Rainbird
Long time back… In the very early days of the Dreaming. there were no seasons like now, there was really only two , and often it rained for weeks on end….and all the birds would gather in a big trees to shelter from the storms.
There they would sit preening themselves incessantly and squabbling.

One time, it rained very hard for many, many months….the land was flooded by massive flows of water that stretched for many, many miles. The birds gathered in one big huge tree to avoid the heavy rains, all of the birds, all but one, the rainbird.
The rainbird, Boogoodoogada, he loved the rain. While most birds hid from the lashing rain the rainbird loved to wheel and dart ,flying about amongst the rain as it fell.

One day, however, the rain grew steadily harder. Soon even the rainbird struggled against its sheer ferocity and he too sort shelter in the one big tree that stood still high above the waters. Once inside the canopy of dark green leaves the atmosphere was much calmer. The little rainbird flew around looking for a perch to roost.
There were many hundreds of birds everywhere and though he was only very small, Boogoodoogada had trouble finding space on a branch to land. Eventually he was forced to land high up in the tree canopy, close to the very last protective leafy layer. Here he landed and began preening his feathers.
As he looked about he saw all kinds of colourful birds preening, squawking, squabbling and some were trying to doze.
Suddenly a big bird, a bright red parrot crashed into him, almost knocking him from the branch.
“Oh, I’m sorry little bird, I didn’t see you! You are very plain and hard to see, you should get some new colours to make yourself brighter and more noticeable.”

The rainbird was a dull greyish green bird, perfect camouflage for rainy days from predators as he was easily lost among the dull colours on dark rainy days.
As he studied all the beautifully coloured birds clustered under the tree canopy he said…
“Oh, there are so many beautiful birds! How can I get such wonderful colours for myself?”

The big brightly coloured bird looked at him askew and said,
“Well, as soon as the rain stops I’ll show you, this rain was so hard it was washing all our colours out! Once it begins to stop we can go and refresh them again!”

Indeed as Boogoodoogada looked about, he noticed how some bird’s colours had been blurred and some even washed almost out.
Now some of the red parrots looked pink, some of the others too
Their colours were now patchy, giving them splotches of colour and whites and greys.
Each was trying desperately to spread the remaining colours over their feathers and complaining of how their beautiful colours were being ruined by the incessant rains.
The screeched loudly and angrily, dismayed at the loss of their bright colours.
Boogoodoogada looked at the big parrot.” I think some of the look pretty with the way their colours have run together.
Many of the birds crowded together so closely as they were, repeatedly bumped and rubbed against each other as they preened.
Many squabbles would arise as each smeared colour over each other and many birds took to the crowded air under the leafy tree canopy.

To the little rainbird it was magnificent!
As the birds chattered and shivered and flew about diving and wheeling in a chaotic cloud they shimmered in many colours…. To the rainbird it was mesmerising…and he couldn’t look away from the beautiful sight of such colours….
In wonder he watched as the sheer volume of birds made it impossible for his eyes to focus and soon it was just a blur of gorgeous colours dancing before him.
He grew dizzy with the beauty.

So it was he did not notice when the rains eased, and the big red parrot called as he took flight….
“Little bird, come see how we paint our selves new colours each day!”
But Boogoodoogada was still in awe of the spectacle, and as the huge mass of birds began all rushing from the tree he still sat mesmerised.
After a few moments, he came to his senses and immediately launched into the mass of birds to follow them and see what happens.
Now he was only a small bird, and the sheer numbers and size of many birds swarming from the tree didn’t allow him much room and he was soon forced low and he landed on a lower branch and stood for a moment to watch.
As he looked he noticed the rain had not stopped, but merely abated, and the birds flocked to the bright flowers all about and began drinking nectar, and splurging the rich colours of the flowers all over them selves.
So this was how they do it he thought, and he sprang into the air and began looking for some bright flowers to paint his feathers.
There were so many birds that he could not find any spare and as fast as he raced to a flower, there was always another bird beating him to it.
By the time he got to any flowers, most of the colours were gone and he only got tiny specks of colours for himself.
Faster and faster he raced, flitting from flower to flower like a hummingbird, desperately trying to make himself colourful like all the other birds.
But try as he might, there were so many other birds all trying to get painted up before the heavy rains came back that he just couldn’t find any flowers with more than a few drops of painted nectar.

There was a loud clap; followed by a bright snake of lightening and the rain began to again grow heavy.
Immediately, as if a decree had been made, the many thousands of birds once more flocked to shelter.

Outside, Boogoodoogada still raced to try and paint himself. Fast as he could get a few specks of colours the rain began to smear them down his feathers, and he raced ever faster trying to beat the rains.
He began calling desperately for the rains to ease and allow him to get some of the colours before they washed away.
Faster and faster he darted about among the flowers, louder and louder he called to the rains to stop.

Among the tress the big red parrot shook his head and sighed, to the big white cockatoo that like to paint his hair yellow he said.
“Poor little bird, he doesn’t realise he can repaint them again each day if the rains aren’t heavy like this and not have to work so hard”
But Boogoodoogada didn’t know this, and did not hear them calling because the rain was so heavy and so loud.

He raced faster and faster and eventually he took it upon himself to fly up into the teeming rain.
He was going to try and approach the rain spirits and beg for ease to the rains.

His little frame flashed across the sky, leaving trails of colours as it sped upwards and the birds sheltering in the tree peered up and laughed at the rainbirds futile attempts.

“The Red parrot was one who didn’t laugh, he

Now Boogoodoogada was soon so high that only the eagles flew higher

And he was above the cloud spirits, looking at bright sunshine.
The sun immediately began to dry his feathers and he felt warm and he called out to the spirit

“ I beg you, these heavy rains are causing the birds to argue about their colours and they fight over them constantly and have to keep painting themselves to stop the rains making them plain and not noticeable like me, can you please let the rains stop for a while? If they did not have to repaint themselves all the time there would be colours for all to share.”

There was no answer, but a break appeared in the clouds and a dazzling ray of light and the rainbird wheeled and dove once more back towards the earth and the trees where the others all flocked.

As he dove from above his tiny frame gathered speed…..He streaked across the sky…..The heavy rains once more washed colours from him…. and across the sky he painted a stream of bright colours…
The clouds then began parting and the shaft of bright sunlight burst through, illuminating the landscape.
The dull blues greys and greens of the dark rainy days became stunning bright greens and an explosion of flower colours now burst anew.

From above, Boogoodoogada was amazed, he had not noticed how bright the colours truly were.

The warming sun once more dried the colours on him…

Below, the birds were massing in the bright sunlight; they surged as one almost from the trees the moment the first ray appeared.

They once more dove about, fighting over the flowers and painting their feathers again.

They rejoiced in the sunlight as it began to dry their feathers, but still they fought over the flowers and squabbling broke out again.

Boogoodoogada noticed the big red parrot perched near red banksia bush…. he was busy splashing himself with colour, rubbing himself all over with the bright red flower.

As he flew up to speak and landed nearby the red parrot was startled and momentarily took flight before returning…
“Oh, you scared me, I didn’t see you sneak up.”

The rainbird looked sad,
“Still you didn’t notice me> I painted myself with all the colours I could find…”

‘Well, you certainly did, “ said red parrot,
“You were indistinguishable against the beautiful colours that are all about. You are a beautiful bird little one, I was waiting to thank you for calling the sun from the spirits. Look how beautiful the colours are everywhere!”

Indeed it was an amazing splash of colour, and he flew down among the valley to see more for himself.

Everywhere he flew he called out to the other birds asking them how they liked his bright new plumage.

Many didn’t hear his tiny voice among the chattering and squawking of the others, and he again felt unnoticed.

A few did hear him, but when they saw how many colours the little bird was they grew jealous, and they called out…. Go away…. you can’t have anymore of the colours we use, we need them for us in case the rain returns. They chased him away or they refused to befriend him and soon he grew despondent again.
Still the birds argued over the colours and squabbled and complained.

To the little rainbird, he could only see all the magnificent colours.

Then suddenly the rains again returned…. and birds streamed to the shelter of the trees.

It rained heavier than it had ever rained before…. and by the time Boogoodoogada reached the tree canopy to shelter it was again overcrowded with chattering, squawking birds.

This time however they did notice him.

For the little rainbird hadn’t noticed how his feathers still shone brilliantly with dazzling colours…
Brightened by the suns rays high aloft, he shone and many birds started calling out.

How is it you still having such bright colours?
We are almost pale now from this rain and our colours almost leached from our bodies, yet you are still brightly coloured with all of our colours.

The some began wheelin about and diving close..

“Give us back those colours that are ours you don’t need them
Your just a plain bird that stays out in the rain…you don’t know the colours song, how can you have such colours if you cant sing them?”

They began bumping him…and each time they did they were smeared with a little of his colour.

Soon he was bumped off his perch and forced to fly…
But the others kept wheeling about and diving into him

He was forced to flee into the torrential rains……

Boogoodoogada decided to leave his valley…

He felt bad he had made more disharmonies…. Further he flew; heavy the rain remained…
Yet still he did not lose his colours…though they dripped from him constantly and blurred into a myriad of colour, they did not fade or diminish…

He flew on…calling out in his sadness..

Higher and higher he flew

Until he was just a blur of colours across the sky once more…

Though the rain fell heavily still

In parts the once total cloud cover began to break up….

Boogoodoogada decided he was the rainbird, and would only come out when it rained, and the others were sheltering, and would not see him.
He began chasing the rainclouds now, further and further, trying to keep up with it and only fly in the rainshowers when no other birds were about.

He had decided he was now cursed with his new colours, he would look for somewhere where the colours didn’t matter and he would live there…so on he flew searching all about.

Sunlight again streamed through the clouds and birds flocked out again to grab the flower colours.

They didn’t see the little rainbird, they looked up and saw only a beautiful brightly coloured streak flashing across the sky and moving away, across the heavens.
It bathed them with magnificent colours and they all sat in awe at its beauty.

Below him the rainbird saw how happy the other birds looked with him not there, as he assumed, and he decided he would leave forever.

He flew very high and very far searching for his new home, but nowhere could he find one

So he just kept looking

“Oh that’s a sad story Yinnaar,” I had said….”Is my dreaming a sad one?”

Old Yinnaar laughed at me….

“ Ahh little g….you thinks is sad one hey?. No no..yu gotta know all dat dreamin to know it…..it no sad Dreaming…it is beautiful happy one little bird.”

“But why, “ I said, “: the Rainbird is chased away and has no home, and he just keeps looking”

“ Little g you funny little bird, that not end of that dreaming, what about your heartsong?”

I looked at her and said

“What is my heartsong Yinnaar?”

“ahhhhhh

Now I tell you dat one ey?

You see dat Boogoodoogada, he fly everywhere looking for home…..

And evryw’ere ‘e goes, he calls out

And everyone who look
They see dem rainbows an they says

that rainbird….
Look
He calls out and the rains they go and he bring the rainbow and the sun!

See how them birds all fight? >
Even when they had them colours, now they have Yuliwirri the rainbow…they happy again

Dat why it got no end that rainbow…

Boogoodoogada still lookin

But he will find new home

His heartsong will call oneday….she will call to him in colours like a rainbow song
And he will hear her and know

He will hear his soulmate call

For he is a solitary bird,

not normally in flocks, who is often only seen in rain.

And when he hears her call he will know
And he will follow his path
And the rainbow will touch again and he will be home
The call will come one day he least expects

And suddenly he will be smitten…

His heartsong will call
And he will fly to her
And the Rainbow Bridge will complete its journey

Two hearts will be joined by a bridge of many colours

He will find his home…his heartsong will call
and he will follow its sweet song and he will sing too
a chorus of colours

He will sing of many colours

Many different colours

This is Boogoodoogada’s fate…

.he will find happiness, peace, love, and harmony

With his heartsong
And his journey will add colours to others that lack it
Washed away by the rains
He will bring songs of many colours
Not just a few

'When the earth is ravaged and the animals are dying,

a new tribe of people shall come unto the earth
from many colors, classes, creeds,

and who by their actions and deeds
shall make the earth green again.

They will be known as the warriors of the Rainbow.'

See dem birds
Sometimes they still fightin over colour ey?

You will see little g,

one day you princess charmin come get you

She call an you be knowin then about heartsongs

You be knowin

Cause she got heartsong Dreamin too

An one day she gonna call out her song

And she gonna see dat Boogoodoogada comin

She look up and see dat ol’ rainbow Yuliwirri
Den she see dat rainbird comin down

He be lookin like he followin dat rainbow

He hear her song call and he come to her with rainbow colours
He bring the sunshine and the colours, he sing about rainbows

An his heartsong she teach him her song

Heartsong
And he have love and peace and happiness and harmony

Dat be his story little bird, but der’s re lot more that dreamin ok?
You get off now an don’t be worryin bout sad Dreamin

He he
You funny little bird

You got happiest Dreaming

You bring the sun and rainbows after rains

Dat fine dreamin dat one ey G?

Make lots hearts smiles…

Ok…that’s the story old Yinnaar told…

though she spoke using the totem names and was much more powerful

love

G