Culture

Wominjika / Kim-Barne / Welcome

The home of Rainbow Serpent Festival is on shared country of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Wadawurrung Peoples who have come together on this land in tanderrum (corroboree) for thousands of years: and who’s cultures continue to this day.

The Dja Dja Wurrung and Wadawurrung, embrace this festival on their shared country and welcome us by sharing ceremonies, stories, songs and dances to the heartbeat of Mother Country, calling upon the wisdom of the ancestors.

Our sprits dance together with the stomping of our feet, connecting us with the earths dreaming.

Our world is made up of a wave of different colours that are mirrored in the colours of the rainbow. Our chakras, their different vibrations, and the energies of the land — they’re all interconnected, just as we are. We are many colours but, it’s important to remember, we’re all the same on the inside. We are all caretakers of the Earth.

At Rainbow Serpent Festival, we as a collective are open to connection — to each other and to the land. Just as those before us, we meet upon this land dancing towards a common path.

When people come together in the harmonious way of a rainbow, we all form something innately beautiful that ascends into the sky!

The Rainbow Serpent Festival Journey

The Rainbow Serpent dreaming is told by the various First Peoples of Australia. Some stories are the same, and some are very different. But each reflects the Country where the story originates. One story, known here in Victoria, tells of the Giant Serpent, Mindi/Binbiyal, who holds both a creative and a destructive force. Together these forces are a balance of light and the dark, masculine and feminine, lore makers and lore breakers, the cycles of life, death and rebirth, the old ones and the new ones yet to come.

All is a reflection of our inner selves. This is our Wangek — our journey, our story, our spirit.

Just like any journey, our festival has had many ups and downs and stops and starts. It’s been an honour to connect so many people together in celebration. While the intention was honourable, and the depth and meaning of the name honoured, we do so using the appropriated name of the Rainbow Serpent.

With a heartfelt apology and open heart, we learn from these mistakes and seek forgiveness. Humbled by the teachings and wisdom bestowed upon us in this learning journey with the Dja Dja Wurrung and Wadawurrung people.

We walk together, a fusion of cultures forged on a new path forward, united in our common values, and respecting our differences. Our intentions are clear – to learn from the past, and create a better future for us all.

Across-Oceans First Nations

Each year, we welcome First Nations People’s from across oceans to join us at Rainbow Serpent Festival, to share their culture.

In 2019 we had the pleasure of welcome First Nations Elder from British Columbia, Grandmother Malihatkwa, who helped us to open the Market Stage with humble insights and an entertaining expression of her inner Grizzly bear. Following, we welcome 20 Kia Orana Cook Island dancers and drummers who share their history and culture through their songs, eccentric costumes, hula dancing, traditional chants of their warriors and unprecedented rhythmic drum beats!

Listen to our First Nations Elders panel – Spiritual Unity, Collective Consciousness and Sustainable Futures