Dreamtime stories

 

Big water

In the beginning everything was under water.

 

Both Nungali and Wardaman people recognise a time when Rainbow covered all the land here with water. Nungali people call this big water Ngabalngabal.

But then according to the Nungali Ngabalngabal retreated and Rainbow left. As Rainbow rolled away the big sea, he made big waves. The waves cut into the land making big chunks of it fall and wash away, leaving the cliffs, valleys and river channels that we see today. 

 

Little water

Murrujurlman makes it rain

 

Nungali people tell of how a new Rainbow came after the first Rainbow left with the water. But there was only a little bit of water left in one waterhole, the rest was under the ground. Rain was needed to fill the rivers so there would be water for everyone. So Brolga (kraanvogel) took the water up in the sky in a big coolamon (platte ondiepe hout schaal) while the little left-handed frog that burrows in the sand, Murrujurlman, made a spear with the gras that grows by the river. Murrujurlman used a spear thrower, Gamanggirr, to throw the spear at the coolamon. When the spear hit the coolamon, rain fell out of the coolamon and filled the rivers.

 

Catching rainwater

A flat landscape that doesn't hold the water

 

The Wardaman people also say that for a time the land was covered with the sea brought by old Rainbow, but that the water receded when Rainbow was speared. According to the Wardaman, a flat waterless landscape was exposed when the big water retreated.

Because of the need for water, Lightning asks Black-headed Python how he can stop all the rainwater from getting away. And the Black-headed Python said "I got digging stick here. We can make something to stop the water from getting away".

 

Carving gorges

Black-headed Python and Water Python create big rivers

 

Black-headed Python and Water Python cut up the big gorges and made manny channels.

When they finished they came back and said to old Lightning "Well there you are, all the rivers are dry and need to be filled". And Lightning said "Okay I'll go ahead now, to make rain" and he dug a hole in the ground.

 

Making rain

Grashopper spreads the rain

 

Just before Lightning started to sing to make rain, the little Grashopper came along and said "When you sing that rain the cloud will go up in the air, only floating in the one spot. I got a song, I can make big whirly to spread the cloud". So Lightning and Grashopper sang together.

When they sang, all the spit came out of Lightning´s mouth and went into the hole he had dug. As Lightning sing, all the spit changed to hail.

The hail changed to smoke that went up into the sky and became cloud. As they continued singing, the cloud grew into a big rainy cloud.

And the whirly wind that Grashopper was singing went up into the air, picked up all the cloud and spread it all over the country.

 

Filling rivers

Lightning makes the rain fall

 

Old Lightning picked up the boomerang and threw it up in the air and it hit the cloud.

There was a big thunder and lightning and the water came straight down. And when it rained and rained, the floods moved. When the rain stopped, all the waterholes were full.

 

Rivers created

Everyone has done a good job

 

Old Black-headed Python came up and said to Lightning "Well there you are, you did a good job, you gave us all the water. And look what I did, I stopped the water from getting away". And they were pleased together, talking about it. Everyone was happy. 

 

End so ends the Wardama story about the creation of the rivers and shaping of the country. But many creation stories continue into the present day, with creation ancestors still playing important roles. 

 

New Rainbow

When the old Rainbow leaves a new Rainbow comes

 

Rainbow is just on of the creation beings that remains in the landscape and continues to be important to the Nungali and Wardaman people.

Nungali people say that whenever there are big floods the Rainbow leaves and another Rainbow comes to take his place. This happens during floods because Rainbow needs enough water to travel away in. When it is dry, Rainbow is deep in the ground, but evidence of him seeps out. Rainbow is wherever there are springs and permanent water, he supplies the water in the ground that all life depends upon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Om iets te verklaren over de droomtijd heb ik onderstaand overgenomen uit de capitoolgids van Australie:

De Dreaming of Droomtijd is de westerse term voor het Aboriginalstelsel van wetten en geloof. Hieraan ligt een rijke scheppingsmythologie ten grondslag. De aboriginals geloven dat scheppingsvoorouders als de reuzenslang uit het hart van de aarde tevoorschijn kwamen en over de wereld zwierven, waar ze dalen, rivieren en bergen schiepen. Andere voorouders maakten de regen en de zon, de mensen en de dieren. De plaatsen waar de voorouderlijke wezens uit de aarde kropen zijn heilig en worden nog steeds gebruikt voor ceremonien en rituelen.

Het geloof in de Droomtijd is de religieuze ideologie van alle aboriginals, ongeacht hun stam, en vormt de basis van hun leven. Men gelooft dat iedere Aboriginal twee zielen heeft: een sterfelijke en een onsterfelijke, die in verbinding staat met de vooroudergeest of totem. Elke familieclan stamt af van één zo´n voorouder, die bescherming biedt, ongeluk wordt veroorzaakt door ontstemde voorouders. Elke clan telt dan ook de leden die verantwoordelijk zijn voor het onderhoud van de heilige plaatsen. Wie zijn plicht verzaakt, wordt zwaar gestraft. Elke Droomtijdlegende houdt verband met een bepaald landschap. De verhalen vormen songlines (gezongen sporen), die zich als een web over het continent uitstrekken. Via deze sporen kunnen de stammen contact met elkaar houden.