What is the significance of the Bogong moth to our local indigenous culture?
Perhaps one of the major reasons for the iconic status of the Bogong moth for Australians is the critical role they played as a major food source for Aboriginal tribes in southeastern Australia and particularly those whose home territories were within or adjacent to the alpine regions of the Southern Tablelands.
How did the indigenous Australian peoples access the Bogong moth as a food source?
Researchers found food remains of Bogong moths on a stone tool in a cave in the foothills of the Australian Alps in Victoria. The moths were considered by Aboriginal populations from multiple clans and language groups to provide an ample food source due to their large numbers and high fat content.
What does Bogong mean in Aboriginal?
[ boh-gawng, -gong ] SHOW IPA. / ˈboʊ gɔŋ, -gɒŋ / PHONETIC RESPELLING. noun. a dark-colored Australian moth, Agrostis infusa, used by Aboriginal peoples as food.
Did aboriginals eat moths?
Aboriginal people from across the region are known to have cooked Bogong moths on heated earth during the early and mid-nineteenth century. The moths were stirred during cooking, causing the wings and legs to be broken off by friction and heat.
What language is Bogong from?
Mid 19th century from Ngayawung (an Aboriginal language).
What does the Bogong moth symbolize?
Bogong moth suggests gently that something may be out of balance, and provides the wisdom to help you to bring balance, stability and spiritual ‘nutrition’ back into your life once more. Bogong moth helps us to find energy and store it.
What happened to the Bogong moths?
Bogong moth populations have been in steady decline since 1980. The 2017 summer saw an alarming crash. The population decrease was caused by the summer drought in the Western Plains where juvenile larvae growing in the cracked clay of the desert soil weren’t able to get the nutrients they needed from plant matter.
The moth was said by Aboriginal informants to be highly nutritious, easily harvested and very palatable. In the northern area of the Bogong Peaks, south of Tumut, New South Wales, Aboriginal people stupefied the moths with smoke and cooked them in a fire from which the coals were removed1.
What does Bogong mean?
bogong in American English (ˈbouɡɔŋ, -ɡɑŋ) noun. a dark-colored Australian moth, Agrostis infusa, used by Aborigines as food.
What is a Bogan mean?
Bogan is the most significant word to be created in Australian English in the past 40 years. It is defined as “an uncultured and unsophisticated person; a boorish and uncouth person” in the 2016 edition of the Australian National Dictionary.
How did the Bogong moth become a native symbol?
Bogong Moth was once brightly coloured like our native wildflowers, according to one Aboriginal Dreaming [1] . Ignoring her husband’s advice, she went to explore the mysterious white mountain in the distance. As she neared her destination, snow fell, trapping her. Spring came and as the snow thawed, Myee the Bogong Moth was released.
What kind of moths did the Aboriginal people eat?
Aboriginal Use of Bogong Moths The Bogong Moths(Agrotis infusa) was a major seasonal food source in the southern highlands of New South Wales.
Where do bogong moths migrate to in Australia?
(B) The likely migratory routes of Bogong moths during the spring migration (the autumn migration occurs in the reverse direction). Arrows show the migration of moths to the alpine regions of NSW, the ACT and Victoria from southern Queensland, western and northwestern NSW and western Victoria.
Who are the Predators of the Bogong moth?
The main predators of estivating Bogong moths are Little ravens, Bush rats, Richard’s pipits and Red foxes (Green, 2003, 2011). Based on published and estimated densities of these and other known predators of Bogong moths, Green (2011) calculated the intake of Bogong moths as food.
How did the Bogong moth get its name?
Indigenous Australians in the region traditionally followed the annual migration to eat the moths and conduct cultural ceremonies after arrival in the mountains. The moth’s common name, bogong, is derived from a local Aboriginal word and was used by a number of the Indigenous nations to describe the moths.
Aboriginal Use of Bogong Moths The Bogong Moths(Agrotis infusa) was a major seasonal food source in the southern highlands of New South Wales.
When do the bogong moths come to Canberra?
The bogong moth is famous for invading Canberra homes and Parliament House in spring when the bright lights divert them from their normal migratory route. For generations Indigenous people would feast on bogong moths, from November to February.
Why are there no bogong moths in the Australian Alps?
Bogong moths are a vital part of the Australian Alp ecosystem. Millions of bogong moths normally line the walls of caves in the Australian Alps over summer, but for the past two years there have been zero moths in some caves. It’s a trend that concerns scientists like Eric Warrant.
