논문 : 호주 원주민신화에 나타난 여성상징 연구: 카툼바 자매신화와 와윌락 자매신화를 중심으로 = A Study on Female Symbol in Australia Aboriginal Myth: with Special Reference to Myth of Sisters

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper is to examine the meanings of female symbol in Australian Aboriginal myth. The author chose the Katoomba myth of three sisters and the myth of Wiwilak sisters. These myths are the sacred narratives containing the truth about the life and death of humanity, not an illusionary fiction. The process of the colonization of European prisoners made the main themes of aboriginal myths distorted and transformed according to the needs of colonizers. The life-giving power of female symbol was lost and the wisdom of aborigines was despised. The evolution theory regarded aborigines as the lowest race in the world, and the dichotomy of Western culture made aboriginal ontology misunderstood. The myth shows us the hidden history of colonialism and the forgotten power of female sexuality. In the Wiwilak myth, two sisters walked on the land taking care of babies and bleeding. Their long journey with continuous bleeding created animals whereever they visited. And they gave names to the shapes which they created. After the rainbow snake swallowed sisters, they became a hermaphrodite. This union of male and female empowered the world and the new life began. In conclusion, the myth of sisters shows us the solidarity of woman and the continuity of mysterious knowledge transmitted within the female circle of aboriginal tribes. Myth teaches us that nature (or environment) are not the simple objects of exploitation but the extended ego that we should understand for coexistence and harmony.