In the Dreaming, all of the elements needed for creation were formed. Everything was being made ready for the beginning of life. Ancestral spirits laid down the patterns of life for the lands, rivers, sky, animals and peoples. Each was of equal value and interconnected as it should be for eternity. This was part of the Dreamtime, a timeless and fluid space where past, present and future coexist.

As the earth grew, special places from the Dreaming were created, sacred places in the landscape that ensured survival. After the earth started to flourish, most of these places disappeared as they were no longer needed, but some remained just in case life was ever under threat. These sacred places went to sleep and would only awaken if needed once more.

As the people and the animals were born from the lands, they took up their rightful place in the landscape. Mother Earth welcomed all her children and watched over them. They each had their own place, and everything was in balance. The people, animals, land, sky and water cared for each other, making sure everything and everyone was looked after. They were all family.

Mother Earth rejoiced as each new generation filled the world with joy and renewed hope for the future. Each new generation learnt that life is meant to be a perpetual celebration of the wonder of creation. They learnt that when life is abundant and in balance, future generations can thrive. This was the most important lesson to learn.

The earth had many different landscapes. In one area, there were groups of people and animals living near each other.

On one side of the hill was dingo country, where large clans of dingoes roamed the countryside and reared their pups.

On the other side of the hill were the people who were born from the land, the first peoples. They knew all of the places, songs, languages, stories and ways of their homelands.

Over time, the dingoes and the first peoples formed connections. The two groups became stronger and stronger together as their friendships grew. They spent time playing, exploring and sharing food together and watched the generations thrive.

There was a young girl called Calla who loved the dingoes. The Elders could see from the moment Calla was born that she had a great affinity for the dingoes. She was born from an ancestry that had always had dingoes in their family and Calla would now follow in their footsteps.

Calla’s family also shared a very special gift. The people and the dingoes had not only shared food together, they had also shared their languages. The dingoes and the people had learnt how to speak to each other and could communicate in many different ways. They had built up a trust and connection that would last forever.

That’s why Calla was given the dingo as her totem, and she was proud to care for them. The giving of the totem was an important part of growing up. Caring about others in the natural world helped to build strong relationships that would allow Calla to feel safe and connected wherever she wandered.

Calla’s grandmother told her, ‘We are connected to everything around us. Always be kind and help others. You never know, they might be family, and we always look after family – including the dingoes!’

Calla had to learn all the ways of the dingoes and know how to look after them.

This was to be her special role in life and, in turn, this would also provide her with strength and courage … as well as a very large extended family!

The dingoes were part of Calla’s life, and she relished every moment with them. She always made sure the pregnant dingo mums had enough food and often watched over the pups if the mum went hunting.

Calla was also a great explorer and loved walking through the bush with the dingoes. They often taught each other about things in the landscape and how to respect country. Calla knew all the places the dingoes went to and where they found the best food. Calla was happiest when looking after the dingoes and always felt safe and connected with a dingo by
her side.

In one of the dingo clans was a little dingo pup that loved running around the countryside with his family. He was a cheeky little pup and sometimes he would go off exploring with Calla. Calla called the little pup Chichi because he was so cheeky. Together they felt brave and invincible. The land was happy, the animals were happy and the people were happy. The countryside was abundant with life, and life was good. Mother Earth was happy and felt proud of her family.