What is the lesson of the Rainbow Serpent?

Lesson Summary According to the aboriginals, who are the earliest indigenous inhabitants of Australia, the rainbow serpent represented a deity, or god, who would bless the earth or curse it. The snake was believed to be responsible for giving life, causing nature to prosper and blessing the fertility of their women.

What is the Rainbow Serpent about for kids?

A Rainbow Serpent is an animal in the Dreamtime which many of the indigenous people of Australia, the “Aborigines”, believe created the mountains, rivers and lakes. The Rainbow Serpent stories are found all across Australia, and especially in Arnhem Land, in the north of Australia.

Is the Rainbow Serpent a boy or a girl?

In some cultures, the Rainbow Serpent is male; in others, female; in yet others, the gender is ambiguous or the Rainbow Serpent is hermaphroditic or bisexual, thus an androgynous entity.

How does the Rainbow Serpent promote health and wellbeing?

As a protector of water, the Rainbow Serpent also controls water, so he has the power over life and death in the desert. In Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory the Rainbow Serpent is associated with rituals of abundance and propagation in the natural world, and of fertility and well-being in human society.

What do snakes mean in Aboriginal culture?

The snake has been used as a symbol of strength, creativity and continuity since ancient times across many societies. Aboriginal people have great knowledge of the natural world around them and the snake is seen as a strong force in the animal kingdom and one to be respected.

Who wrote the rainbow serpent?

Dick RoughseyThe Rainbow Serpent / Author

How did the Rainbow Serpent get its Colours?

The rainbow serpent was hungry and tricked the young men “I have no shelter, but you can hide in my mouth. He hid in the sky away from the people chasing him and he saw their sadness at losing these two young men. He decided to try and make them happy again so turned his body into a big arc of beautiful colours.

Why was the Rainbow Serpent created?

The Rainbow Serpent or Rainbow Snake is an immortal being and creating God in Aboriginal Mythology. They all illustrate the importance and dominance of its presence within Aboriginal traditions. It is said to be the giver of life, due to its connection to water, however it can be a destructive force if enraged.

Did the Rainbow Serpent created Uluru?

Goorialla, The Great Rainbow Serpent, Way Back in Dreamtime Goorialla spewed it up again and left it lying in the desert. Many years later his people found the remains and called this great red lump Uluru.