"The Origin Of Long Jumping
& The Hop, Step & Jump"
 

 
The Rainbow Serpent was one of the most famous animals in Aboriginal legends. It was the huge snake-like creature that travelled through the lands of Australia carving out all the rivers and creeks. The Rainbow Serpent was so long, it could take men and women days to reach the end of its tail to cross the water that filled the trenches it dug.

To overcome the huge treks to cross, adventurous Aboriginals decided to have competitions to see who could jump the huge creature, always keeping an eye on the Serpent's head too see he wasn't looking in case he decided to attack them.

To make it to the other side by jumping the Serpent was called the "Long" jump, as it was usually a great distance to cover. As men became braver they jumped higher up the Serpent's body - thus a competition began who could jump the longest over the body without getting caught. Aboriginal legend has it in some tribes this is how the "Long Jump" as we know it in the Olympics today, commenced.

The "Hop, Step and Jump" developed around the same time, but this arose from people trying to cross the smaller muddy creeks that ran into the main rivers. Being smaller and irregular the way to cross the streams was, not just by jumping, but in some cases a person would have to hop and step over them. Hence the "Hop Step & Jump" arose with contests to see who could reach the longest distance by competing the 3 actions in one.

In this painting can be seen the huge snake-like Rainbow Serpent winding its way through the centre of the painting, with two men in different positions of the "Long Jump" at the bottom right. At the top left can be seen the "Hop Step & Jump" being performed crossing two muddy creeks between the 3 figures.

PRICE: Original $3,450