The Mirning people in South Australia are the Whale Dreamers. I was very honoured to see a Documentary called “Return of the Whale Dreamers”2004. It was seven years in the making. The Elder present Uncle Bunna Laurie. He had been a public figure within the Aboriginal music circles since the 80s. The venue was the Southern Cross University in Lismore, NSW. Before the documentary began, Uncle Bunna tells a personal encounter with a mother whale and her baby. He was down by the sea singing the traditional songs of his people. The mother whale heard the song and came close to the shoreline to listen. She remembered the song. Her baby was close by her side. The mother whale then swims away from the shoreline, still in Uncle Bunna view. The mother whale told her baby the song. The baby whale swims to the shoreline close to Uncle Bunna. The baby whale turns over onto its back and reveals a diamond shape on its belly—the Totemic design of the Mirning people. It is a spellbinding and authentic traditional encounter between an Origine elder and their totemic species who have faithfully preserved their kinship ties. The whale family are archaic storytellers. It is time to listen.
