Dreamtime Story #4 Biami and Bunyip

Dreamtime stories are a way for Indigenous Australians to share their cultural values with younger generations. "Biami and Bunyip"is a tale of caution to youth to respect and value the words of their elders.


"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 Bunyip’s 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 call—and the hunter, overjoyed to see such beauty, would obey. He followed the spirits into the swamp and was drowned."

http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/37310/20081022-1214/www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/bunyips/html-site/abor-stories/biami.html

Even today, Bunyip still roams the evil waters and rain forests of the land.