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The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is widely referenced in Australian culture, although the character of that importance historically diverges between the prosaic in the East and the symbolic in West. The black swan is also of spiritual significance in the traditional histories of many Australian Aboriginal peoples across southern Australia. Metaphoric references to black swans have appeared in European culture since long before the real-life discovery of ''Cygnus atratus'' in Australia in the 18th century. The black swan is the official state emblem of Western Australia and is depicted on the flag of Western Australia, as well as being depicted on the . The symbol is used in other emblems, coins, logos, mascots and in the naming of sports teams. == Aboriginal history and lore == Daisy Bates recorded a totemic ceremony called Woolberr, which was practised by the "last of the black swan group" of the Nyungar people of south-western Australia in the 1920s.〔Bates, D.M. 'Woolberr: the last of the black swan group', in the ''Australasian'', 3 May 1927. Totemic ceremony of the black swan of the Bibbulmun group; the life story of native who was born during an initiation ceremony (AIATSIS)〕〔(Aboriginal Pages )〕 The website of the Premier of Western Australia refers to Nyungar lore of how the ancestors of the Nyungar people were once black swans who became men.〔(Western Australian Government )〕 The Dreamtime story of the black swans tells how two brothers were turned into white swans so they could help an attack party during a raid for weapons. It is said that Wurrunna used a large gubbera, or crystal stone, to transform the men. After the raid, eaglehawks attacked the white swans and tore feathers from the birds. Crows who were enemies of the eaglehawks came to the aid of the brothers and gave the black swans their own black feathers. The black swan's red beak is said to be the blood of the attacked brothers, which stayed there forever.〔(THE BLACK SWANS ) (extracted from Australian Legendary Tales, by K Langloh Parker). Retrieved 2007-02-10.〕 The moral code embedded in Aboriginal lore is evident in a story from an unspecified locality in eastern Australia (probably in New South Wales) published in 1943. An Aboriginal man, fishing in a lagoon, caught a baby bunyip. Instead of returning the baby to the water, he wanted to take the bunyip back to the camp to boast of his fishing prowess, against the urging of his friends. Before he could do anything, the mother bunyip rose from the water, flooding swirling water around them, and took back her baby. As the water receded, the men found that they had been changed into black swans. As punishment for the fisherman's vanity, they never regained their human form, but could be heard at night talking in human voices as a reminder to their human relatives of the perils of pride and arrogance.〔Hurley, P.J., ''In Search of Australia'', Dymocks Book Arcade Ltd., Sydney 1943: 131〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Black swan emblems and popular culture」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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