Home Art Book Charities

Short-nosed Sea Snake

Aipysurus apraefrontalis

Status: Critically Endangered. Aipysurus apraefrontalis lives off the reefs of Western Australia. Degradation of reef habitat, because of coral bleaching has reduced the available habitat.

The Noongar people of Western Australia tell of the Dreaming, and of Wagyl, the Dreamtime Spirit. The Dreaming is called "Nyitting", and refers to when the lands were new and inhabited by ancestral figures and creatures. By knowing and passing down this lore, the Elders maintain and uphold the ancient customs and the traditions that make them stewards of the land.

Wagyl is a huge snakelike being, charged with the creation and protection of waterways and wildlife. Wagyl's serpentine body, sliding across the land, carved out the passages for rivers.

As he slithered along, he pushed aside the mud and rock to make way for the life-giving waters to spring forth and flow in his wake. Moisture sprang from the ground and gushed to fill the crevices with clear streams and green things grew around those margins. When Wagyl grew weary and coiled to rest, the indentation of his body left room for lakes and bays, and the water pooled and gleamed and mirrored the sun. As his scales scraped against the rock and fell loose upon the land, they seeded and grew into woodlands, cascading into the valleys that his tail swiped from the earth.

 

References:
Winmar, Ralph. "Nyitting - Dreaming". Noongarculture.org.au, Noongar Elder. https://www.noongarculture.org.au/spirituality/

Benenell, Tom. "The Waugal Or Great Serpent-Like Dreamtime Spirit". Noongarculture.org.au, Noongar Elder. https://www.noongarculture.org.au/spirituality/