In the long silence before time began, the world lay still beneath a dark sky. There was no voice, no song, no footstep upon the earth. The winds had not yet learned to move, and the rivers had not yet learned to flow. Only the great spirit ancestors drifted through the emptiness, waiting for the moment to bring life into being.
Among them was Baiame, the Sky Father, who looked down upon the sleeping earth and saw that it was ready. He descended from the heavens and walked across the soft red soil. The land seemed to stir beneath his feet as he searched for the place where life would begin.
Kneeling beside a wide riverbank, Baiame gathered clay in his hands. With patience and care, he shaped it into the figure of a man. He molded the arms, the face, and the heart. Then he lifted the clay form to his lips and breathed upon it. The clay shimmered and began to move. The first man opened his eyes and looked at the world in wonder.
Baiame smiled and said, “You shall be my child, the one who will walk upon the earth and care for it.”
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But as the man wandered through the forest and across the plains, he grew lonely. He watched the birds flying in pairs, the kangaroos resting together, and he felt an emptiness inside him. He sat by the river and spoke to the sky, “Great Baiame, I am grateful for life, but I am alone.”
Hearing his words, Baiame returned. Once again, he gathered clay from the riverbank, softer and finer than before. This time, he shaped a woman. He gave her the grace of the wind and the gentleness of water. When she was formed, he breathed into her as he had breathed into the man. She opened her eyes and smiled.
When the man saw her, his heart lifted. Together they walked through the valleys and forests, discovering the world’s beauty. They learned to gather fruits, dig roots, and make shelter beneath the trees. The spirit ancestors watched and guided them, teaching them the ways of living in harmony with the land.
From the spirits, they learned that all things were connected. The trees gave air to breathe. The rivers gave water to drink. The fire gave warmth and light. Life was a circle, never broken, always moving from birth to death and back again.
As time passed, the man and woman became the parents of many children. Their sons and daughters spread across the land, each forming tribes and learning the stories of their ancestors. The songs of creation passed from one generation to the next, carrying the wisdom of the Dreamtime.
When their long lives came to an end, the spirits returned to guide them beyond the veil. The people mourned and sang for them, knowing that death was not an end but a return to the eternal Dreaming. Their spirits became part of the land, the stars, and the wind.
From their union came all human life. The people of every tribe looked to the first man and woman as their ancestors, born of clay and breath, bound to the earth and the sky alike. Through them, the sacred bond between humankind and creation was forever sealed.
Moral Lesson
The story teaches that all life is connected through ancestry and spirit. Every person carries the same breath that gave life to the first beings, reminding us to honor creation, relationships, and the land that sustains us.
Knowledge Check
1. Who created the first man and woman in the story?
Baiame, the Sky Father, created them from clay and breathed life into them.
2. What materials did Baiame use to form the first humans?
He shaped them from the clay of the riverbank.
3. Why did Baiame create the woman?
He created her so that the man would not be lonely and so that life could continue through their union.
4. What lessons did the spirit ancestors teach the first people?
They taught them how to live in harmony with nature and understand the cycle of life and death.
5. What happened to the first man and woman after they died?
Their spirits returned to the Dreaming, becoming part of the land, stars, and wind.
6. What is the central message of the story?
That all human life shares a sacred connection to the earth and the ancestors who came before.
Source
Adapted from “The First Man and Woman” in Aboriginal Myths: Tales of the Dreamtime by A. W. Reed (1978), Terrey Hills, N.S.W.: Reed.
Cultural Origin
Australian Aboriginal (Dreamtime, creation traditions)
