Tale
Australian Legendary Tales
Katie Langloh Parker · 1896
Synopsis
Thirty-one tales collected by the author from the Noongahburrah, on the estate where she lived, and dedicated to Peter Hippi, whom she calls their king. They explain why the emu Dinewan lost his wings through the cunning of the bustard, how Lake Narran came into being after the abduction of Byamee's wives, and how the seven Meamei sisters, two of whom had been taken by Wurrunnah, became the Pleiades. Bahloo, the Moon, offers men a bargain over death.
Context
The book appeared in London and Melbourne with an introduction by Andrew Lang, a specialist in folklore, who compared some of the tales to Ovid's Metamorphoses. The drawings are by a self-taught Aboriginal artist, later identified as Tommy McRae. In 1897 the critic A. G. Stephens judged the material insignificant and perhaps invented; the author replied by describing her method: each tale was retold by a speaker more at ease in English, then read back to those who had told it.
Who it is for
About thirty short tales in English, to be read separately; according to the Australian Women's Register, some elders did not want what they confided to be published.
Prizes and reception
Sold well enough for a second volume to follow in 1898; a selection from 1953 was awarded a prize by the Children's Book Council of Australia.
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