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Biami was one of the wisest men whom the Rainbow Serpent created at the beginning of time, and when he grew old, the Mother of Life gave him a spirit form and the power to protect all tribes from harm. As Biami the Good Spirit he lived among the tribes and was much loved.
Now there was one tribesman who disobeyed the rule laid down by the Rainbow Serpent, and ate one of his own totem animal. This made Biami very angry. At this time the Rainbow Serpent was sleeping in the place whence she came, below the earth, so Biami himself punished the wrongdoer by banishing him from the tribe. This man too took a spirit form upon himself, but he became an evil spirit. He was known as Bunyip. Biami warned the tribes to have nothing to do with Bunyip.
Bunyip
was stirred with a deep anger; he vowed he would use his evil
influence to bring unhappiness to the tribes. He made his
home in the deep waterholes and the rain forests, lurking
in the gloom by day and roaming the earth by night during
the time of darkness. He brought fear to the tribes, threatening
to devour any human he might meet. The tribes called loudly
upon Biami, asking them to protect them from Bunyip.
Some of the younger women of the tribes foolishly disobeyed the elders, who had told them they must have nothing to do with Bunyip. They went to find Bunyip to test his evil power. Bunyip lay in wait for the women, and when they were close enough to fall into his power he trapped them and made them his slaves. They lived with him as water spirits and were lost to the tribes forever. The elders discovered what had happened and warned the tribes that these water spirits were being used by Bunyip to lure men into the black waters of Bunyips gunyah, his home. So the tribes learnt to fear the water spirits too.
These
water spirits who had once been women of the tribe were lithe
and lovely and very evil. When a hunter drew near they would
sing songs of love, and the hunter, hearing their beautiful
voices, would seek them out. The water spirits would lead
him on until he came at last to the place of dark waters where
none of the tribe would venture by day or night. Then, when
the evil power was strong upon the hunter, the water spirits
would show themselves upon the water. Follow, follow,
they would calland the hunter, overjoyed to see such
beauty, would obey. He followed the spirits into the swamp
and was drowned.
Even
today, Bunyip still roams the evil waters and rain forests
of the land.
Adapted
from Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Stradbroke Dreamtime (Pymble:
Angus & Robertson, 1993)
From the Stradbroke Island Aboriginal people, Queensland
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