Creature of the Week: Bunyip

Name: Bunyip, Banib, Kianpatry, Wawee, Mulyawonk, Moolgewanke. 

You may know it from: Godzilla: King of Monsters

Dear Reader,

The monster I am writing about today is somewhat similar to one from weeks long past, the Kelpie. Much like it, the Bunyip is a water-dwelling spirit (sometimes described as being hooded in seaweed), a shapeshifter, and characterized as murky like the water surrounding it. There is no definitive physical form of the bunyip, although it is generally known to be spiritual and amphibian. The Bunyip is more of a classification for various water spirits from “the Dreaming,” a term denoting various Australian Aboriginal spirits and deities. Obviously, putting such a broad term like “the Dreaming” on such a wide collection of people has many issues. One of the most significant issues is the name itself, which is a mistranslation of the Arrernte word alcheringa, although the term has been reclaimed by many groups. The term “Bunyip” itself is also a linguistic mistake, seemingly reminiscent of the original name given to  Wemba-Wemba river spirits, but warped by later colonial language. Linguistic mutations aside, it was a force that was feared. The Bunyip was a guardian of its dwelling, protecting whatever body of water it resided in from any threats. What it considered to be threats ranged from the minor, like children swimming, to the more significant, like people overfishing. Regardless of the threat level, perpetrators were eaten by the Bunyip. The Bunyip, like many of the prior creatures detailed in this column, embodied the unknown. It lacks a definite form and resides in a place where few can enter. An Australian Aboriginal story describes how a group of girls reacted to the Bunyip: “They found themselves looking over their shoulders and imagining that the dark shadows were the Bunyip.”

To the colonizers, who were constantly surrounded by the unknown, the idea of the Bunyip was not terribly unreasonable. Many colonialists became enamored with the idea of the Bunyip as an undiscovered ancient animal to be revealed. The Bunyip was no longer a spiritual creature, but one possessing a physical form that could be hunted. In 1841, a skull (now called the Macleay skull) was found which was believed to have belonged to a Bunyip. The skull was paraded around, seen as a great discovery, and its reputation became even more inflated after another skull was discovered. However, both skulls were later determined to be from deformed foals, originating from Europe. Following this incident, belief in the Bunyip dwindled, but didn’t die. The Royal Society continued their search and many pseudoscientists tied the Bunyip to the made-up land of Lemuria, a supposed primordial land from which human life emerged. This was a Social Darwinist idea, and this school of thought deemed the Australian Aboriginal people as direct descendants of the first humans. Because of this, they were considered uncivilized. As any evidence of the Bunyip dried up, Europeans began to make fun of them. Bunyips were then increasingly trivialized in books and other forms of popular media. For example, the collection of short stories Steve Brown’s Bunyip contains a story about an Aboriginal man who mistakes an elephant for a Bunyip. Another instance is found in the family film Dot and the Kangaroo, in which Aboriginal hunters are tricked by the child protagonist Dot who is wearing a Bunyip disguise. In both cases, the persons tricked are Aboriginal and the false image of a Bunyip is meant to convey their laughable stupidity.

It would be wrong to say that the original idea of the Bunyip was wholly discarded, as in recent years it has returned. The Bunyip is a popular figure in many children's books, and although they are often friendly, some of the more fearsome elements have been preserved. The status of the Bunyip as a guardian of the environment has remained, however, as seen by it’s portrayal in the children’s book Gloop The Gloomy Bunyip. Many similar narratives reject the European view, like the children’s book The Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek, where a Bunyip is rejected by the world and shunned by a white scientist, but is able to find happiness after finding another Bunyip. First Nations people began publishing books about various creatures of the Dreaming intended for an Aboriginal audience. Oral histories have persisted as well, stories of the synonymous Mulyawonk persist to this day. While the modern day Bunyip is still far from its roots, it has gradually been returning to its native water.