Bugong

/bʌˈɡɔːŋ/ noun

Definition

An Australian Aboriginal word for a large moth that was traditionally hunted and eaten as a food source by Indigenous peoples.

Etymology

From Australian Aboriginal languages, particularly from Indigenous groups in the Australian Alps; the word refers to specific moth species that migrate seasonally and were nutritious traditional foods.

Kelly Says

Bugong moths migrate thousands of kilometers to Australian cave clusters each summer—Indigenous people harvested them for tens of thousands of years as a protein-rich food, making them crucial to survival in the high country.

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