As part of the 2019 Harmony Day celebrations, each of the classes of Rockingham Montessori School participated in making a Rainbow Snake. Each painted section of the snake has a theme – fish, animals, insects, birds, people, tools, seasons, plants – the children learned about the importance of these things for the Nyungar people and the names given to some of them.
“The Waarkal (Waugyl), or Rainbow Serpent, is the creative ancestral spirit of the Nyungar people of the Southwest of WA. In Whadjuk country, the rivers, wetlands and coastal lakes are the Dreaming tracks (or story lines) made by the Waarkal and are held to be sacred by the Whadjuk Nyungar…..
The Waarkal gave us life and our trilogy of belief in the boodjar – the land – as our mother and nurturer of the Nyungar moort – family and relations, and our katitjin – knowledge so that we could weave that intricate tapestry known as the “web of life.”
https://derbalnara.org.au/katitjin
The rainbow serpent was assembled in the undercover area of the school for the whole community to enjoy!