Spellonyms as linguo-cultural onomastic units in indigenous folklore

The undertaken research replenishes the pool of knowledge about folklore texts and the functions of spellonyms as signs saturated with national and cultural meanings. The study establishes and compares linguistic and cultural characteristics of spellonyms in the onomasticon of Australian and Nanaian aetiological tales. The authors proposed a typology of spellonyms which includes 5 thematic groups: nominations of deities of different nature; nominations of celestial bodies transformed from representatives of the tribe; nominations of objects of worship and magical rituals; nominations of magical natural phenomena; nominations of magical creatures. The results of the research demonstrate a significant prevalence in the number of deity nominations among Australian spellonyms, while the majority of Nanaian spellonyms refer to magical artefacts. The research has also proved the utmost significance of the water element in the folk worldview of Australian Aborigines and the equivalent importance of the water, land and air elements in the Nanai folk worldview. The obvious preference in both folklore traditions is given to nominations of native origin transcribed into the language of translation. The structural types of spellonyms vary from group to group, with the majority of monolexemic nominations.

Ni kaczka, ni bóbr, czyli słów kilka o dziobaku w symbolice i wierzeniach Aborygenów

Since ancient times, people have been fascinated by animals. They are such a close element of the biosphere, that it is not possible for them to go unnoticed. Treating animals as sacred beings is one of the primary elements of totemism – belief in kinship with the class of objects (in this case animals). It is clearly visible in the culture of Australian aborigines. The paper presents, through the scope of mystic relation aborigines-animals, the role of platypus in the culture of indigenous inhabitants of Australia. It is also an attempt to fill the gap in the humanist discourse about animals because to this day platypus haven’t had any monographic study in the field of religious studies, cultural studies or even animal studies. By analyzing the stories from the Dreamtime, the text shows the mythical genesis of this mammal, the origin of its characteristic features, and it functions in the life of a tribe, especially in the light of aquatic symbolism.

CORRELATION OF SOCIAL PARAMETERS AND INDIVIDUAL INDICATORS OF INTELLIGENCE

It was investigated which of the social parameters are the oldest and most stable structures of our brain, and therefore the most stable regulators of human behavioral strategy. The social parameters that were included in the formation of the neural network of intelligence (in chronological order) were revealed and studied from the most elementary levels of eubacteria to the Australian aborigines at each stage of evolution and ranked in a hierarchy (in chronological order). An empiric research is realized in order to identify the relationships between the intellectual, motivational, characterological and psychophysiological properties of the individual to find ways to optimize the development of academic giftedness. Using the evolutionary tools, the authors identified social parameters that were included in the formation of the neural network of intelligence and presented their paradigm in chronological order. An empiric research has been realized with the aim of identifying the interrelations between intellectual, motivational, characterological, and psycho-physiological properties of an individual to find ways to optimize the development of academic talent. Social parameters significant for the process of formation were included in the package of methods for studying the correlation of behavioral tactics and intellectual indicators. Their results led to the conclusion that the correlation between social parameters and intellectual parameters, which was put forward as a hypothesis, exists.

Postcolonial Ecocritical Reading of Death of a River Guide and Gould’s Book of Fish

“Boy’s brother George would lay a piece of wet bark down the side of the logs burning in the fire to allow the ants to escape, and only shot just what was needed for his pot (Death of a River Guide 69).” Animals have always remained in the periphery of the human world and literature. Eco critics have also focused on animals only to some extent. That is mainly because animals are used as human food. The paper is a postcolonial Eco critical reading of Death of a River Guide and Gould’s Book of Fish. Flanagan has given due importance to animals in all his novels. Animals are also part of culture of a nation. Australia has vast variety of Flora and Fauna. Flanagan writes about animals peculiar to Australian mainland. The Australian aborigines have lived in close approximation with animals. When the land was colonized, even animals of the land were affected. The paper aims to fill the gap left by Eco critics by analyzing the relationship between animals, nature and characters of the select novels.

Australian Aborigines: geographical variability of craniological features.

This work is devoted to the study of craniological traits of Australian aborigines (male and female samples) and their geographical differentiation applying a special program of cranial traits. According to the craniological classification (Pestryakov, Grigorieva, 2004), native population of Australia belongs to the Tropid craniotype, i.e. is characterized by a relatively small size and long, narrow and relatively high form of the skull. The primary settlement of the Australian continent could only origin in the North. There are two contrasting craniotypes in Australia, which probably reflect the two main waves of the aboriginal migration across the continent. The skulls of the first migratory wave were larger and relatively low-vaulted. They are mostly characteristic of the aborigines of South Australia, who later also migrated to the north, to the arid zone of Central Australia. The second major wave is characterized by smaller high-vaulted skulls, which are now characteristic of the population of the north of the continent (Queensland and, especially, the Northern Territory and North-West Australia). The territory of the southeast of Australia (Victoria and New South Wales states) is the most favorable area for human living. The two main migratory waves mixed there, which led to the observed craniological heterosis. The craniological samples of western and northwestern Australia are also of mixed origin, but are more comparable to the Northern Territory groups. The Tasmanians are significantly different from the General Australian population in terms of craniology. This is especially true for the female sample. Perhaps the ancestors of the Tasmanians represented the very first settlement wave of the ancient Sahul continent, before the separation of the island from the mainland.

Australian Aborigines: geographical variability of craniological features

This work is devoted to the study of craniological traits of Australian aborigines (male and female samples) and their geographical differentiation applying a special program of cranial traits. According to the craniological classification (Pestryakov, Grigorieva, 2004), native population of Australia belongs to the Tropid craniotype, i.e. is characterized by a relatively small size and long, narrow and relatively high form of the skull. The primary settlement of the Australian continent could only origin in the North. There are two contrasting craniotypes in Australia, which probably reflect the two main waves of the aboriginal migration across the continent. The skulls of the first migratory wave were larger and relatively low-vaulted. They are mostly characteristic of the aborigines of South Australia, who later also migrated to the north, to the arid zone of Central Australia. The second major wave is characterized by smaller high-vaulted skulls, which are now characteristic of the population of the north of the continent (Queensland and, especially, the Northern Territory and North-West Australia). The territory of the southeast of Australia (Victoria and New South Wales states) is the most favorable area for human living. The two main migratory waves mixed there, which led to the observed craniological heterosis. The craniological samples of western and northwestern Australia are also of mixed origin, but are more comparable to the Northern Territory groups. The Tasmanians are significantly different from the General Australian population in terms of craniology. This is especially true for the female sample. Perhaps the ancestors of the Tasmanians represented the very first settlement wave of the ancient Sahul continent, before the separation of the island from the mainland