Species: Northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus)
Status: Endangered
Crow and Quoll go fishing
Legend from Arnhem Land
According to an Aboriginal legend from north-eastern Arnhem Land (culture unspecified) Walik the Crow and Bari Pari the Quoll ("marsupial cat") one day invented the first fish-trap together. Unfortunately, while they were not looking, a relative of Crow, Balin the barramundi swam into the trap along with other fish. While Crow and Quoll were celebrating their invention with dancing, another clan came along, speared all the fish in the traps, and ate them. Crow and Quoll returned too late, and only found Balin's bones in the sand.
Mourning for Balin, they placed the fish bones into a hollow log, and set out with their clans to take revenge. The fight, however, did not go their way, so the crows and quolls decided to flee into the sky, carrying the hollow log and the fish bones with them. They set up camp along the shores of Milnguya, the Milky Way. The twinkling of stars is actually the light of their campfires, and the bright spots on the quolls' back. In the dark spots along the Milky Way you can see the crows, and the hollow log.
Sources: Read this story here, here, here, or here.
How can I help?
Read about conservation efforts here, here, or here.
What do you see in the dark spots of the Milky Way?
Posts
Such a cute face this quoll has- the nose and those eyes. I like the idea of looking up to gaze at campfire lights:)
ReplyDeleteLet me be honest. If u read my post of today- the 1st para- will tell u - I don't know any animal name from Q. My main interest to coming to your post today was to know which animal you choose. Thanks for Quall.
ReplyDeleteAnd to add to it- is another memorable folklore u have given.
Beautiful tale! And cute kind of mouse ;)
ReplyDeleteQ is for Quilting Longarm
That's such a cute animal! It looks a bit like a large chipmunk's body with a bigger tail and different pattern.
ReplyDeletesweet looking little marsupial. It needs to not eat those evil cane toads! Have a happy and healthy day! See you tomorrow!
ReplyDeletevery cute.
ReplyDeletecute little creature. The story where they are in the stars so beautiful - many stories there.
ReplyDeleteThe Letter Q
He looks like rodent. Can one be a rodent and a marsupial?
ReplyDeleteFinding Eliza
Australia and New Zealand are home to a lot of such marsupials that are facing the threat of extinction. The recent wildfire hasn't helped as well. The story was a charming one.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy this origin stories very much. Quoll and crow working together to fish. Who can think up such things.
ReplyDeleteI think I saw a TV program about the conservation of the Quoll. It's funny, when I look up at the night sky I see stars and planets, my mind doesn't make them into things, unlike in the day when my brain makes all sorts of things with clouds. Probably because I find astrophysics fascinating, but I'm not overly bothered by meteorology :D
ReplyDeleteTasha 💖
Virginia's Parlour - The Manor (Adult concepts - nothing explicit in posts)
Tasha's Thinkings - Vampire Drabbles
I've never heard of this creature. Interesting story.
ReplyDeleteAn A-Z of Faerie: Red Caps
What a fun idea to think of the stars as quoll-spots. Around here they could perhaps be starling-spangles, although starlings aren't native in North America, either.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that barramundi was related to crow, but not the other fish, which they had planned to eat.
Black and White (Words and Pictures)
Hey, here's the heart of a very good story, and an epic one.
ReplyDelete@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter - Living the Twenties