Year 11 VCAL - Work Related Skills

The VCAL4 class are currently undertaking an Aboriginal theme-based applied project for their Work Related Skills classes. This project is aimed to build a host of work related skills including OHS, project management, skills identification and critical evaluation skills. In turn, students have decided the project including the election of a project management team, undertaken draft designs, developed photographic records for a PowerPoint presentation and more.

Team Leader, Max Nener has written up the story of the piece, depicting the purpose, subject, theme, and symbolism of the design.

The Rainbow Serpent:

The rainbow serpent it is a mythological beast of legend said to have created mountains, rivers, after the land was made by the spirits that rose from the ground that land being earth we know and love today. This legend of a serpent went from south to north. As he went through the land of the great he could hear the partying and laughter of of his people. He then ventured till he found his tribe he then remained in the tribes village for days.

To come rested as he may, there would be two boys seeking comfort within the cold night. They searched here and there and found no place that was fair. They asked the great elder “May we stay, with you?” She apologises and says “I've got two dogs to look after, I have no room for you boys.”

So then the brothers would walk and walk till they found the rainbow serpent resting in a little tent, head covered and comfortable as can be. They walk up to the rainbow serpent and ask “ It is a cold night maybe stay with you. Can you keep us warm?” As much as the serpent would argue with these boys, he would be obliged to let them take shelter within his mouth so the boys ventured into the gullet of the rainbow serpent who shut his mouth.

The next morning he’s realised what he’d done so he takes virtue on the legendary mountain the Great Bora-bunaru. The tribe would notice that the boys were gone, nowhere to be seen. They have realised that the rainbow serpent had eaten the boys and taken cover on top of bora-bunaru so the men climbed for days and days, day and night, they would climb and climb. Some would fall but until two men from the tribe would make it up to the bora-bunaru.

Next to this legendary beast they would then try to cut the beasts gut and let the boys out. To their surprise they would then see that the boys had transformed into beautiful rainbow lorikeets. Confused by this, they quickly ran down the mountain but little did they know that the punishment to come would hurt the tribe and the survival of the tribe.

The serpent would then wake up in a furious rage, smashing and crashing around the rocks. He fell from the sky from the great mountain, crushing and hitting and injuring so many of the tribe that there was no great roar but only the flashing, clashing strike of the great rainbow serpent‘s tongue, sharp like lightning struck the land as a blinding sight as to those who were killed that day.

The lucky survivors would run and run and run from the lands. The serpent grew tired and took shelter into the great sea never to be seen again, only as a shooting star that would fly across the night sky. Those who survived this beast would be too scared to remain in human form, and transform into birds, animals and even trees never to be seen by the serpent again.

In my opinion I see this as an evolution theory type story. I would imagine after the serpent has raged upon the land, this could absolutely build upon the fact of the direction of mountains and rivers. If it was to ever get proven, the story of this majestical beast could tie into the evolution theory. Therefore my opinion this is a beautiful story and I can absolutely understand someone of not a religious nature nor aboriginal can understand the importance of this story.

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