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An Australian aboriginal creation myth – Ungambikula

January 12, 2009 by Andrew 7 Comments

It was dark and there was neither life nor death.

Image by Beppie K via Flickr

In the beginning, the earth was a bare plain. Underneath the plain slept the eternal ancestors, the sun, the moon and the stars.

Eventually the eternal ancestors arose an in the Dreamtime they walked the earth. The eternal ancestors walked in many shapes and forms; some of them took the forms of kangaroos, others as lizards, others as birds, some took humanoid forms and others appeared as hybrids of human, animal or even plant.

The Ungambikula, two of the eternal ancestors, walked the earth until they found half-made human beings lying beside water holes. The half-made men where bundles of limbs, animal parts and shapes.

The Ungambikula gathered the half-made humans and used two large stone knives to carve shape and form into the bundles. They carved faces, heads, legs, bodies, arms and feet.

This is why that every man, woman and child has a connection to their totem – the animal or plant that was part of the half-human bundle they were carved from.

In Pure Spirit

What does this creation story mean to you? Are the Ungambikula more significant than other ancestors?

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Filed Under: Beliefs Tagged With: australia, creation myth

Comments

  1. ballerchick says

    September 2, 2009 at 4:06 pm

    First! this was very helpful for my english project. i dont like english that much. but i do like reading these stories because they are interesting. cant wait to visit australia

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  2. suad hashi says

    November 2, 2011 at 8:37 pm

    i think that when it say on your page human faces ,hands and arm were made and craved with a knives that is the most dum thing i hard in my hole life what idiot came up with all that shit i say stop liying to your self who ever you are all this aboriginal shit is a lie GETTTTTTTTTTTTT SOME HELLLLLLLPPPPPPPP WHO EVER MAD THIS PAGE MUST HAVE BEENNNNNNN AN PROPER IDIOT AND I AM JUST 12 BUT I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT IT IS ALL A LIE AND IS IMPOSEBELL AND I AM NO ATHEISTED

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    • Paul says

      October 22, 2019 at 11:04 am

      It shows that you are only twelve, because you do not understand the projection of myth and its underlying story. The subject matter is in the dream world where all things are created and manifest in the here and now. When you have a bit more education you will understand.

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  3. Aboriginal art says

    October 31, 2012 at 1:34 pm

    Your blog has always attracted me and this particular post left me speechless. It is one of the best pieces of writing I have seen.

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  4. Rach says

    May 19, 2014 at 3:10 pm

    this aboriginal myth is very interesting and addressing one of the previous comments, this is one of many ‘creation myths’ that are not specifically seen as a religious belief but sometimes a psychoanalytical interpretation (look at Carl Jung). It can be interpreted as the creation of myth itself as the pre-conscious state of the dreamtime is when creation takes place (the men are made whole) which fulfils the desire of wholeness and unity which unconsciously is desired in the human psyche according to Jung.

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  5. Rach says

    May 19, 2014 at 3:14 pm

    @suad hashi  this aboriginal myth is very interesting is one of many ‘creation myths’ that are not specifically seen as a religious belief but sometimes a psychoanalytical interpretation (look at Carl Jung). It can be interpreted as the creation of myth itself as the pre-conscious state of the dreamtime is when creation takes place (the men are made whole) which fulfils the desire of wholeness and unity which unconsciously is desired in the human psyche according to Jung.
    Read more: http://inpurespirit.mystagingwebsite.com/593/australian-aboriginal-creation-myth-ungambikula/#ixzz32AtrrJ8m

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  6. some guy says

    November 2, 2014 at 10:00 pm

    whats the name of this aboriginal group

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