image of person or book cover 6558425049670813458.jpg
Image courtesy of publisher's website.
y separately published work icon Wunambi the Water Snake single work   picture book   children's   Indigenous story  
Issue Details: First known date: 1991... 1991 Wunambi the Water Snake
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

The story of Wunambi, the water snake who roamed the earth when the world was young. His great tracks became the rivers and creeks that exist today.

Notes

  • Dedication: This story is dedicated to those generations of grandmothers who did so much to pass on their traditions and to help us understand. It was told to the children by the old people who gathered together at nights to share and to tell of times past.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,: Aboriginal Studies Press , 1991 .
      image of person or book cover 6558425049670813458.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: vii, 37p.p.
      Description: col. illus.
      Note/s:
      • Includes: Glossary Wongutha words
      ISBN: 0855752238
    • Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,: Aboriginal Studies Press , 2005 .
      image of person or book cover 8391491096304186955.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 29p.
      Edition info: 2nd ed.
      Description: col. illus.
      ISBN: 0855755008

Other Formats

  • Also sound recording.
  • Poster accompanying book

Works about this Work

Untitled Kevin Steinberger , 1992 single work review
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , vol. 36 no. 1 1992; (p. 21)

— Review of Wunambi the Water Snake May L. O'Brien , 1991 single work picture book
Book Reviews Michelle Huet , 1992 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Aboriginal Studies , no. 1 1992; (p. 95-97)

These four books are undeniably Aboriginal in nature and are all important books but there the similarities end. They present three different perspectives. The Legend of the Seven Sisters and Wunambi are traditional stories from Western Australia written by May O'Brien and illustrated by Sue Wyatt with a definite educational purpose. Pigs and Honey, written and illustrated by a non-Aboriginal person, Jeanie Adams, gives an insight into the life of the Aurukun community on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland. The Story of the Falling Star is not only a traditional story but also a story about the Paakantji people and their land in the Darling River area of New South Wales. It is told by one of their own people, Elsie Jones, in collaboration with the Western Regional Aboriginal Land Council.' (Introduction)

Wunambi The Water Snake 1991 single work column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 17 July no. 5 1991; (p. 4)
Aboriginal Studies Press author May 'O'Brien is an Aboriginal person who often speaks of the traditional Aboriginal stories, information and skills, that are already lost.'
Untitled Kevin Steinberger , 1992 single work review
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , vol. 36 no. 1 1992; (p. 21)

— Review of Wunambi the Water Snake May L. O'Brien , 1991 single work picture book
Wunambi The Water Snake 1991 single work column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 17 July no. 5 1991; (p. 4)
Aboriginal Studies Press author May 'O'Brien is an Aboriginal person who often speaks of the traditional Aboriginal stories, information and skills, that are already lost.'
Book Reviews Michelle Huet , 1992 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Aboriginal Studies , no. 1 1992; (p. 95-97)

These four books are undeniably Aboriginal in nature and are all important books but there the similarities end. They present three different perspectives. The Legend of the Seven Sisters and Wunambi are traditional stories from Western Australia written by May O'Brien and illustrated by Sue Wyatt with a definite educational purpose. Pigs and Honey, written and illustrated by a non-Aboriginal person, Jeanie Adams, gives an insight into the life of the Aurukun community on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland. The Story of the Falling Star is not only a traditional story but also a story about the Paakantji people and their land in the Darling River area of New South Wales. It is told by one of their own people, Elsie Jones, in collaboration with the Western Regional Aboriginal Land Council.' (Introduction)

Last amended 20 Dec 2017 12:04:21
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