page_title: Dirawong
section_title: Bundjalung Nation Creation Myth - The Rainbow Snake & the Dreamtime
hierarchical_section_title: Dirawong / Bundjalung Nation Aboriginal Dreamtime Stories - Myths & Legends / Bundjalung Nation Creation Myth - The Rainbow Snake & the Dreamtime
caption_attribution_description: English: Snake Island in the middle of the river, to the right is Bird/Pelican/Weeping Island and in the background is the Dirawong.
context_page_description: In Australian Aboriginal mythology of the Bundjalung, an area known as "the land of the three rivers, "the Dirawong, an unseen spiritual creature also known as the goanna spirit, is one of the Creator Beings of the Bundjalung, that 1 Protects 2 Guards, 3 Battles the Rainbow Snake, 4 Helps the people with,
  'Aboriginal astronomy, body designs, bullroarers, bush cosmetics, bush foods, bush medicines, cave paintings & designs made on trees, ceremonial headgear, ceremonial poles, cultural lore, dances, dreaming's, games, geographical locations, how people are required to behave in their communities, initiations, laws of community, paintings, rock art, rock engravings, rules for social behaviour, sacred chants, sacred earth mounds, sacred ground paintings, songlines, songs, stone artifacts, stone objects, stories, structures of society, symbols, technologies, the ceremonies performed in order to ensure continuity of life & land, values, wooden articles, wooden sacred objects, & the beliefs, values, rules & practices concerning the peoples relationship to the land & water of Widje tribal territory within Bundjalung country
context_section_description: Since there are numerous versions of the myth, what is in this instance reported is a summarised version, which lacks crucial details essential for the understanding of the myth
  In translating creation myths into English and in using another version instead of the Bundjalung nation Aboriginal dream time story, Europeans have obscured the wisdom passed down from the Australian Aborigines from generation to generation. The creation myth or story is but one aspect of the whole and must be linked with the sacred place, sacred song and sacred ceremony known only to the most knowledgeable initiated elders of each tribe
  Bundjalung Nation oral literature tradition tells the story about a fight between the Dirawong and the Rainbow Snake, that caused the creation of the Bungawalbin River, the Evans River, Pelican Island, Snake Island, other islands in the Evans River, and also an "island (Rainbow Snake)" at an unknown geographic location in the Pacific Ocean, and possibly the hill now known as "Goanna Headland (Dirawong)"
  According to the legend, the Rainbow Snake had been very bad. What he did is a secret, and cannot be revealed here, but it was so bad that a Weeum (known as a 'Clever Man', 'Man of high degree of initiation' or 'Man with great powers') named Nyimbunji from the area known as Bungawalbin, called on the Dirawong (or Goanna) to help protect a Yabbra (or Bird) from the Rainbow Snake (or Waugal)
  Only Dirawong was powerful enough to deal with Rainbow Snake. Dirawong chased Rainbow Snake from inland eastward towards the coast and as they went they formed parts of the Richmond River. At Maniworkan (or the town of Woodburn, New South Wales, Australia) they left the Richmond River and kept on going east. Halfway down the Evans River, Dirawong caught Rainbow Snake, the Snake turned around and bit Goanna on the head, Dirawong then withdrew from the battle in order to eat some herbs to recover (heal) from the snakebite, when he felt better from the snakebite he resumed his chase
  Meanwhile, Rainbow Snake had reached Evans Head. Rainbow Snake looked around. Dirawong was nowhere to be seen, so Rainbow Snake decided to go back west. The Rainbow Snake then went into the Evans River and coiled itself around and created Snake Island. As he turned his body made another larger island in the river, now known as Pelican Island
  When Rainbow Snake spotted Dirawong heading towards him, Rainbow Snake quickly turned, and this time Rainbow Snake kept going until he reached the Burraga (Tasman Sea, Pacific Ocean), and made himself into an Island so Dirawong wouldn't recognise Rainbow Snake
  Dirawong reached the coast at Evans Head. Dirawong then laid down next to the coast, facing the Burraga, waiting for Rainbow Snake to come back. And you can still hear Rainbow Snake and see Goanna, today at Evans Head. The patch of 'red ochre' on top of Goanna Headland shows the wound where the Rainbow Snake bit the Goanna in the dream time
caption: Snake Island in the middle of the river, on the right is Pelican Island and in the background is the Dirawong. (2010).
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