DREAMING STORIES: Urrakurli, Wakarla and Wildu

Transcription

1 DREAMING STORIES: Urrakurli, Wakarla and Wildu Background Information You've got to go out and talk to people about the Adnyamathanha culture. If people are going to respect the sites, they've got to learn about them. There's mythology right across the Flinders Ranges. People look at it as beauty and wildflowers, Adnyamathanha people see the beauty and the flowers, and beyond that because we see the stories of how we have survived. It's like a book to us, telling the stories of our creators. If those mountains were taken away, there would be no stories for our children. The [Dreamtime] snakes in Wilpena Pound - St Mary's Peak is the female snake looking up; Akurra s Rock on the eastside is the male snake looking down. Where white man came and found coal at Leigh Creek- that's the remains of the fire that Yulu the kingfisher man lit. The land is my mother because a mother is the closest person in our life. That's why the Flinders Ranges is like our mother. (Cliff Coulthard, in Mattingley, C., 1988: ) Urrakurli, Wakarla and Wildu (as told by Cliff Coulthard) This story is about respecting your elders and was passed on to me by the Adnyamathanha elders. "There is a mountain just out of Nepabunna and the mountain is shaped like an eagle squatting with its wings flopping onto the ground, and beside it there's a cave and the environment around the cave is all dark. Of course at one time there was a magpie, which we call Urrakurli, a crow, Wakarla, and an eagle called Wildu. The magpie and the crow at that time had totally white feathers. They used to be able to live up in the mountain with the eagle and they used to share the laughter and share the sad times. They would share their food until one day the magpie and the crow didn't come. After a couple of days the eagle went down to see where his nephew and niece were. They were playing around. The eagle said, 'Why didn't you come up and see your uncle?' And the nephew and the niece got cheeky and said, 'We don't have to come and see you.' They got very cheeky to the eagle. Because the magpie and the crow were young birds, they flew away getting cheekier and the eagle was very disappointed and very upset and went back onto the mountain and sat up there until three days went by. Then the eagle called a party and all the birdsthe kookaburra, the kingfisher and all the tiny parrots came to this particular cave and they all started dancing and having a great time. Of course the magpie and the crow came along. They forgot after three days that they were cheeky with their uncle, the eagle. Like young children always forget nowadays, they go out and do certain things and they get cheeky and then they remember that they have to go home. So the magpie and the crow walked in but the uncle, the wise bird, didn't forget. As they were in the cave he said, 'Now I will punish them. They've broken the law.' So he went out in front of the cave and got dry brush down and set it alight. He was going to burn all the birds to punish the magpie and the crow and of course the fire started blazing. The kookaburra said, 'There's a big fire.' So the kookaburra, the kingfisher and all the young parrots all went out, but the magpie was halfway in the cave and he got half burned so magpies are now black and white. The crow was right at the back of the cave and he got completely burnt and turned black. As they came out and sat in front of the cave they looked up and saw the eagle. They said, 'Remember three days ago when we got cheeky to the eagle? Now he has punished

2 us.' So today whenever you see an eagle fly high in the sky and a magpie and a crow behind, they're up there and they are trying to say, 'Look, we can't really get to the eagle because the eagle's got bigger wings and can fly higher.' But the magpie and the crow in this story were trying to get up there to say, 'Look, I'm sorry uncle, we did wrong. You caused our colour to change and we're stuck with it for the rest of our lives.' The mountain and the cave have been important to our people for thousands of years and for all who pass there. Remember the story of the magpie, the crow and the eagle." For all necessary background information refer to The Adnyamathanha People and Urrakurli, Wakarla and Wildu: an Adnyamathanha Dreaming Story ( Magpie, Crow and Eagle ) - DETE Publication For information on selected Australian birds see On a map, locate the area from which the Urrakurli, Wakarla and Wildu story originated View photographs or download images of Flinders Ranges (Google Earth?), native flora (quondongs, native fruits) and fauna, Aboriginal people making fire with sticks Discuss the lifestyle of the Adnyamathanha people in the Flinders Ranges Invite an Aboriginal person to tell the story to the students (contact Indigenous Ed. Team) Tell the story of Magpie, Crow and Eagle and discuss the life lessons and values taught through the telling of this story Compare with rules in other settings e.g. own family / class / school rules Useful resource: Storytelling by Pauline McLeod (Scholastic) Identify the key points of the story students write and decorate one page of a class/group big book Retell or dramatise the story, write a poem In groups, make up a puppet play based on Urrakurli, Wakarla and Wildu Interview the characters in the story to find out how they feel View other Dreaming stories from the The Dreaming DVD kit with a bird theme, e.g. How the Mopoke Came to Be Pg 54, How Brolga Became a Bird Pg 92, Emu and the Jabiru Pg 94, Whyallee Pg 148, The Wa:Tji Bird Pg 180, Why the Kookaburra Laughs Pg Discuss, compare, select from the suggested activities What makes a bird a bird? (feathers) How do birds fly? Select a bird to study e.g. magpie, crow or eagle write a report Devise a set of questions to prepare a report about a bird Answer questions such as: Where do birds live? What do birds eat? What are their habits? How do birds move? How are birds similar or different to each other? Investigate life cycles, eggs, behaviour, nests, food, care for their young and adaptation to their environment Group birds in different ways - classify them and graph results 2

3 Design a board game based on the Urrakurli, Wakarla and Wildu story or one generally about birds Students write their own stories about how birds got their colours and design an appropriate front cover Construct a Bird Word Book and collect proverbs, similes and expressions that relate to birds, e.g. birds of a feather flock together, the early bird catches the worm, dumb as a dodo, strut like a peacock, soar like an eagle, get in a flap, be a stool pigeon, silly galah... Discussion / exposition writing: Should birds be kept in cages? Research Australian birds used as emblems state, national and on coins, notes In the style of the symbol rock art of the Adnyamathanha people of the Flinders Ranges, students design symbols to tell their own stories Access images of birds from web and import them onto a background drawn using Kid Pix Construct a collage of a bird using natural materials or alternatively, construct the bird from waste materials Investigate beaks or feet types, shapes, purposes and how they relate to habitat, food, nesting... Which birds migrate? Why? Where do they go? How far do they fly? How long does it take them? Record and share findings Construct a home for a bird using natural materials (or a model) Build a shelter/cave and habitat using natural materials where possible (chicken wire frame) Learn to sing the Urrakurli, Wakarla and Wildu song from Songs for Aboriginal Studies and Reconciliation by Buck McKenzie Conservation The survival of some bird species has been severely challenged. Through man s intervention the numbers of some birds have been reduced, often quite unintentionally. The introduction of domestic cats to bush areas, the frequent use of small bait, insecticides and herbicides in gardens and on farms have taken their toll. Man s gradual encroachment into and wholesale removal of birds habitats have had the most lasting destructive effect. The clearing of sheltered vegetation areas and the blazing of trails through previously secluded zones have effectively endangered many of our native birds. (from Bird Watching for Beginners - Adelaide Botanic Garden) Write about the destruction of natural habitat from the viewpoint of a bird or students imagine that they are a bird experiencing an environmental crisis such as a bushfire, flood or the first day of the duck-hunting season Bird watching investigate native birds of the local area and photograph or draw using tools on programs such as Kid Pix Investigate endangered birds in your local environment or the effect of pollution on breeding Dramatise the movements of birds seen in the school grounds or local environment 3

4 Design a bird able to survive in the harsh environment of a desert (e.g. with the ability to hold water like a camel, insulated from the sun ) Other Adnyamathanha Dreaming stories To read a selection of other Adnyamathanha Dreaming stories, visit Aboriginal Dreaming stories, birds and the local environment by Trefor Barnes Children learn about birds' habitats through real observations, through use of models, as well as DVDs and books. Storytelling expands their appreciation and this is reinforced through observation, retelling, song, mime, plays, building craft objects, writing and publishing. Mapping helps children to learn that different Aboriginal peoples lived in different environments and that the diversity of birds, in particular, is sometimes the same and sometimes different according to the environments. They learn too that Aboriginal peoples passed on knowledge of creatures in their environments through Dreaming stories. Children could individually or in a small group choose a bird to care for, as Aboriginal people care for their particular 'friend' or 'totem'. Children could learn about the habitat of their chosen bird and act in ways to care for it through planting particular food or shelter bushes or trees and educating others about the bird's needs through talking, drawing, miming, writing and acting. Children can learn from Aboriginal people about how their lives are both the same as and different from that of their ancestors. Trefor Barnes Mapping Preliminary work needs to be done on the concept of maps. A sand pit can be used to create hills, creeks and roads to show children a scale version. Organise large but simple maps to show children links between stories and country. This helps show children how Dreaming stories map / tell / sing the land and how Aboriginal people do not live in isolation from neighbouring groups. Each time a story is introduced, use small cardboard indicators and adhesive, to mark the area on a map to show how stories 'tell the land'. Environment Access and display a variety of resources relevant to the Dreaming stories e.g. posters or photographs showing local Aboriginal people, past and present, nature pictures, websites, books and DVDs which give valued information about environmental features and creatures such as birds, fish, reptiles, bush foods and plants. Observation Go for a nature walk near scrub, in school grounds if possible. Ask children 'What do you think this is?', 'What sound is that?', 'Could we eat this?' Sit quietly and try to identify bird sounds and birds in general, encouraging children to use all their senses to learn as much as possible so that afterwards they can practise movements, draw and paint what they have observed. Photograph or video birds in the school grounds if possible. 4

5 Activities Use published photographs or drawings of birds to use as a base for children's drawings. Model a drawing by using oval, circle, triangle or other easy-to-recognise shapes as building blocks. Alternatively, use an overhead projector or grid method to make life-size drawings. Research some Ngarrindjeri or other Aboriginal names for birds and plants and ask children to describe their different habits and habitats. Compose a song about a bird's appearance and behaviour, and perform the song at assembly. Create a picture book or a class 'big book' about a bird which has been observed, and share with a buddy. Support Support may be available through information from the South Australian Museum, Gould League, Arbury Park Outdoor School, Bird Care and Conservation Society ( ) or Conservation Council of South Australia ( ). Fish posters are available from Gould League or Murray Darling Basin Commission, ph: , fax: Taken from 5