Bunjil's Six Young Men- Aboriginal Australian GroupCollective
Domains
Description
Six ancestral helpers who accompanied Bunjil during his creation work across Kulin country, each a bird or animal spirit carrying a different gift. Djurt-djurt the nankeen kestrel carried fire. When the creator's work was finished, whirlwinds carried them all to the sky, where they became stars.
Mythology & Lore
The Gifts
A.W. Howitt recorded the six young men as a band of ancestral beings who traveled with Bunjil across Kulin country during the Dreamtime. Each was a bird or animal spirit, and each carried a gift that humanity would need. Djurt-djurt the nankeen kestrel carried fire, and fire was the gift that mattered most: warmth, cooked food, the controlled burning that kept the land alive. The others brought knowledge of hunting and finding water. Together with Bunjil, they shaped the country and made it livable.
The Whirlwinds
When Bunjil's work on earth was finished, his helpers went with him. Bunjil called on Bellin-Bellin the crow, keeper of the winds, to open his bags. The whirlwinds caught Bunjil, his two Ganawarra wives, and the six young men, and carried them up into the sky. They are still there, watching over Kulin country from among the stars.
Relationships
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