Kunapipi
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:About Kunapipi, also spelt Gunabibi, ('womb')Template:Sfn is a mother goddess and the patron deity of many heroes in Australian Aboriginal mythology.
Story
[edit]Kunapipi gave birth to human beings as well as to most animals and plants. Now a vague, otiose, spiritual being, "the old woman" (Kadjeri)Template:Sfn once emerged from the waters and travelled across the land with a band of heroes and heroines,Template:Sfn and during the Dreaming she gave birth to men and women as well as creating the natural species. She could transform herself either into a male or female version of the Rainbow Serpent.Template:Cn
Origins and diffusion
[edit]The Kunapipi cult seems to have arisen among tribes in the Roper and Rose River areas. In the Alawa version, she is said to have emerged from the waters.Template:Sfn From there, it is thought to have gradually spread north-east into Arnhem Land, where it existed as a complementary masculine form with Djanggawul, a female figure.Template:Sfn According to Tony Swain, Kunapipi traditions, especially regarding her northern origins, reflect the impact of Sulawesi/Macassar influences, via contacts with trepang traders, and possibly the pre-Islamic rice mother cult, which survived down to modern times among the Toraja and Bugis.Template:Sfn