Bleargah the hawk, mother of Ouyan the curlew, said one day to her son: “Go, Ouyan, out, take your spears and kill an emu. The women and I are hungry. You are a man, go out and kill, that we may eat. You must not stay always in the camp like an old woman; you […]
Category: Folklore
The Cookooburrah and the goolahgool
Googarh, the iguana, was married to Moodai, the opossum and Cookooburrah, the laughing jackass. Cookooburrah was the mother of three sons, one grown up and living away from her, the other two only little boys. They had their camps near a goolahgool, whence they obtained water. A goolahgool is a water-holding tree, of the iron […]
Why the Mocking bird is called Mockingbird
Weedah the Mocking Bird WEEDAH was playing a great trick on the black fellows who lived near him. He had built himself a number of grass nyunnoos, more than twenty. He made fires before each, to make it look as if some one lived in the nyunnoos. First he would go into one nyunnoo, or […]
Dinewan the Emu, and Goomblegubbon the bustard
Dinewan the emu, being the largest bird, was acknowledged as king by the other birds. The Goomblegubbons, the bustards, were jealous of the Dinewans. Particularly was Goomblegubbon, the mother, jealous of the Diriewan mother. She would watch with envy the high flight of the Dinewans, and their swift running. And she always fancied that the […]
The Red Eyed Duck and the Old Blackfoot
Once, long ago, Old Man was travelling north along a river. He carried a great pack on his back. After a time he came to a place where the river spread out and the water was quiet, and here many ducks were swimming about. Old Man did not look at the ducks, and kept travelling […]
Why Cranes circle
One autumn day ages and ages ago, the cranes were preparing to go south. Cranes always dreaded the cold and flew away to the summer-land at the first glitter of the frost. The crane leader had a loud, hoarse voice, and he called and called to his flock to hurry. The cranes came from all […]
The children that became sea-pigeons, did they?
It was very early in the spring. The sun rose, stayed for only a moment above the horizon, and then sank again from the sight of Eskimo children. But already huge icebergs broke from the shore and floated out to sea. Already the icy winds hurried away farther north. Already a few of the bravest […]
The Merry Meadowlark who lived in the tall reeds
Once there was an old gray pussy, and she went down into the meadow, where she saw a merry lark flying among the tall reeds; and pussy said, “Where are you going, little lark?” And the merry lark answered, “I am going to the king to sing him a song this fine May morning.” And […]
Children that became Swallows, but remained near us
Once upon a time some Eskimo children were playing in the wet clay by the seashore. They were making tiny toy houses of the clay. These houses they fastened high on the face of the cliff. The children chattered and laughed. They ran gaily to and fro in their happy play. The people of the […]
The pessimistic Raven and the wiser Robin
One morning in the early spring a raven was sitting on one of the branches of an old oak. He felt very ugly and cross, and could only say, “Croak! Croak!” Soon a little robin, who was looking for a place to build her nest, came, with a merry song, into the same tree. “Good […]