The Inapertwa are simple, ancestral beings in the creation mythology of the Arrernte, Aboriginal people of Australia. The Numakulla, the shapers in that account, formed every plant, animal and bird from them and made people last, and Arrernte totem names are said to go back to individual Inapertwa.
- Simple ancestral beings from which the Numakulla shaped every plant, animal and bird
- From the Inapertwa the Numakulla are said to have formed people last of all
- Arrernte totems take their names from individual Inapertwa that became animals, then humans
- Baldwin Spencer recorded the account in his 1904 survey of central Australian tribes
- Retold in the 1973 Dreamtime Book of Australian Aboriginal myths
What it is
In Arrernte mythology the Inapertwa are simple, ancestral creatures: beings in the state before any living thing took its final shape. The Numakulla, named in the same account, are said to have shaped every plant, animal and bird of the earth out of them, and to have made people from them last. Each individual Inapertwa is described as having become an animal first, then a human. Arrernte totems, the natural things after which people and groups are named, are said to take their names from particular Inapertwa. The story belongs to Aboriginal Australia and is recorded among the Arrernte of central Australia.
Where it comes from
The account comes from the Arrernte, an Aboriginal people of Australia. In print it goes back at least to Baldwin Spencer, whose 1904 survey of the northern tribes of central Australia includes the Inapertwa in its notes on belief. Ainslie Roberts and Charles P. Mountford retold the story in their 1973 Dreamtime Book of Australian Aboriginal myths, and Maria Leach's standard dictionary of folklore, mythology and legend carried an entry by 1984. Print is how the story reached a wide readership; within the telling itself, the Inapertwa stand at the beginning, before plants, animals or people exist.
Inapertwa, drawn and placed
- Living
- Revived
- Fading
- Historical
- Legendary
- Performed
- Lineage
- Arrernte Aboriginal mythology
At a glance: who, where and when
Peoples
What people believe
The belief puts these beings at the root of the living world. The story begins with the simple Inapertwa, before anything living has taken shape. The Numakulla work on them, modelling each one towards the thing it will become, and from this come the plants, the animals and the birds of the earth, and lastly people. The tie does not end at creation: Arrernte totems are said to be named for individual Inapertwa that became animals and then humans, so a totem name looks back to one of these first beings.
Compare and confuse
The Numakulla belong to the same account and are best read alongside the Inapertwa: in the story they do the shaping, while the Inapertwa are what is shaped. Collections of Australian Aboriginal myth, such as the Roberts and Mountford Dreamtime Book, file the tale with other stories of ancestral beginnings. The totem names of the Arrernte are the point at which the beings connect with people.
Questions people ask about Inapertwa
What are the Inapertwa?
In Arrernte mythology they are simple, ancestral creatures in a formless state, the raw beings from which the Numakulla are said to have shaped all life: plants, animals, birds and finally people. Each one later became an animal and then a human.
Where does the story of the Inapertwa come from?
It comes from the Arrernte, Aboriginal people of Australia. Baldwin Spencer included the account in his 1904 survey of the northern tribes of central Australia, and later retellings appeared in the 1973 Dreamtime Book and in a standard folklore dictionary.
What is the connection with totems?
Arrernte totems are said to take their names from individual Inapertwa, beings that became animals and then humans. A totem is the natural thing after which a person or a group is named.
Who are the Numakulla?
In the same Arrernte account, the Numakulla are the beings credited with modelling all life on earth. They shaped plants, animals and birds out of the Inapertwa and made human beings from these same creatures.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Inapertwa", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryJaadu rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Names and customs differ from one community to the next, and some knowledge is closed to outsiders and left out here. This page describes belief and practice. It does not say that any of it works, it is not a how-to, and it is not medical advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-17.
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