This creature also includes the interpretation for any moth; however take into account any differences in colour or size as there are many types of moth in Australia, and adapt it’s meaning for you as a symbol. Bogong Moths were and are a popular food source for the Aboriginal people, …
Crab
In a Dreaming from Northern Australia[1], Crab was a cannibal and her tribe buried her alive as punishment. A spirit Crow stood over the hole, awaiting her emergence to mete out the death she deserved. Crab prepared herself for Crow’s attack and through her magic grew a hard shell. When …
Curlew
The sound of a curlew crying at night has many meanings according to Aboriginal lore. Xavier Herbert writes in “Poor Man My Country” that curlew calls the spirits of souls wanting to be born. In the northern areas of Queensland, it is the sound of the dead returning to the …
Dolphin
There are records of Aboriginal and dolphin interaction from the early days of settlement to as recently as fifty years ago; I heard a first hand account from the late Ted Gubboo Thomas years ago. The dolphins would be called from the beach, (either by whistling and calling, or hitting …
Emu
Emu has a very big place in the Dreaming and the energies of this land. Originally found everywhere, the settlements of white man have pushed Emu farther out, away from ‘civilisation.’ And the only way you can truly see Emu in the sky is if you too are away from …
Kangaroo
A popular and well-known symbol of Australia, Kangaroo is a favourite, unless of course, one is a cattle farmer! Kangaroos feature in many children’s stories, songs and television shows, they make endearing characters (see ‘Dot and the Kangaroo’ clip below). In the modern Dreaming[1], a kangaroo trying to make the leap over …
Spider
Spider has lots of different symbolic meanings worldwide. To many Australians the word ‘spider’ recalls the deadly funnel web and the red-back on the toilet seat (both species have been known to cause severe reactions, and even death with their bites). Or they might think of the harmless Daddy Long Legs …