Issue five: A traditional tale from the Yuwaalaraay/Euahlayi people people of the Narran Lakes area, as collected, translated, and published by Katie Langloh Parker in 1896
Thanks for sharing a tale that I otherwise wouldn't have read. It is always a joy to me that across cultures, continents and vast spans of time, although the settings and some specific references change, the stories humans tell are of complex relationships and love.
In contrast to this folk-lore tale,I am currently reading The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, published as a series by Charles Dickens in the late 1880s. I had a similar feeling of familiarity and illumination when I read his line about the young people being more concerned with serious things in the world, while the older generation can see the mirth in their circumstance. It struck me that what is true today was obviously true when he was writing and observing society.
Ha! What a surprising and intriguing connection to have drawn. It does seem true that family, and inter-generational relationships, are often at the core of many stories, across a vast array of cultures and contexts. The mother/son and mother/daughters-in-law relationships in 'Goonur' are so interesting. I love how the relationships have that sense of being both familiar and strange.
I think, however, what I love most about this story (oh! so many things!) are that Goonur, the mother, is such a powerful figure with deep wisdom and expertise, and that the story involves resurrecting the dead using ants. Ants! So cool.
Thanks for sharing a tale that I otherwise wouldn't have read. It is always a joy to me that across cultures, continents and vast spans of time, although the settings and some specific references change, the stories humans tell are of complex relationships and love.
In contrast to this folk-lore tale,I am currently reading The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, published as a series by Charles Dickens in the late 1880s. I had a similar feeling of familiarity and illumination when I read his line about the young people being more concerned with serious things in the world, while the older generation can see the mirth in their circumstance. It struck me that what is true today was obviously true when he was writing and observing society.
Are we all really just telling the same story?!
Ha! What a surprising and intriguing connection to have drawn. It does seem true that family, and inter-generational relationships, are often at the core of many stories, across a vast array of cultures and contexts. The mother/son and mother/daughters-in-law relationships in 'Goonur' are so interesting. I love how the relationships have that sense of being both familiar and strange.
I think, however, what I love most about this story (oh! so many things!) are that Goonur, the mother, is such a powerful figure with deep wisdom and expertise, and that the story involves resurrecting the dead using ants. Ants! So cool.