The quirky origins of Australia’s native animal names

In Australia there are more than 250 Indigenous languages including around 800 dialects. Languages are living things that connect people to Country, culture and ancestors. Many words for Australian native animals come from these languages.

‘Keriba gesep agiakar dikwarda keriba mir. Ableglam keriba Mir pako Tonar nole atakemurkak.’ — The land actually gave birth to our language. Language and culture are inseparable.

Bua Benjamin Mabo, Meriam linguist

Language is identity

‘Language is part of our songlines, stories, spirituality, law, culture, identity and connection. Language transfers important knowledge passed down from our Ancestors and Elders that guides us.’

– Lynnice Church, Ngunnawal

‘Bandicoot’: an Indian name for big Asian rat

Emu – Portuguese/South American in origin, named for the rheas in South America, big flightless birds like those endemic to Australia.

Goanna – comes from the word ‘iguana’.

‘Echidna’ and ‘platypus’ – these started off as scientific names and quickly made their way into the Australian vernacular.

There is now a push towards giving Australian native animals the names originally given to them by Australia’s First Nation’s peoples instead of foreign Latin names with no cultural meaning attached to place.

Aboriginal mythology incorporates Ancestor spirits that are related to important animals into Dreamtime law, and animals like kangaroos, emus, koalas and wombats features prominently in the culture of Indigenous groups across Australia. Their images are seen in paintings from the furtherest south to the most northern regions of the continent.

Many Aboriginal names have a pleasing phonetic sound on the tongue and mouth when spoken. Like the ‘Woylie’, or in English the ‘brush-tailed bettong’; or ‘kakarratul and itjaritjari’ in place of ‘northern and southern marsupial mole’.

There is also a growing trend for using scientific names that draw upon Aboriginal words. One striking example is the red and yellow mountain frog or the Philoria kundagungan. In the Kabi language of southern Queensland, ‘kunda’ means mountain and ‘gungan’ means frog.

By using these phonetically beautiful and interesting words, it’s just another way that everyone can honour and respect the traditional custodians of the land – by using the original names of the animals living there. Below are some of the original names so that you know.

 

Koalas in First Nations Art