The speaking land is an anthology of almost 200 myth from a number of different aboriginal cultures. The stories are a major contribution to the development and recognition of an aboriginal traditional literature. The stories are grouped around themes such as snakes and rainbows, breaking the rules, stories of origins, eroticism and the clash of aboriginal and western cultures. None of the stories are of a secret-sacred nature.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
MYTHOLOGY / ABORIGINAL CULTURE
The 195 stories collected in this first anthology of Aboriginal myth were told to anthropologists Ronald and Catherine Berndt, who spent nearly fifty years working among the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.
The Berndts developed a system of field research that allowed them entrance into a culture that has been alive for more than 100,000 years: Ronald Berndt met with male storytellers, while Catherine met with the women. The myths they collected come from the oldest collective memory of humankind, describing characters and events of the "Dreamtime"--a time that existed before the material world was formed.
The Speaking Land touches on all aspects of life: creation, natural forces, social rules, and the exotic. Stark, tinged with fantasy, sometimes bizarre, the myths chronicle the actions of the Ancestors, portraying not only beauty and wonder but also scenes of conflict: treachery and theft, jealousy and lust, greed and antagonism, injury and death. The lessons of life implicit in these stories are still reflected in the simplicity and deep spirituality of this culture.
In all of the myths collected here the land is as important as the living characters who travel it. In the Dreamtime creation, mythic, shape-changing characters moved across the countryside, leaving part of their eternal spiritual qualities in the land. Eventually, these characters and forces retreated into the living environment, where they remain today, spiritually anchored. The land still speaks to us, and The Speaking Land will help us understand its language.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
The 195 stories collected in this first anthology of Aboriginal myth were told to anthropologists Ronald and Catherine Berndt, who spent nearly fifty years working among the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.
The Berndts developed a system of field research that allowed them entrance into a culture that has been alive for more than 100,000 years: Ronald Berndt met with male storytellers, while Catherine met with the women. The myths they collected come from the oldest collective memory of humankind, describing characters and events of the "Dreamtime"--a time that existed before the material world was formed.
The Speaking Land touches on all aspects of life: creation, natural forces, social rules, and the exotic. Stark, tinged with fantasy, sometimes bizarre, the myths chronicle the actions of the Ancestors, portraying not only beauty and wonder but also scenes of conflict: treachery and theft, jealousy and lust, greed and antagonism, injury and death. The lessons of life implicit in these stories are still reflected in the simplicity and deep spirituality of this culture.
In all of the myths collected here the land is as important as the living characters who travel it. In the Dreamtime creation, mythic, shape-changing characters moved across the countryside, leaving part of their eternal spiritual qualities in the land. Eventually, these characters and forces retreated into the living environment, where they remain today, spiritually anchored. The land still speaks to us, and The Speaking Land will help us understand its language.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A little boring,
By Rainbow (New Castle, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Speaking Land: Myth and Story in Aboriginal Australia (Paperback)
This book has loads of Aboriginal myths but is dry and boring at times. I did find lots of stories concerning the Aboriginal Rainbow Snake which is what I was particularly interested in. However, the book seems to have been written mostly for hard-core anthropologists and not for the regular layperson. I reccomend it if you're doing intense research into Abo myths.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Myth is a word that can be taken in at least two ways. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
yiridja moiety, ubar ritual, dua moiety, rock goanna, large billabong, blanket lizard, yam leaf, mortuary platform, drum net, bitter yams, mythic beings, mythic personages, next myth, willy wagtail, palm food, stylised gestures, dilly bag, revenge party, long yams, lily roots, same moiety, quiet snake, kangaroo meat, creative era, carpet snake Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Western Desert, Rainbow Snake, Goulburn Island, Wadi Gudjara, East Alligator River, Daly River, Morning Star, Cooper's Creek, South Alligator River, Aboriginal Australia, Arnhem Bay, Tor Rock, Honey Man, Liverpool River, Croker Island, King River, Bremer Island, Cape Arnhem, Black Duck, Waldja Man, Barclay Point, Cape Don, Grant Island, Milky Way, Seven Sisters New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Myth is a word that can be taken in at least two ways. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
yiridja moiety, ubar ritual, dua moiety, rock goanna, large billabong, blanket lizard, yam leaf, mortuary platform, drum net, bitter yams, mythic beings, mythic personages, next myth, willy wagtail, palm food, stylised gestures, dilly bag, revenge party, long yams, lily roots, same moiety, quiet snake, kangaroo meat, creative era, carpet snake Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Western Desert, Rainbow Snake, Goulburn Island, Wadi Gudjara, East Alligator River, Daly River, Morning Star, Cooper's Creek, South Alligator River, Aboriginal Australia, Arnhem Bay, Tor Rock, Honey Man, Liverpool River, Croker Island, King River, Bremer Island, Cape Arnhem, Black Duck, Waldja Man, Barclay Point, Cape Don, Grant Island, Milky Way, Seven Sisters New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 14
books:
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31
books
cite this book:
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- First Australians by R M Berndt in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Land of the Rainbow Snake: Aboriginal Children's Stories and Songs from Western Arnhem Land by Catherine Helen Berndt in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Aboriginal Australian Art by John E. Stanton in Front Matter
- The Greek Myths: Complete Edition by Robert Graves on page 4
- Cognitive Anthropology by Stephen A. Tyler in Back Matter
See all 14 books this book cites
- The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World by David Abram on 4 pages
- Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales from Around the World by Kathleen Ragan in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales from Around the World by Kathleen Ragan in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Seeking the Centre: The Australian Desert in Literature, Art and Film by Roslynn D. Haynes on page 7, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Myth and Knowing: An Introduction to World Mythology by Scott A. Leonard on page 387, page 391, and page 393
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