Spirits of the Rock
Learning about, and interpreting the Ancient Lore and Legend of Aboriginal Australia is an aspect of my writing that I have studied for most of my life. One of these fascinating avenues of Australian Lore is that of the Mimi people. That mystic and secretive Lore of a people who lived once amongst us and who still, today, drift through the stories told and the experiences of Australian Lore.
People of the rock, the Mimi are a spirit people of Australian Aboriginal Lore. They bought to Man the knowledge of painting as well as cooking and showed man how to harness fire. Fire is a purely physical need. It is the need for warmth and an instrument of physical comfort and survival. I first heard of the Mimi in childhood legends and was fascinated at the tales that could be found only in campfire Lore.
While trying to uncover the secrets of the Mimi People in my research there were things, which I had to understand that were intrinsic to their natures. Firstly they dwelt where many men can’t go and they were a mischievous people. It is said they live in the rocks, or between the rocks, as they are a tall and fragile people who are so fine in appearance that they ‘waver in the wind’.
One of the greatest pleasures I find in writing is research. I write on Aboriginal Lore, a passion I have had for many years and one, which has been an integral part of my life. I also write informal travelogues, which are opinion and experience rather than travel advice and recommendations. Research has been part of my life from the very early days when I would listen to stories told and read what little there was back then of Australian tales. This has been an interest of mine since childhood. It once entailed spending long wonderful hours amongst old photo’s, writings and microfiche and I still enjoy getting back to the basics in a dusty room, unearthing precious resources.
Now-a-days a great deal of research is done on the internet and within valuable databases such as the Gutenberg Collection. This collection allows you on-line access to many journals, those of our Explorers and many other writings which are made freely available. However there is no going past many of my other research resources, valued books that I have collected over the years, which simply are no longer available and other resources and papers that make up part of my collection.
Jan Hawkins Author 