16/09/2024
Love the Dreamtime Stories!
How the Kangaroo got her Pouch
Dreamtime Story (borrowed from https://artark.com.au/)
Long ago, a kangaroo was grooming her joey on the bank of a brook, enjoying the sound of the water. One day, an old, blind wombat approached them, lamenting his worthlessness. The kind-hearted kangaroo offered friendship and guided him to fresh grass and clean water.
While caring for the wombat, the kangaroo realised her joey had wandered off. She found him asleep under a gum tree and, relieved, returned to check on the wombat. However, she spotted an Aboriginal hunter targeting the wombat. To protect him, she made noise to draw the hunter's attention to herself and then fled to a cave for safety.
After the hunter passed, the kangaroo returned to her joey, but the wombat was gone. Unknown to her, the wombat was actually the great god Byamee, who had disguised himself to find the kindest creature. Impressed by the kangaroo's kindness, Byamee decided to reward her with a special gift.
Byamee instructed the sky spirits to create a dilly bag apron from eucalyptus bark and give it to the kangaroo mother. When she tied it around her waist, it transformed into a pouch of soft kangaroo fur, allowing her to carry her joey securely. Touched by her generous spirit, Byamee extended this gift to all other marsupial mothers, ensuring their babies would rarely get lost again.
