A timeless classic from the Dreamtime.

There are many names and stories associated with the Rainbow Serpent, all of which communicate its significance within Aboriginal traditions, most particularly as a symbol of fertility, peace and unity.

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 colour spectrum sometimes seen when sunlight hits water at a certain angle.

Paintings of the Rainbow Serpent first appeared in Arnhem Land rock art more than 6000 years ago and have continued today as works on bark and on paper.

 

Details

ISBN: 9780207174339
Series: Australian Children's Classics
Audience: Children / Juvenile
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 32
Edition: New edition
Publication Date: 1 Jan 1940
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd
Publication City, Country: New South Wales, Australia
Dimensions (cm): 25.4(H) x 23.9(L) x 0.5(W)
Weight (gm): 160

 

Author Biography

Percy Trezise AM (1923 - 2005) was a painter and writer as well as an historian and documenter of Aboriginal rock art. Trezise served in the RAAF during WW2, and from 1956 he worked in northern Australia as an airline pilot. From the air he would gauge areas likely to contain Aboriginal rock art that he would later explore. Trezise collaborated on a series of children's books with Aboriginal artist Dick Roughsey, and as well as being a member of the Order of Australia, in 2004 he received an Honorary Doctorate from James Cook University.