The Rainbow Serpent

There are innumerable names and stories associated with the Rainbow Serpent, all of which communicate the significance of this being within Aboriginal traditions. Dreamtime stories tell how the Rainbow Serpent came from beneath the ground and created huge ridges, mountains and gorges as it pushed upward.

The name also reflects the snake-like meandering of water across a landscape and the color spectrum sometimes caused by sunlight hitting the water. Paintings of the Rainbow Serpent first appeared in Arnhem Land rock art more than 6000 years ago, and perhaps as early as 8000 years before the present, as the seas rose after the last Ice Age. Today the Rainbow Serpent is associated with ceremonies about fertility and abundance, as well as the organisation of the community and the keeping of peace.

About the Author

Dick Roughsey (Goobalathaldin) (1920-1985) was born on Mornington Island, Queensland, and named Goobalathaldin. A member of the Lardil 'tribe', he was one of five brothers and grew up in an Aboriginal family clan, leading a traditional lifestyle.

Aged eight Goobalathaldin was sent to a mission and given the name Dick. Educated at the mission school until he was thirteen, Roughsey then worked as a stockman on southern Gulf of Carpentaria cattle stations.

In the 1960s Roughsey and his elder brother Lindsay (Burrud) initiated a style of bark painting depicting Lardil sacred histories. After meeting airline pilot, Percy Trezise, Roughsey developed a finer painting technique that resulted in him creating the now-classic picture books, The Giant Devil Dingo (1973) and The Rainbow Serpent (1974).

Roughsey won the CBCA Book of the Year awards in 1976 and 1979. He was the founding chairman (1973-76) of the Australian Council for the Arts's Aboriginal Arts Board, and from 1974-75 served on the council of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.