2025 The Year of the Snake (Part 3)

Reading about snakes does not need to be connected to the Year of the Snake, Lunar New Year or the Chinese Zodiac. It could focus on Australian resources and in particular those of Indigenous authors and illustrators. Snakes first appeared in Aboriginal rock art as far back as 6,000 years. The Rainbow serpent is still commonly featured in Aboriginal art.

Our new English syllabus in NSW asks teachers to ensure that students engage with literature from Australia, including the rich voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, so in this blog, I want to highlight resources in the library that may be shared with students so as to see what part snakes play in their literature.

Snakes are indigenous to all parts of Australia and feature strongly in the Creation stories held by Aboriginal people and in their paintings and carvings. The snake has been used as a symbol of strength, creativity and continuity since ancient times across many societies.

The Rainbow Serpent  is one of the most important stories within Indigenous culture. The Rainbow Serpent is a creator god and the most important figure in Aboriginal Mythology. There are many different stories told of the Rainbow Serpent, which are passed down from generation to generation. These stories tell of how the Rainbow Serpent shaped the earth through its movements. According to myth, the Serpent was responsible for giving life and blessing nature, but also for judging wrongdoing and issuing punishment.

This Dreamtime creature  held great powers and gave shape to the Earth. It emerged from under the ground to awaken different groups of animals. The movement of its body formed physical features like hills, gorges, creeks and rivers into the once-featureless terrain. 

Aboriginal people believe that when you see a rainbow in the sky this is actually the Rainbow Serpent making its way from one waterhole to another.

There are many picture book versions of this story, not all of which were authored and /or illustrated by Aboriginal people. The library has:

The Rainbow Serpent  by Dick Roughest and Percy Trezise  (reissued 2024)

Super Snake  by Gregg Driese

Yeye Apne Kwerlaye-Iperre The Rainbow Serpent  by Jennifer Inkamala 

Warnayarra the Rainbow Snake by School Lajamanu

The Mark of the Wagarl   by Lorna Little and Janice Lyndon

The Rainbow Serpent of the Hopkins River by Patricia Clarke

The Rainbow Serpent  by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

Wunambi: the Water Snake  by Sue Wyatt and May L O'Brien

  

These two are not rainbow serpent stories, but they are Aboriginal stories, set in the Kimberly and they do feature a snake:

When the Snake Bites the Sun by David Mowaljarlai and children of the Kimberly

The Snake and the Boy by Azmen Sebastian