We reached the ancestral birth cave of Willie Gordon's father in the afternoon of the Rainbow Serpent walk.
There is a warning sign as you approach the birth cave. It is a very large depiction of a man turned and painted upside down.
We sat down. Willie asked one of the walkers if he had been present at the birth of his children. Yes. What sort of day was it? They were the most incredible days of my life. What did you do at the birth? Held her hand, gave her water. How did you feel? Useless, inadequate. A bit like that guy up there on the rock? Yes.
At Aboriginal births men were not present. They were often close by but never in the birthing cave where women's business was going on.
Women walked to the birth cave about three months before their baby was due to be born. They were attended by other women, more experienced women. These midwives stayed with them. The birth cave was always chosen for it's sacredness, it was sheltered, close to fresh running water and abundant plants providing medicine and food.
We sat down in the cave. It felt safe, protected from the elements and yet created by them. Australia is diverse and one of the main features is sandstone. This cave was created millions of years ago by sand and water.
In Aboriginal culture the woman are revered. They are the ones who carry life. They are the creator. Mainly it is the mother who nurtures, she provides the patience, the nourishment for life and life itself.
There are several rock art images within the cave. Here the mother and child are connected by the umbilical cord. The image also depicts a line that runs up through the body. It reminds me of the yogic teaching of sushumna nadi the line where kundalini rises to sahasara chakra. The line in both of the body images is very prominent.
This picture here reminds women that miscarriage was a part of normal life as were stillborns and infant death.
After the birth the father and uncles were close enough to hear the infant's cries. It was the job of the father to plant the placenta in the ground adjacent to the birth cave. Opposite the two points of birth and placental burial was where the body was buried when the person died creating a full circle.
