Dreamtime story of how the River Red Gum came to be
Authors note:
Dreamtime story's make complex ideas understandable for all age groups.
In the Dreamtime many of the animals, important land forms and significant trees were supernatural beings that were half human and through some heroic deed or foolishness they were transformed into a form that we see today. There is always a moral to a Dreamtime story.
This is a story written by Stephen Murphy as part of the popular novel 'Seeds the chronicle'. It is told respectfully to acknowledge the first Australians past and present. It was written in appreciation of the deep wisdom, extraordinary knowledge and the environmental care of the 3000 generations of men, women and children who walked on this land before us.
The story is about the Wadawurrung People of the Geelong region of Victoria, who are part of the Kulin nation. This is not a traditional dreamtime story passed down from Wadawurrung Elders. The Wadawurrung word for River Red Gum, Eucalyptus camaldulensis is Biyal
Dreamtime story's make complex ideas understandable for all age groups.
In the Dreamtime many of the animals, important land forms and significant trees were supernatural beings that were half human and through some heroic deed or foolishness they were transformed into a form that we see today. There is always a moral to a Dreamtime story.
This is a story written by Stephen Murphy as part of the popular novel 'Seeds the chronicle'. It is told respectfully to acknowledge the first Australians past and present. It was written in appreciation of the deep wisdom, extraordinary knowledge and the environmental care of the 3000 generations of men, women and children who walked on this land before us.
The story is about the Wadawurrung People of the Geelong region of Victoria, who are part of the Kulin nation. This is not a traditional dreamtime story passed down from Wadawurrung Elders. The Wadawurrung word for River Red Gum, Eucalyptus camaldulensis is Biyal
Illustration by Peter O'Gorman
This story is of a time many years ago when there were only grasslands and shrubs on the Basalt Plains west of Geelong.
At this time, living amongst the local people was a clan of giants called the Biyal. These men were taller and more powerfully built than all the other clans that occupied the lands and they were greatly feared in battle. Because of their superior strength and stamina, the Biyal became so arrogant that they occupied the lands along the rivers and declared that only they could fish and hunt on them. The other clans who lived on these lands complained and pleaded because they too needed access to these fertile and rich hunting grounds, particularly during times of drought, but the Biyal appeared not to listen.
The Rainbow Serpent who had made the land, its rivers, creeks and waterholes as well as its mountains and valleys was becoming annoyed with the arrogance of the Biyal and sent some stormy weather and heavy rain to swell the river banks and flood the surrounding plains as a warning, but the Biyal did not even fear the wrath of the Rainbow Serpent.
At this time, living amongst the local people was a clan of giants called the Biyal. These men were taller and more powerfully built than all the other clans that occupied the lands and they were greatly feared in battle. Because of their superior strength and stamina, the Biyal became so arrogant that they occupied the lands along the rivers and declared that only they could fish and hunt on them. The other clans who lived on these lands complained and pleaded because they too needed access to these fertile and rich hunting grounds, particularly during times of drought, but the Biyal appeared not to listen.
The Rainbow Serpent who had made the land, its rivers, creeks and waterholes as well as its mountains and valleys was becoming annoyed with the arrogance of the Biyal and sent some stormy weather and heavy rain to swell the river banks and flood the surrounding plains as a warning, but the Biyal did not even fear the wrath of the Rainbow Serpent.
The Rainbow Serpent sent more severe storms and heavy rain that continued for weeks so that the rivers broke their banks and flooded the lands for as far as the eye could see, but the Biyal stubbornly stood their ground. The other people were now very afraid that they would all drown and asked the Biyal for help. Arrogant and stubborn they may have been, but they were not cruel and didn’t want the other people to suffer while they stood their ground against the Rainbow Serpent, so they invited all who asked them for help to climb onto their backs and legs and wherever they could find a space above the rising floodwaters. Even though many people climbed on, incredibly there was always room for more.
Bunjil the Wedge-tailed Eagle, Waa the Raven and Balayang the Bat hovered over the Biyal and asked if they too could land on them and rest for a while, so the Biyal stretched up their mighty arms and spread their long fingers so that the birds, bats and any animal that could climb would have somewhere to wait out the storm. While more and more people and animals climbed onto the Biyal to escape the rising floodwaters, the Biyal pushed their feet deeper into the river banks and their toes stretched and clutched at whatever solid ground that there was, so that they could stand firm in the raging floodwaters.
Meanwhile the Rainbow Serpent was watching and couldn’t help but be impressed with this kindness and heroism as well as the strength and tenacity of the Biyal. The Biyal cried-out to the Rainbow Serpent and asked for the rains to stop, but they still wanted to inhabit the land along waterways and around billabongs. The Rainbow Serpent agreed only if the Biyal would agree to look after the people, the animals and the birds and become custodians of the waterways, providing shelter and food for all who needed it. The Biyal who had grown to love and respect all those who had climbed onto them agreed to the Rainbow Serpents conditions. So the rain stopped, the clouds cleared, the sun came out for the first time in weeks and the floodwaters receded.
To the amazement of all the people when they climbed down off the Biyal, these giant men had grown impressively in stature. Their muscles had become solid and unyielding, and their hair, once as black as the volcanic soil, was turning green. They were transforming into the mighty River Red Gums that we see on our creeks and rivers today.
The people looked beyond the mighty trees at the most beautiful and perfect of rainbows arching like a snake across the clear sky. They could see red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet mirrored on either side of a shimmering darkness. Many bowed their heads as a sign of respect to the power and magnificence of this divine being that could give life through water and could take life away by sending floods if angered by people’s foolishness.
The people looked beyond the mighty trees at the most beautiful and perfect of rainbows arching like a snake across the clear sky. They could see red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet mirrored on either side of a shimmering darkness. Many bowed their heads as a sign of respect to the power and magnificence of this divine being that could give life through water and could take life away by sending floods if angered by people’s foolishness.
