Don’t ask me what that is.) There were a number of other toys that seemed quite modern, like spinning tops, dolls and hoops (I assume they were used like a hoola hoop or something.) I thought it was quite amazing. It did seem to me though that the Aboriginal children didn’t spend much time playing, but more time learning important survival skills, and learning about their culture.
Th aboriginal games have weird names and they all relate to hunting like Battendi and Bubberah. Today the games are more to socialise to get better skills and to have fun.
I used the story about the emu for my homework story map, is that ok?
The Aboriginal games have compicated names and compicated rules and most of the games are quite dangerous. Now days we have better equitment and alot more games to play I guess the ideas just pop into heads.
I went on the internet to find out about it and what I’m going to do a jhgbkjhg which means jhgbkjhg
Archery Battendi-spear throwing
Ball ti-gi Boogalah-circle-some people in the middle
Wrestling Goomboobooddoo- greese up bodys then wrestle.
I think Aboriginal games helped them learn skills for when there older
i think that in the past Aboriginal children learned skills that they needed in the future. boys might go hunting with their fathers . girls might have learnt who to weave baskets and cook.
(with out info)
Aboriginal children played games with coconuts as balls, tyre’s as ‘rollers’ and things like that. The aboriginal children played mostly games outside whereas lots of the children nowadays are inside using technology. The aboriginal children had to find their own ways of amusement as they weren’t given toys like we are today. Today we are given toys like D.S’s, computers, televisions and more, things that are bad for us.
the games we play are very different to the games they played .we have lots of new qulity things like balls and that they never had them and they used spears and things but theys days we dont its just very different
we play different games to aboriginal kids because they didn’t have all these soccer balls and footballs but they would go outside more than us because they dont have a D.S. or P.S.P a something like that.
Mrs R, could we try this game in reading groups?:
Keentan
A keep-away game of catch ball played by both genders. The game was also called the ‘kangaroo-play’ because the players jumping up to catch the ball resembled the movements of a kangaroo.
Keentan was known by the Kalkadoon nation in north-west central districts of Queensland.
In some Aboriginal Tribes they played fairly similar games to us, they even played dodge ball!
Infact dodge ball was translated into english as ‘kangaroo fur ball’, the name was given to the game because the ball was made out of Kangaroo and Possum fur&skin!
In other tribes, they had games for the boys, called spears, were you would get a blunt spear and throw it at a parent, this game was to make sure that the Teenaged men were ready for hunting.