Myths & Legends
A myth can be like a poem which proclaims a truth and tells people how they should live.
It is a moral tale, but the story can be quite short and simple.
Most Meriam myths feature salt-water creatures, humans, sea birds, canoes, as well as natural features like the sun, moon and stars; and these may change their form, from one into another. The myths have several layers of meaning and behind each story lies a guide to everyday life.
For instance, the myth of Malo says that stars follow their own course across the sky.
To the Meriam this means, "each to his own place", as well as "follow in your father's, and his father's, footsteps".
As a result, each person knows this story is not only a statement about rights and responsibilities to land; it is also about inheritance, the continuity of custom, resurrection and eternal life.
It is a moral tale, but the story can be quite short and simple.
Most Meriam myths feature salt-water creatures, humans, sea birds, canoes, as well as natural features like the sun, moon and stars; and these may change their form, from one into another. The myths have several layers of meaning and behind each story lies a guide to everyday life.
For instance, the myth of Malo says that stars follow their own course across the sky.
To the Meriam this means, "each to his own place", as well as "follow in your father's, and his father's, footsteps".
As a result, each person knows this story is not only a statement about rights and responsibilities to land; it is also about inheritance, the continuity of custom, resurrection and eternal life.
The Malo-Bomai myth
Text
Las, Malo dance, Malo's laws, Malo-Bomai, Meriam culture, Meriam history, Papua New Guinea, sacred, Stars of Tagai, Torres Strait
Tagai Myth
Image and Text
Dauar, Meriam culture, Meriam history, Stars of Tagai, Tagai, Torres Strait
A Sacred Landscape
Topic
aboriginal property ownership, anthropology, Australia, clans, dispossession, kinship, land ownership, religion, sacred
The Laws Of Malo
Topic
indigenous law, Malo's laws, Malo-Bomai, Meriam culture, Meriam history, Murray Island, religion, sacred, sacred
Malo's Law
Topic
Malo's laws, Malo-Bomai, Meriam culture, Meriam history, Murray Island, religion, sacred
