The Role of Etiological Storytelling in Aboriginal Traditions: A Jungian, Freudian, Lacanian, and Barthesian Perspective

Etiological stories are a significant part of Aboriginal Australian traditions, serving not only to explain natural phenomena but also to transmit cultural values, ethics, and social norms. These tales are short narratives “with a simple structure, in which the ‘why’ is the beginning, and which explains in an imaginary, fanciful, or amusing way the why of things, a real fact, or a natural or social phenomenon” (Seeds of Tellers, n.d.). In the story of Dinewan the Emu and Goomblegubbon the Bustard, recorded by Katie Langloh Parker (1896), the emu's flightlessness and the bustard's reduced fertility are explained through a moral interplay of pride and cunning. Through the lenses of Jacques Lacan and Roland Barthes, alongside Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, these narratives emerge as reflections of psychological structures and systems of cultural signs that challenge fixed interpretations and construct meaning dynamically.

At the core of Aboriginal storytelling, like in many so-called heathen mythologies, is the interrelationship between nature, animals, and humans. This story exemplifies this interconnectedness, as the characters’ actions—Dinewan's pride and Goomblegubbon's manipulation—ultimately shape their species. For Jung, the tale reflects the archetypes of hubris and the trickster, both of which resonate universally. Hubris, defined as “excessive pride and overconfidence that leads to a character's downfall” (Novlr.org, n.d.), is evident in Dinewan’s behavior. Due to its cunning, Goomblegubbon is by far a trickster with a high dexterity to manipulate others. Freud may add another layer, interpreting Dinewan’s pride as the dominance of the ego, with her downfall resulting from an unchecked id, counteracted by Goomblegubbon’s superego-like cunning. Lacan, however, would reframe this dynamic in terms of desire and lack, suggesting that Dinewan’s pride and subsequent loss of her wings symbolize the perpetual human pursuit of an unattainable ideal—in this case, the fantasy of beauty and perfection. As Felluga (2002) notes, “At the heart of desire is a misrecognition of fullness where there is really nothing but a screen for our own narcissistic projections,” a notion that explains the root of Dinewan’s downfall.

Lacan’s Symbolic Order is critical for understanding the story’s deeper implications. According to May-Hobbs (2023), “The Symbolic Order encompasses not just language but also all the other social and representational structures that conscious daily life rests upon.” The emu’s wings can be interpreted as a symbolic construct of status and pride—an artifact of cultural meaning rather than innate value. By cutting her wings, Dinewan loses her position within the symbolic order of flight-capable birds, entering a state of lack where her identity is redefined by what she no longer possesses. Dinewan’s voluntary loss is quite telling because this reflects Lacan’s theory of human identity as constituted through loss and the perpetual desire to fill that absence, a process essential for “a separate identity, in order to enter into civilization” (Klages, n.d.). Similarly, Goomblegubbon’s reduced offspring signify a loss imposed by another who may be or not be liable for her wrongdoing, disrupting her symbolic relationship with her progeny and diminishing her sense of fulfillment. These layers of meaning illustrate how actions in etiological stories resonate with the human psyche’s struggles with identity, desire, and societal roles imposed by our civilization (Acuña-Solano, 2024).

Roland Barthes shifts the focus to how the story itself constructs and conveys meaning. For Barthes, narratives are not merely containers of moral lessons but open systems of signs and symbols that invite multiple interpretations. In this story, the emu’s flightlessness and the bustard’s limited fertility function as signs that transcend their literal explanations, serving as metaphors for the fragility of pride and the consequences of manipulation. Barthes’s concept of the readerly versus writerly text provides additional insight. As explained by the Encyclopaedia Britannica (2012), a readerly text “presents a world of easily identifiable characters and events and one in which the characters and their actions are understandable.” Conversely, writerly texts are passages “whose meaning is not immediately evident and demand some effort on the part of the reader.” While the story might initially appear readerly—delivering a clear moral—it also incorporates writerly elements, encouraging readers to explore its symbolic underpinnings, such as “the tension between individuality and societal expectations or the balance of natural order and justice” (Acuña-Solano, 2024), which are not necessarily thrust or shoved by Katie Langloh Parker, collector of these Australian folkloric legends.

The story also reflects Barthes’s idea of the “death of the author”, where meaning is not fixed by the storyteller’s intent but shaped by the interplay of signs within the narrative and the reader’s interpretation. As explained by Oxford Home Schooling (n.d.), “the meaning of a text is not determined by the author’s intention, but rather by the reader’s interpretation.” For example, the phrase “we are now quits” can be interpreted as an assertion of balance or as a commentary on the futility of revenge. The story’s semiotic richness enables it to function simultaneously as a cultural artifact and a psychological allegory, inviting readers to engage in an active process of meaning-making that varies across contexts. Barthes’s theory posits that “once a text is published, it takes on a life of its own and becomes open to interpretation by readers” (Oxford Home Schooling, n.d.). Depending on cultural background or age, Dinewan’s declaration to Goomblegubbon—“we are now quits”—may hold varying meanings, “from a sense of justice or revenge to an acknowledgment of loss and transformation” (Acuña-Solano, 2024).

The permanence of the emu’s and bustard’s changes reinforces their symbolic significance. Jung’s concept of individuation aligns with this, as the characters’ transformations reflect a journey toward balance through consequences. Jung defined individuation as “the discovery and experience of meaning and purpose in life; the means by which one finds oneself and becomes who one really is” (The Society of Analytical Psychology, n.d.). Through this lens, Dinewan the emu and Goomblegubbon the bustard fulfill their symbolic destinies, embodying what they are now expected to be in nature. Lacan deepens this interpretation by framing their fates as representations of the unresolved tensions between desire and lack, encapsulated in the interplay of the Real, the Imaginary, and the Symbolic. As Gerson (n.d.) explains, “The Real is fundamentally a derivative of our senses, the Imaginary is derived from perceptual and fantasied mental processes, and the Symbolic is derived from culture and through language.” Within this framework, Dinewan and Goomblegubbon are unable to reclaim what they lack—wings for the emu and offspring for the bustard—symbolizing the unattainable within cultural constructs.

Barthes offers another perspective, emphasizing the story’s function as a cultural signifier whose meaning evolves through the reader's engagement with its symbols and conflicts. Edward (2024) explains, “The signifier is the form that the sign takes—be it a word, image, sound, or gesture—while the signified is the concept or object that the signifier refers to.” In this context, the emu and bustard transcend their literal identities, representing deeper cultural and psychological concepts. “Together, the signifier and the signified form a ‘sign,’ which is the basic unit of meaning in communication” (Edward, 2024). Yet, as Barthes suggests, this meaning is not fixed; it emerges dynamically as each reader interprets the interaction between the story’s elements, shaping meaning through their unique perspective (Acuña-Solano, 2024).

In conclusion, the story of Dinewan the Emu and Goomblegubbon the Bustard offers a multifaceted exploration of natural phenomena, cultural values, and psychological insights. Through the lenses of Jung, Freud, Lacan, and Barthes, this etiological narrative transcends its role as a mere explanation of nature, evolving into a profound meditation on human experience. The archetypes, desires, and signs embedded in the story resonate with universal themes found in folklore and literature, while its structure invites dynamic interpretations shaped by the reader’s age, cultural background, and maturity. By embedding moral and symbolic lessons within the natural world, Aboriginal storytelling bridges the past and present, ensuring the continuity of both cultural heritage and psychological wisdom.

References

Acuña-Solano, J. (2024, October 28). Literary Reflective Journaling: Deniwan and Goomblegubbon. San Jose, Costa Rica.

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. (2012, August 20). readerly and writerly. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/art/readerly

Edward, M. (2024, September 19). What Are Signifiers? Retrieved October 22, 2024, from Easy Sociology: https://easysociology.com/sociology-of-language/what-are-signifiers/

Felluga, D. (2002, July 17). On Desire." Introductory Guide to Critical Theory". Retrieved November 13, 2024, from Modules on Lacan - III: on desire: https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/english/theory/psychoanalysis/lacandesire.html#:~:text=Our%20object%20of%20desire%20(what,extent%20by%20its%20own%20impossibility.

Gerson, M. J. (n.d.). Jacques Lacan: A Real, Imaginary, and Symbolic Psychoanalyst. Retrieved November 19, 2024, from Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies: https://www.psychstudies.net/jacques-lacan-a-real-imaginary-and-symbolic-psychoanalyst/#:~:text=Broadly%20described%2C%20the%20Real%20is,form%20one's%20sense%20of%20awareness.

Klages, M. (n.d.). Jacques Lacan. Retrieved November 7, 2024, from University of Colorado Boulder: https://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~sflores/klageslacan.html#:~:text=But%2C%20Lacan%20says%2C%20every%20subject,that%20absence%2C%20loss%2C%20lack.

May-Hobbs, M. (2023, September 20). Jacques Lacan: Explaining the Imaginary, the Symbolic, and the Real. Retrieved October 27, 2024, from TheCollector.Com: https://www.thecollector.com/jacques-lacan-imaginary-symbolic-real/

Novlr.Org. (n.d.). What is Hubris? Retrieved November 3, 2024, from https://www.novlr.org/: https://www.novlr.org/glossary/hubris

Oxford Home Schooling. (n.d.). The Death of the Author. Retrieved November 15, 2024, from https://www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk/: https://www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk/blog/the-death-of-the-author/#:~:text=The%20Death%20of%20the%20Author%20is%20a%20literary%20theory%20that,of%20the%20Author%E2%80%9D%20in%201967.

Parker, K. L. (1896). Australian Legendary Tales: folk-lore of the Noongahburrahs as told to the Piccaninnies. Melbourne, Australia & London, England: David Nutt (Firm).

Seeds of Tellers. (n.d.). Etiological Tales. Retrieved October 20, 2024, from Seeds of Tellers: https://seedsoftellers.eu/resources/etiological-tales/#:~:text=An%20etiological%20tale%20is%20a,a%20natural%20or%20social%20phenomenon.

The Society of Analytical Psychology. (n.d.). Individuation and the Self. Retrieved November 5, 2024, from https://www.thesap.org.uk/: https://www.thesap.org.uk/articles-on-jungian-psychology-2/about-analysis-and-therapy/individuation/#:~:text=Individuation%20describes%20how%20this%20agency,seen%20as%20an%20individuation%20process.

Etiological Storytelling in... by Jonathan Acuña

Discussion Questions for Literature Enthusiasts

1.    How does the story of Dinewan the Emu and Goomblegubbon the Bustard reflect universal themes found in other etiological myths or folklore?

2.    In what ways do Jung’s archetypes of hubris and the trickster shape the narrative of this story?

3.    How might Freud’s concepts of the ego, id, and superego offer alternative interpretations of the characters' motivations?

4.    What role does Lacan’s concept of desire and lack play in understanding Dinewan’s pride and eventual downfall?

5.    How does Barthes’s theory of the "death of the author" influence the way we interpret the moral lessons of this tale?

6.    What symbolic meanings do the emu’s wings and the bustard’s reduced offspring hold within Aboriginal culture and broader human experiences?

7.    How do readerly and writerly elements in the story encourage both straightforward and nuanced interpretations?

8.    What are the implications of cultural and psychological constructs, such as pride and cunning, in shaping natural phenomena within the story?

9.    How might this story be adapted or reimagined in contemporary contexts to address modern societal issues?

The Role of Etiological Sto... by Jonathan Acuña

Sunday, December 08, 2024