Light and life
“Aunt Maude, who are the Aborigines?” Mark asked.
Mark was from America. He and his parents were visiting relatives in
Australia. Mark had heard some Australians talking about people called
Aborigines. He wondered who these people could be.
“Why,” his aunt said, “the Aborigines are the first people who lived
here, just as the Indians were the first people to live in your country.
When European explorers discovered Australia, they found many tribes of
dark-skinned people already here. The explorers called them Aborigines,
which means ‘first.’ “
“Did they live like the Indians?” asked Mark.
“A bit,” Aunt Maude said. “They had only stone tools and weapons, and no
houses. They hunted and fished and gathered wild plants for food. At
night, they often sat around a campfire and told stories. I know one of
their stories. W ould you like to hear it?”
“Sure!” said Mark.
His aunt sat down and made herself comfortable. “It’s one tribe’s story
of how the world began. It goes like this:
“Before the beginning of things, there was darkness and silence
everywhere. The world was a place of bare rock. Nothing grew anywhere,
nothing moved, and no sound was heard. But, deep in dark and icy caverns
lay the creatures of the world. They were not yet alive. They lay
sleeping in the cold darkness, waiting for life.
“In the great darkness beyond the earth, Yhi the sun floated. She, too,
was sleeping. She, too, was waiting.
\”Then, the waiting ended. Through the vast darkness came the voice of
Baime, the Great Power of Thought. ‘Awake,’ he whispered.
\”Yhi’s eyes flew open. From them, golden light flowed over the world.
Yhi sped downward until she walked upon the earth. Wherever her feet
touched the ground, plants sprang up, called forth by the brightness of
her light. North, south, east, and west, Yhi walked, until she had
covered the whole world. Now trees, flowers, and grass grew everywhere.
“Once again, Yhi heard the voice of Baime. ‘This is good,’ he said. ‘But
you have only begun. Now, take your light into the dark places of the
world and call forth what you find there.’
“Yhi went down into a cavern beneath the ground. As her blazing light
reached into the darkness, countless tiny shapes began to stir. Wings
fluttered and thin legs scuttled as the creatures came joyfully out of
the darkness and into the light. Yhi left the cavern, followed by
millions of insects. They swarmed out into the world among the grass and
trees.
“Yhi went up into the mountains. There she found a cave of ice, frozen
hard as a rock, and filled with darkness. In the warmth of Yhi’s glow,
the ice began to melt. As it turned into water, swimming shapes
appeared—fish, frogs, and reptiles. The water rushed out of the cavern
and poured down the mountainside. Soon there were rivers and lakes, all
filled with life.
“From other caves in the mountains, the light of
Yhi brought forth birds and furry animals. They scattered out into the
world to learn their ways of life.
“With her work done, Yhi soared up into the sky and became a bright ball
of light. Then, Baime drew together bits of dust, air, and the power of
thought. From these, he formed a creature that walked upon two legs. It
was Man.
“Man was delighted with the plants, animals, and the whole world. But,
after a time, he grew lonely. Only he, among all of Baime’s creatures,
could think and talk. He needed a companion.
“Yhi let her light pour down upon a stalk of flowers growing on a tree.
As Man watched, the flowers changed into another creature—a creature
like himself. It was Woman. Man and Woman joined hands and went off
together. The light of Yhi smiled down upon the earth.”
