Within Australian Folklore
Can Stories Remember Lost Landscapes?
Some Australian oral traditions may preserve memories of sea-level rise, crater landscapes and long-term environmental change.
On this page
- Coastal stories and sea level rise
- Meteorite craters and sky events
- Why evidence must be handled carefully
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Introduction
Can stories remember landscapes that disappeared thousands of years ago? In Australia, a growing body of research suggests that some Aboriginal oral traditions may preserve memories of dramatic environmental changes, including rising seas that drowned ancient coastlines and events associated with striking geological features. These traditions are first and foremost part of living cultural systems, carrying social, spiritual and moral meanings. Yet some researchers argue that they may also contain observations of real environmental transformations that occurred long before written records existed.[Indigenous Languages]indigenous.sl.nsw.gov.auancient aboriginal stories preserve history rise sea levelIndigenous LanguagesAncient Aboriginal stories preserve history of a rise in sea levelWe argue that these stories (and probably many othe…
This idea has attracted international attention because Australia was inhabited throughout the period when global sea levels rose after the last Ice Age. As shorelines moved inland, islands formed and vast tracts of coastal plain disappeared beneath the ocean. In some places, oral traditions appear to describe former landscapes that archaeology and geology show once existed. The possibility that stories have preserved fragments of this ancient knowledge has become one of the most fascinating intersections between folklore, Indigenous knowledge and earth science.[jstor.org]jstor.orgAustralian Aboriginal Traditions about Coastal Changeby PD NUNN · 2016 · Cited by 16 — the effects of postglacial sea-level rise on…
Coastal Stories and Sea-Level Rise
The strongest and most widely discussed evidence concerns traditions from Australia’s coasts. During the end of the last Ice Age, sea levels rose by more than 100 metres, transforming the shape of the continent. Areas that are now seabed were once dry land crossed by people, animals and waterways. Scientific studies have identified dozens of Aboriginal traditions that describe coastlines extending farther seaward, islands once being connected to the mainland, or low-lying country being flooded by advancing waters.[harvard.edu]ui.adsabs.harvard.eduAstrophysics Data SystemAboriginal Memories of Inundation of the Australian Coast…by PD Nunn · 2016 · Cited by 368 — Stories belonging…
Researchers Patrick Nunn and colleagues examined stories from many parts of the Australian coast and argued that some may recall events that occurred before sea levels stabilised roughly 7,000 years ago. Several traditions describe people walking to places that are now islands or recount ancestral events occurring on land now underwater. In these narratives, flooding is sometimes presented as a natural process and sometimes as the action of ancestral beings, but the underlying geographical change is strikingly similar to what geological evidence indicates happened during the early Holocene period.[harvard.edu]ui.adsabs.harvard.eduAstrophysics Data SystemAboriginal Memories of Inundation of the Australian Coast…by PD Nunn · 2016 · Cited by 368 — Stories belonging…
Examples frequently discussed by researchers include:
- Traditions describing islands off the Australian coast as once being joined to the mainland.
- Stories recalling former coastal plains that disappeared beneath the sea.
- Accounts of people being forced to retreat inland as waters advanced.
- Narratives that preserve place-based memories of locations no longer visible today.[edu.au]unisc.edu.auEvidence the oral stories of Australia's First Nations might…Evidence suggests stories of Australia's islands and reefs being con…
Some scholars argue that these traditions may represent among the longest continuously transmitted memories known anywhere in the world. Others remain more cautious, noting the difficulty of proving exactly when a story originated. Even so, the overlap between oral traditions and reconstructed ancient shorelines has made these stories an important area of interdisciplinary research.[researchgate.net]researchgate.netResearch Gate Ancient Stories, Oral Tradition and the Post-Glacial WorldAncient Stories, Oral Tradition and the Post-Glacial WorldSeptember 1, 2018 — Australian Aboriginal oral tradition relating t…
For folklore enthusiasts, the significance lies not in treating stories as geological reports, but in recognising that oral traditions can preserve knowledge about place across immense spans of time while simultaneously expressing cultural values, spiritual relationships and community identity.[Monash Lens]lens.monash.eduindigenous archaeology and the landscape knowledge that sustains oral historiesMonash LensIndigenous archaeology and the knowledge that sustains oral…19 Jan 2021 — Aboriginal oral traditions from across coastal Au…
Meteorite Craters and Sky Events
Another category of traditions concerns unusual landforms associated with meteorite impacts. Australia contains several well-known impact craters, and some have oral traditions connected to their origins. Researchers studying Indigenous astronomy and oral history have examined whether these stories might preserve observations of ancient celestial events or later interpretations of striking geological features.[researchgate.net]researchgate.netUsing the literature, first-hand ethnographic records, and fieldtrip data.Read more…
The most frequently discussed case is the Henbury crater field in the Northern Territory. Geological dating suggests the impacts occurred around 4,000–5,000 years ago, well within the period of human occupation. Recorded traditions from the area describe a fiery object descending from the sky and associate the crater field with danger and powerful spiritual forces. Some researchers consider this one of the strongest examples where oral traditions may preserve memories of an actual impact event witnessed by ancestors.[sciencedirect.com]sciencedirect.comThe archaeology of orality: Dating Tasmanian Aboriginal…by D Hamacher · 2023 · Cited by 36 — Research provides strong evi…
Other examples include:
- Henbury Craters: Traditions interpreted by some scholars as recalling a destructive object falling from the sky.[ScienceDirect]sciencedirect.comThe archaeology of orality: Dating Tasmanian Aboriginal…by D Hamacher · 2023 · Cited by 36 — Research provides strong evi…
- Wolfe Creek Crater in Western Australia: Oral traditions include stories involving a celestial origin for the crater, although other explanations also exist within local traditions.[ResearchGate]researchgate.netUsing the literature, first-hand ethnographic records, and fieldtrip data.Read more…
- Tnorala (Gosses Bluff) in Central Australia: Well-known Western Arrernte traditions describe a celestial event involving a child falling from the sky, associated with the circular mountain formation visible today.[arXiv]arxiv.orgAboriginal Oral Traditions of Australian Impact Cratersby DW Hamacher · 2013 · Cited by 60 — Oral traditions describe impact origins…
Importantly, these traditions do not function simply as scientific explanations. They are embedded within broader systems of cultural meaning. A story may explain why a place is sacred, dangerous or significant while also reflecting observations of an unusual landscape feature. Researchers therefore stress that the traditions should not be reduced to attempts at geology or astronomy.[ResearchGate]researchgate.netUsing the literature, first-hand ethnographic records, and fieldtrip data.Read more…
How Could Knowledge Survive for So Long?
The suggestion that memories might persist for thousands of years naturally raises questions about transmission. Oral traditions are often misunderstood as casual storytelling, but many Aboriginal knowledge systems involve structured methods of teaching, repetition, ceremony, song, kinship obligations and collective verification. Stories are linked to specific places, helping preserve details through repeated engagement with Country itself.[The Guardian]theguardian.comindigenous australian storytelling records sea level rises over milleniaThe Guardianhow Indigenous Australian storytelling accurately records…Sep 16, 2015 — Distinctive 'cross-checking' tradition helps expl…
Researchers have proposed that landscape-linked traditions may endure because they are continually reinforced through travel routes, ceremonial practices and community education. Rather than relying on a single storyteller’s memory, knowledge is often distributed across groups and generations. This makes long-term preservation more plausible than many outsiders once assumed.[The Guardian]theguardian.comindigenous australian storytelling records sea level rises over milleniaThe Guardianhow Indigenous Australian storytelling accurately records…Sep 16, 2015 — Distinctive 'cross-checking' tradition helps expl…
At the same time, traditions are not static archives. They evolve, absorb new meanings and respond to changing circumstances. A story that originated in one historical context may acquire additional layers over centuries while still retaining elements connected to an older landscape.[ResearchGate]researchgate.netResearch Gate Ancient Stories, Oral Tradition and the Post-Glacial WorldAncient Stories, Oral Tradition and the Post-Glacial WorldSeptember 1, 2018 — Australian Aboriginal oral tradition relating t…
Why Evidence Must Be Handled Carefully
The idea of stories preserving ancient environmental knowledge is intriguing, but researchers emphasise caution. It is usually impossible to prove that a particular story has remained unchanged for thousands of years. Oral traditions are living cultural expressions, not frozen recordings.[ResearchGate]researchgate.netResearch Gate Ancient Stories, Oral Tradition and the Post-Glacial WorldAncient Stories, Oral Tradition and the Post-Glacial WorldSeptember 1, 2018 — Australian Aboriginal oral tradition relating t…
Several important limitations shape the debate:
- Similar stories can emerge independently in different places.
- Recorded versions may have been influenced by colonial-era interactions.
- Researchers often work with traditions collected long after the events they might describe.
- Sacred or restricted knowledge is not always available for public study.
- Geological interpretations can sometimes be speculative.[researchgate.net]researchgate.netResearch Gate Ancient Stories, Oral Tradition and the Post-Glacial WorldAncient Stories, Oral Tradition and the Post-Glacial WorldSeptember 1, 2018 — Australian Aboriginal oral tradition relating t…
Because of these challenges, most scholars avoid claiming that every apparent match between story and landscape represents a direct historical memory. Instead, they assess each case individually, looking for independent geological evidence, multiple versions of traditions and continuity of cultural transmission.[JSTOR]jstor.orgAustralian Aboriginal Traditions about Coastal Changeby PD NUNN · 2016 · Cited by 16 — the effects of postglacial sea-level rise on…
What makes Australia especially important in this discussion is not a single dramatic proof but the cumulative pattern. Across different regions, traditions repeatedly describe drowned coastlines, changing environments and remarkable landforms in ways that sometimes align with scientific reconstructions. Whether viewed as folklore, history, cultural memory or all three at once, these stories challenge assumptions about how much knowledge oral traditions can preserve and how deeply human memory can become entwined with landscape.[harvard.edu]ui.adsabs.harvard.eduAstrophysics Data SystemAboriginal Memories of Inundation of the Australian Coast…by PD Nunn · 2016 · Cited by 368 — Stories belonging…
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Endnotes
1.
Source: indigenous.sl.nsw.gov.au
Title: ancient aboriginal stories preserve history rise sea level
Link:https://indigenous.sl.nsw.gov.au/recent-updates/ancient-aboriginal-stories-preserve-history-rise-sea-level
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2.
Source: jstor.org
Link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/24810672
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3.
Source: lens.monash.edu
Title: indigenous archaeology and the landscape knowledge that sustains oral histories
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5.
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Title: oral tradition
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6.
Source: researchgate.net
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7.
Source: researchgate.net
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8.
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9.
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Source: researchgate.net
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Source: researchgate.net
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14.
Source: ui.adsabs.harvard.edu
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15.
Source: unisc.edu.au
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16.
Source: theguardian.com
Title: indigenous australian storytelling records sea level rises over millenia
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17.
Source: ui.adsabs.harvard.edu
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18.
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20.
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21.
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22.
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Additional References
23.
Source: reddit.com
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Aboriginal oral traditions about originsIndigenous Australian oral tradition apparently describes islands that post-glacial ocean rise su...
24.
Source: earthdate.org
Link:https://www.earthdate.org/episodes/the-oldest-story-ever-told
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The Oldest Story Ever ToldAt 36,900 years, this story is the longest-surviving tale of a geological event—more than five times older than...
25.
Source: stir.ac.uk
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University of StirlingTitle Archaeology, Memory and Oral TraditionThis essay attempts to understand attachments to landscapes and the rol...
26.
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27.
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28.
Source: kaiserscience.wordpress.com
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Tasmanian oral traditions link ancient history5 Sept 2024 — Historians have discovered that some Australian and Tasmanian aboriginal oral...
29.
Source: narit.or.th
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30.
Source: aboriginalastronomy.com.au
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These include the Henbury craters, Wolfe Creek Crater, Gosse's Bluff...Read more...
31.
Source: sciencenews.org
Title: handed down tales tell ancient sea level rise
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Handed-down tales tell of ancient sea level riseSep 22, 2015 — Aboriginal groups from every part of Australia's coastline tell stories of...
32.
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