Near the city of Darwin, my people call to the spirit of the king of the crocodiles with piercing cries.
It is a dance of invocation.
It is performed whenever someone has to travel to an area where the powerful sea crocodiles live.
They ask for its permission and protection, but the great spirit is always asleep, and so they have to cry out to wake him,
so that he knows that people have gathered together to dance in his honour.
Each time, they interpret the dream or vision of the person who has convened the ceremony,
who will not be able to participate in the dances, but will simply watch to see if the story is represented properly.
They act out situations, describe places and imitate the protagonists, either people or animals.
One of the dreams that is often represented is that of the two wives of the supreme god Baiame.
One day, the god asked his wives to accompany him to a pool.
When they were there, Baiame told them to wait while he went off to look for honey.
Before leaving, he warned them that they could drink water but not bathe in the pool.
But it was very hot, and the women decided to ignore their husband's orders.
So, they went into the water.
Suddenly the threatening figure of two enormous crocodiles emerged, the guardians of the pool
They attacked them and ate them.
As they knew they were the wives of the great god, they decided to flee.
They swam as fast as they could, dragging behind them the waters of the river
When Baiame returned and saw the river without water, he knew that something had happened.
He went down into the river bed and chased after the crocodiles.
When he found them, he killed them with a boomerang.
Then, he cut open their stomachs and pulled out his wives.
He lay them on the ground and covered them with ants.
With the tickling of the ants, the two women came back to life.
This is our world, an ancient world which is now coming to an end.
Our beliefs, born from this land which now does not belong to us, clash with those of the white men who rule over us.
But I, old Yakar Garimala, like the other old men, will continue to tell our history to the young.
Perhaps in time they will realise where their truth lies, and again awaken the Rainbow Serpent.