DREAMING STORIES
"The Dreaming lies at the core of Aboriginal spiritual belief - it has no beginning, no end, and does not recognise time linearly, as in days, months and years. It is a part of everyday life, encompassing totems, ceremony, the division of labour, social structure and storytelling."
MICHAEL ORGAN & CAROL SPEECHLEY
The Aboriginal people of the Illawarra call their dreaming the Alcheringa. The main creator spirit of the Illawarra is Biamie (from which is derived the word Kiama). Biamie sent his two sons to the earth, one was Duramulun, the law-giver, who, during the dreaming, taught the local people traditional laws and customs related to kinship, totems, religion and social observances. *
Dreaming stories relating to all aspects of the local culture have survived, including those on the creation of the Illawarra landscape.
Coomaditchie elders share these local stories of the Dreaming with the children of Coomaditchie via oral storytelling traditions and through art.
Below are five local Dreaming stories all adapted and reproduced with artwork by the children of Coomaditchie and the youth of the Ngaramura Project). Hover over the pictures and use the arrows on the left and right of the images to scroll through the stories.
Purchase print versions of the Dreaming Story picture books in our Marketplace
THE STORY OF FIVE ISLANDS
The Dreaming story of Five Islands is one of many freshwater and saltwater Dharawal creation stories that relate to the five islands clustered off the coast from Port Kembla. Below is a simplified retelling of the story, illustrated with artwork created by the children of Coomaditchie.
GURANGATY
The Dreaming story of Gurangaty is another of many freshwater and saltwater Dharawal creation stories. This story relates to the creation of local Illawarra rivers and waterways. Below is a simplified retelling of the story, illustrated with artwork created by the youth engaged in the Ngaramura Project. Hover over the picture and use the arrows on the left and right of the image to scroll through the story. We also have the printed picture book available for sale.
BIRTH OF THE BUTTERFLIES
The Dreaming story of the birth of the butterflies is another of many Dharawal stories that relate to the seasons and the beautiful fauna and flora in our region. Below is a simplified retelling of the story, illustrated with artwork created by the youth engaged in the Ngaramura Project.
HOW WOMBAT LOST HIS TAIL
The Dreaming story of the wombat's tail is another of many Dharawal stories that relate to the beautiful fauna and flora in our region and is a cautionary tale. Below is a simplified retelling of the story, illustrated with artwork created by the youth engaged in the Ngaramura Project.
GUMA'MAARI AND THE RAINBOW
The Dreaming story of Guma'maari is another of many Dharawal stories that relate to the beautiful fauna and flora in our region. It is the story of how the parrots came to have coloured feathers as told by the Thurrawal (Dharawal) people. Below is a simplified retelling of the story, illustrated with artwork created by the youth engaged in the Ngaramura Project.
GOON NA GHUN AND WONDANGAR
Goon na ghun and Wondangar is a simplified retelling of the story of starfish and whale and how the Dharawal people came to the Illawarra. The artwork was created by students from Lake Illawarra High School.
