Bunyip, Bunjil and mother-in-law avoidance: New insights into the interpretation of Bunjils Shelter, Victoria, Australia
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: Bunjils Shelter in the Black Range near Stawell, Victoria, Australia, is generally regarded as one of the most significant rock art sites in Victoria. However, its provenance has been marked by nagging doubts about its authenticity, and for a short period of time it was delisted from the site register of the Victoria Archaeological Survey. A 1925 newspaper article by Rev. John Mathew based on information he obtained from a Wimmera Aboriginal woman at Lake Tyers Aboriginal station in 1924 has the potential to augment the interpretive significance of the site. We now know that the site is commemorative of a major clash between Bunjil and Bunyip and is interwoven with the principle of mother-in-law avoidance. This paper briefly revisits the history of the provenance of the site before discussing the 'new' interpretation.
Source: Rock Art Research
Author: Ian Clark
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funder: Federation University Australia
OpenAlex ID: W3033338710