Indigenous Spirit and Ghost Folklore of “Settled” Australia

Early European records of indigenous Australian mythology describe the activities of Ancestral Creators and spirits. British colonisation was intense in the southern temperate regions, which became "settled Australia." Here, Aboriginal mythology has undergone significant transformations in response to major social and cultural changes. Knowledge of Creation myths has declined, although contemporary Aboriginal people have maintained and developed a rich folklore centred on spirits and ghosts. While the Australian anthropological literature acknowledges the important religious dimensions of Creation myths, studies of the secularised folklore of indigenous communities living in rural and urban areas have been largely neglected. This paper investigates the roles of Australian Aboriginal mythology in recent indigenous and non-indigenous cultures within temperate Australia. Acknowledgements The author wishes to thank Robert Foster, Amanda Nettelbeck and two anonymous reviewers for their comments upon drafts of this paper. Notes [1] The "bunyip" is also written "bunyup." [2] The "yowie" term is believed to be derived from yuwi, a "dream spirit" of the Yuwaalaraay people in north-eastern New South Wales (Ramson Citation1988, 761; Dixon, Ramson and Thomas Citation1992, 111). [3] Mimih is sometimes written "mimi." [4] Djanga is written in many ways, such as "jengar," "junga" and "tjanka." [5] An earlier recording of krinkeri is "grinkari," listed by Taplin (Citation1879a, 37 and 128) as meaning "the dead" in the Ngarrindjeri language of the Lower Murray. In the Banggarla (Parnkalla) language of Eyre Peninsula, Schürmann (Citation1844, Part 2, 21) recorded "kunyu," meaning "dead," which is possibly a related word to goonya. In the Aboriginal languages of the West Coast of South Australia, guba, also written "kupa" and "gupa," refers to "dead" and "white fellow" (Black Citation1917, 5; Citation1920, 91; Platt Citation1972, 9, 60 and 65). [6] Mulyawonk is also written "muldewangk," "mulgewongk," "muldjewangk," "moolgewanke" and "multyewanki." [7] Moolthapi is also written "melapi," "melape," "mulapi," "maldhabi," "melapar," "muldarpe," "mull darby" and "mool-thar-pee." [8] Kintji is also written "kindji" and "kindja." [9] Kintjira is also written as "kinchirra," while the Kintjura is also spelled as "Kindjira" and "Kindara." [10] Natja is also written "ngatjinbut," "ngadje" and "ngada." [11] Koratji is also written "koradji," "koradgi" and "kuratji." The koratji name is possibly derived from the term garraaji, recorded as an Aboriginal "doctor" in the Dharruk language of Sydney, New South Wales (Ramson Citation1988, 354; Dixon, Ramson and Thomas Citation1992, 155–6 and 213; Delbridge et al. Citation1997, 1189). [12] The "kadaitja" is probably based upon kwertatye, from the Arrernte languages of Central Australia (Dixon, Ramson and Thomas Citation1992, 156–7; Henderson and Dobson Citation1994, 454 and 698). The "kadaitja" is also written "kurdaitcha," "kadaitcha" and "kadaicha." [13] Gupa is also written "kuba," "kupa," "coopa" and "guba." See note [Footnote5]. [14] The didgeridoo or drone pipe was not part of the pre-European material culture of southern Australia, having spread there from northern areas, such as from Arnhem land (Clarke Citation2003a, 102–3).