In The Beginning

The Great Drought

This story tells how there was a terrible drought followed by a lethal flood. There's a terrible drought and all the animals get together and realise that all water is being held inside a giant frog called Tidilick, the only way to get the water out is to make the frog laugh. They decide to hold a talent contest 'Get Out of Drought'. The Kookaburra tries and fails, the Frill Lizard tries and fails, the Crane tries and fails and finally the Short Finned Eel succeeds and Tidilick the frog laughs so much that the earth is flooded. This story is from Australia where the First Nations (Aboriginal) people have lived for over 65 thousand years. This dreaming story from the Gurnaikurnai people, 'Tidilick The Frog' that tells of the natural history of the area and the flood records the period of natural change. The Lurtbit Yauung Brataualung clan group recorded this story which depicts the natural history of the country going through a turbulent time of great natural change, which shaped the landscape as we know it today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hainuwele the Coconut Girl

In this story we hear where root vegetables (tubars) and root spices came from and how people with good and evil hearts are separated. The god Ameta finds a coconut one day, he plants it and a lovely girl Hainuwele (coconut girl) grows from the ground. She has the amazing gift of being able to poo precious items. This instills jealousy amongst the villagers who decide to get rid of Hainuwele. She becomes the root of all root plants and spices and her leaves are made into a guilt gate and with the help of the goddess Satene anyone with a dark heart is turned into an animal and if they are particularly evil they are turned into goblins. This story is from the Alifuru, Wemale and Alune people on the island of Ceram, located in the centre of the Muluka islands that are now part of Indonesia. They worship many gods, spirits and divine creatures. Ameta who appears in this story, is the god who fathered Hainuwele (which means coconut girl) goddess of fertility. The other goddess who appears in this story is Satene - a goddess who became queen of the dead on the mountain of Salahua where people's souls went once they died.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coyote and Silver Fox

In this story we learn how the earth is created and how domestic relationships sometimes have to be managed. In the beginning there is nothing but water. Silver Fox is lonely and thinks Coyote into being. Together they sing the world into existence and go down to live on it. They live in harmony together except for the fact that Coyote is always hungry and Silver Fox keeps going out to get things to eat but he gobbles everything up and never shares or saves food. She eventually gets fed up of his antics and sets a trap. She's a crafty fox and teaches Coyote her worth and they live in harmony after that. This story is from the Miwok tribe of indigenous people (also known as Native Americans or American Indians) who have lived  in North America (Turtle Island) for at least 15,000 years. Coyote and Silver Fox represent the first people and even though they are animals they behave just the way people would. Coyote, who features in many stories, is often represented as a trickster and makes frivolous decisions and as you can hear in this story he is always hungry. Silver Fox is more serious and wise.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pangu Creates the Earth and Nuwa Creates Humans

These are two stories form ancient China describing how the world was created and how humans were made. In the beginning there is nothing but a cosmic egg.  Pangu emerges from this egg and the upper part becomes Yin the sky and lower part becomes Yang the earth. He begins to form the earth with the help of Phoenix, Dragon and Tortoise but becomes exhausted and his body becomes the earth itself. Later, Nuwa a goddess with a fish tail comes down to earth but is lonely as she has no one to talk to. She decides to make humans out of mud and clay. She finds it too tiring to fashion them one at time so she finds a better way by splattering mud with a stick. This is how she populates the earth.  The earliest human settlements in what is today called China date back 7000 years. China was ruled by a number of different dynasties and has a very old and rich tradition of legends and mythology. The main characters of these stories are gods, goddesses, ghosts and demons. The main themes reflect various aspects of human nature, human relations and social life. Pangu is accompanied by three animals that feature in many ancient Chinese stories; Dragon who represents wisdom and power, Tortoise a symbol of strength and immortality and there are stories where the history of the world is written on its shell, and Phoenix, a symbol of rebirth.  In the second part of the story we hear about how humans were created by Nuwa also known as Nu-Kua, Nu-Kwa, Nü-Wa a Chinese Creator Goddess and mother of all humans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Cosmic Hug

This story is from the Māori people explaining how the earth and the sky were separated so that light could enable forests and plants to grow, followed by animals and humans.  In the beginning there is nothing but the cosmos. Rangi (Ranginui) the sky father and Papatua (Papatūānuku) the earth mother hold each other in a tight embrace. Papatua gives birth to 70 sons who are caught between their mother and father with very little space and no light. They have to find a way out. Eventually, led by Tāne , (who becomes god of the forests) they manage to prize their parents apart. (Tāwhiri) Tāwhirimātea the god of the weather or wind doesn't agree with his brothers separating their mother and father. The other brothers featured are Tu (Tūmātauenga  - angry face) God of war, Whiro, god of darkness and Uru, the first born and god of light. As they prize their parents apart light shines through and the forests begins to grow and the earth becomes populated by plants and animals.  The ancestors of the Māori people arrived in Aotearoa (translated as land of the thick white cloud) from the Polynesian Islands by boat over 1000 years ago and settled in this new land. They first encountered Europeans in the 1600’s when the Dutch landed onshore and called this island Nieuw Zeeland after the Dutch province Zeeland. The next Europeans to arrive where the British in 1769 led by Captain Cook and the colonisation by the British began.In Māori society there is a long tradition of singing and storytelling. History is passed on through the many stories shared from generation to generation through song, dance and chants. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.