Australian Legendary Tales facts for kids
Australian Legendary Tales is a special collection of stories from Australia's Aboriginal people. These tales were shared with a woman named K. Langloh Parker, who then wrote them down.
The book became very popular right away after it was first published in 1896. It was re-released many times. It was also important because it was one of the first big collections of cultural stories from Aboriginal Australians to be shared widely.
In 1953, a special edition of the book was made for children. This version won the Children's Book Council of Australia's Children's Book of the Year Award for Older Readers.
Contents
First Edition of the Tales
The first book, called Australian Legendary Tales: Folk-lore of the Noongahburrahs as Told to the Piccaninnies, came out in 1896. It was printed in London and Melbourne.
What's Inside the Book?
This first book has more than 30 stories. It also includes a list of difficult words (a glossary) and one story written in its original Aboriginal language.
The stories take place in a "no-time" or "Dreamtime." This is a special time when animal spirits, amazing supernatural beings, and humans all interact. The tales often explain how things in the world were created. You'll read about an "All Father" named Baiame and a hero named Wurrunnah. Animal characters also play a big part, talking and interacting with people and each other.
Who Helped Create It?
K. Langloh Parker wrote in her introduction that the stories came from the "Noongahburrah" people. She thanked the individuals who helped her. The book was dedicated to a man she called their king, Peter Hippi.
Andrew Lang wrote the introduction for the book. He also included drawings made by an "untaught Australian native." This artist was later identified as Tommy McRae. His drawings were found among Lang's papers.
More Books by K. Langloh Parker
Because the first book was so popular, a second one was made. It was called More Australian Legendary Tales and came out in 1898. Andrew Lang also helped with this book.
After these two story collections, Parker wrote a factual book called The Euahlayi Tribe (1905). She also published more Aboriginal legends in The Walkabouts of Wurrunnah (1918) and Woggheeguy (1930).
How the Book Was Seen
The book was part of a series that Andrew Lang oversaw. Many books like this were published at the time. They were often collections of stories from people in the British Empire.
Andrew Lang used Parker's work to share his own ideas about different cultures. However, he had never met or studied the Aboriginal people himself. Many people in Britain liked the book. Lang compared some of the tales to old stories like Metamorphoses and early animal stories by Kipling.
It is important to know that Lang had some outdated and disrespectful views. He thought the drawings were "not ill-done," but he believed the tales and the people who told them were "savage inferiors." This shows he did not fully understand or respect Aboriginal culture.
The 1953 Edition
Parker's stories were published again in Australia and Britain in 1953. This new book was also called Australian Legendary Tales. Henrietta Drake-Brockman chose and edited the stories for this edition.
Changes and New Features
The 1953 edition included a study guide and a list of books (bibliography). It also had notes about changes made, like spelling updates. Some names from the original sources were left out on purpose.
The new drawings for this edition were made by Elizabeth Durack. She explained that her drawings were done in "the aboriginal manner." This edition was chosen as "Book of the Year" in 1954 by the Children's Book Council of Australia.
Henrietta Drake-Brockman wrote in her introduction that K. Langloh Parker was one of the first people to write about Aboriginal Australians as "fellow creatures." Drake-Brockman believed Parker was perhaps the first to truly show Aboriginal people's own view of themselves and their lives. She tried to share their thoughts and speech in written English.
Later Adaptations
Some of these stories were later adapted by Vashti Farrer in Tales of the Dreamtime (1982). Walter Cunningham provided the illustrations.
Another selection of Parker's tales was put together in Wise Women of the Dreamtime: Aboriginal Tales of the Ancestral Powers (1993). This book included comments from the editor, Johanna Lambert. Like the first edition, Lambert's book had illustrations without saying who drew them, except for the bark paintings by the artist Dorothy Djukulul.
Images for kids
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Illustration for Wirreenun the Rainmaker
