Chapter 2

Tessa entered the “meeting place” ahead of Sam and sought out the tribal elder in residence.

“May I speak?”

“I listen.”

“I am a student here, but am from afar. My husband is also a student. But though he is known is is not of my people. Nor of yours.”

“Say more.”

“I am Waa of the Adnyamathanha. My people are of South Australia. Our place is Iga Warta, the place of the native orange.”

“So.”

“My husband is known to the people, yet is of no people.”

“Husband?”

“My grandfather saw us married at Iga Warta. We married white man’s fashion in Sydney.”

“So.”

“My husband is Bunjil. He would visit Oorala.”

“Bring him to me.”

Tessa brought San from outside the door to the elder.

“Crow leads hawk,” he said.

“I greet you older one.”

“And I you. May I hold your hand?”

A moment later the elder said: “Your father is of great power.”

“My father is a carpet python.

The Rainbow Serpent lives in the waterholes of the country and travels between them, either under the ground or in the storm clouds when a rain storm is moving. His presence brings on the rains and if offended he can prevent the rains and cause drought or inundations that cause people to perish. People pay great respect to the Rainbow Serpent, especially as they approach a waterhole. They sing out to the Spirit from far away, warning that they are coming to the waterhole, telling the Serpent what their intentions are. They want to re-assure him that their purpose is a good one, that they recognize his power, and that they intend to bring no harm or ill. By singing out to him, the Rainbow Serpent can hear that they have knowledge of the place and the language of that place, so that the people are recognized as from that place.

The power of the Rainbow Serpent is so great that he can instantly whip up a storm, high winds and driving rain, and that he quickly drown anyone who does not know how to approach him properly. As a protector of water, the Rainbow Serpent also controls water, so he has the power over life and death in the desert.

Yet I was told believing in the Powers is a sign of schizophrenia.”

“It is hard for the white professional to admit other knowledge. Know that in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory the Rainbow Serpent is associated with abundance and propagation, with fertility and well-being. It has the power over life and death, bringing conception spirits to the water holes, but also punishing those who break traditional laws. Yet this is folklore and myth. Here, in this community, it is truth.”

“But may I come?”

“If you are Bunjil, you soar where you will. You and your wife. Bunjil is regarded as one of two ancestors, the other is Waa, the crow.

“After creating the mountains, rivers, flora, fauna, and laws for humans to live by, Bunjil gathered his wives and sons together. He then asked Crow, who had charge of the winds, to open the bags and let out some wind. Crow opened a bag in which was kept the whirlwinds, creating a cyclone which uprooted trees. Bunjil asked for a stronger wind. Crow complied, and Bunjil and his people were blown upwards into the sky.”

“That is a good teaching,” Tessa said. “I have been thinking about the teachings. The ones I am most interested in are the ‘explain’ teachings.”

“Explain?”

“Do you know the English author Kipling?”

“Yes.”

“Many of Kipling’s Indian stories explain. ‘How the Camel got his Hump,’ ‘How the Leopard got his Spots,’ ‘The beginning of the Armadillos.’ Even ‘The Elephant’s Child’ explains why elephants have trunks. Dreamtime on the other side of the Indian Ocean.”

While the elder and Tessa spoke, others gathered.

“Listen and learn. Tessa is Waa, the crow. She reflects on the nature of stories.”