The Rainbow Serpent Story
This story of the rainbow serpent is by a member of the Lardil tribe of Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria off the North Coast of Australia. They believe that "Thuwathu", Aboriginal name for the Serpent is the owner of the sea. It holds the law of the Sea Country and that he made all landmarks food and water sources as he moved across the land. It is believed that if a person goes down to the saltwater with greasy food on them the Thuwathu will enter the offenders body and cause great sickness, called Mulgarree. Other times it is a combination of fish, dugong and a serpent with scales like oyster shells and the roar of a bull. It’s eyes are said to have been made by shooting stars which were red in colour, but this can change to blue green yellow or white. It is taboo to point at coloured shooting stars as this may cause bad luck, even sickness and death. There is no restriction in pointing at white stars which indicates that turtle eggs or a newborn baby will soon be found. Sandra Scholes-Escobar |
