Madonna - November/December 2008

A moon story - Elizabeth Pike

From the very beginning of time people and cultures from around the world have used planets, stars, constellations and other night-sky phenomena for a multitude of purposes. Here are just a few.

To tell the time of the year: The Egyptians marked the beginning of a New Year at the first rising of Sirius.

To find direction: The Spanish and the Portuguese used the Southern Cross to navigate in the Southern Hemisphere; the star Canopus is used today in spacecraft navigation.

To know where to find food: Some Aboriginal groups in South Australia knew that the appearance of star Arcturus heralds the time to go looking for the larvae of wood ants.

To teach appropriate behaviour: Stories of the Pleiades, seen by the naked eye as a small cluster of six or seven stars, are parables of passion and lust and what may happen if we succumb to these vices. Many Aboriginal myth stories are appropriate teachings about behaviour.

There are many stories about night-sky phenomena that talk about the creation of the sun and the moon and landscape formations that have ancient star-people as creators. It is clear that throughout history the stars have inspired people to reflect on our past, present and the possibilities of the future. There are many Dreaming legends from different groups that explain how the moon came to be and why it changes shape. The following is one such story from the Northern Territory.

Japara lived in the ancient Dreaming and was an excellent hunter who had a wife and a little son whom he loved dearly. One day when he was out hunting, another man called Parukapoli came to visit Japara’s wife. Parukapoli was very lazy and didn’t like hunting; he preferred telling stories.

He told many stories to Japara’s wife, telling them so cleverly that she forgot everything else as she listened and laughed. For a moment she even forgot her baby boy, who had crawled to a stream nearby and toppled over into the water. When his mother heard the splash, she was horrified and ran to try to pull him out. But it was too late: the little one died in her arms.

For several hours she sat by the stream holding his little body, wailing and waiting for Japara to return. When Japara returned and heard her story, he was extremely angry, blaming his wife. Then, in a blaze of anger, he killed her.

He searched for Parukapoli, and when he found him they fought until both men were badly injured. Japara finally killed Parukapoli. Japara was left in much pain from his wounds and was now suffering the loss of his wife and son. The rest of the group were also very angry with Japara for killing his wife.

Slowly Japara began to listen to his people, eventually realising his wife did not mean her child to drown, because she always loved her husband and baby so much. Then Japara became burdened with sorrow and regretted his hasty actions deeply.

In spite of his wounds, he hurried back to where he had left his wife and little son, but their bodies had disappeared, although no one had touched them. Immediately, he knew the kind spirits had taken them home to live in the sky. Japara called on the spirits to forgive him. He wanted nothing more now than to be with his family. The good spirits in the heavens heard his pleas and knew he was speaking the truth.

The spirits assured him his family was safe with them and they now decided that he may leave the earth world and come there too. But as a punishment for his deeds he was told, ‘You must search this wide, lonely sky until you find them, It will not be easy.’

The people who tell this story believe that the moon is the reflection of Japara’s campfire. The lines on the moon’s surface that are sometimes visible are a reminder of his scars. The changing phases of the moon are because Japara is always changing camp as he searches the dark world for his family—although some of his group believe he has found his family and they are now moving around exploring the mysteries of the sky world together.

What does this story have to say to us today? Like most Aboriginal stories, we need to look for the deeper meaning behind them. This is the same with the stories Jesus told in his day. When reading these stories, families or other groups might find it interesting to have a discussion about what is the moral behind them.

This story is also saying that the moon is still one of the most extraordinary and interesting objects of the universe. From ancient times, all cultures have tried to explore and investigate its influence on people and nature. It plays an important role for our planet since it governs the tides of the ocean, and many scientists have proved that the full moon has a particular influence on the human organism. The positive or negative influence depends on our different personalities.

In recent times, as knowledge has advanced, we know that human beings have walked upon the moon, but its awe and mystery still remain. Let us hope that it will be left that way, allowing the moon to remain one of humankind’s most illustrious sources of story and legend.

A moon story - Elizabeth Pike