Songlines - Examples of Songlines

Examples of Songlines

• The Yolngu people of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory tell the story of Barnumbirr, a creator-being associated with the planet Venus, who came from the island of Baralku in the East, guiding the first humans to Australia, and then flew across the land from East to West, naming and creating the animals, plants, and natural features of the land.

• The Yarralin people of the Victoria River Valley venerate the spirit Walujapi as the Dreaming Spirit of the black-headed python. Walujapi is said to have carved a snakelike track along a cliff-face and deposited an impression of her buttocks when she sat establishing camp. Both signs are currently discernible.

• The Rainbow Serpent followed a path across Northern Australia, creating rivers and mountains as she went, and stopping at especially sacred places, such as Ubirr. A song, created by her, is still sung by Indigenous Australians, and describes her journey, and the features along it.

• The Native Cat Dreaming Spirits who are said to have commenced their journey at the sea and to have moved north into the Simpson Desert, traversing as they did so the lands of the Aranda, Kaititja, Ngalia, Kukatja, Unmatjera and Ilpara. Each peoples sing the part of the Native Cat Dreaming relating to the songlines for which they are bound in a territorial relationship of reciprocity.

• In the Sydney region, because of the soft Sydney sandstone, valleys often end in a canyon or cliff, and so travelling along the ridge lines was much easier than travelling in the valleys. Thus the songlines tend to follow the ridge lines, and this is also where much of the sacred art, such as the Sydney Rock Engravings, are located. In contrast, in many other parts of Australia, the songlines tend to follow valleys, where water may be more easily found.

• Songlines have been linked to aboriginal art sites in the Wollemi National Park in New South Wales.