Long ago, a devastating drought gripped the land for many endless years. Waterholes dried into cracked mud, trees dropped their leaves, and animals collapsed from thirst beneath the relentless sun. Elders performed every known ceremony, sang ancient songs, and called to the clouds, yet the sky remained hard and blue, empty of rain. Despair spread through the people as survival itself came into question.
During this time of suffering, a young man named Kudnu, known in some versions as a gifted apprentice shaman, experienced a powerful dream. In it, the ancestral spirits spoke clearly, telling him that water had not disappeared. They revealed that rain was hiding on the highest mountains and within the breath of the Rainbow Serpent, waiting for someone with enough courage and devotion to call it home. When Kudnu awoke, he knew his path was set.
Leaving his people behind, Kudnu began a long and punishing journey across the desert. He walked for hundreds of miles over blinding salt flats and burning sand until he reached a sacred mountain range. There, he practiced deep self-discipline, refusing food and water as he fasted, meditated, and listened closely to the wind. In hidden mountain caves, he discovered shimmering quartz stones, known as rain stones, believed to contain the spirits of the first waters from the beginning of creation.
When Kudnu finally returned, he carried more than sacred stones. He brought with him a song and a dance learned from the wind itself. Preparing the first rain ceremony, he painted his body with white patterns symbolizing clouds and red lines representing the earth. Alongside the warriors, he stamped the ground in rhythms that echoed thunder. He sprayed water from his mouth into the air as fine mist and struck the quartz stones together, sending flashes of light like lightning into the sky.
As the song reached its final note, a small dark cloud appeared on the horizon. The ground grew quiet. The cloud expanded, thunder rolled across the desert, and the first heavy, cooling raindrops fell onto the cracked earth. The land drank deeply, plants revived, animals returned, and life flowed back into the desert. Kudnu had become the First Rainmaker, restoring balance between sky and ground.
From that day forward, the role of Rainmaker became one of the most respected positions in the community. The knowledge was passed down carefully, taught only to those with pure intent and a deep spiritual connection to nature. The story also carried an important warning. Rain is a gift, not a tool, and ceremonies must never be abused, or the balance of the world could be disturbed.
At its heart, this Dreamtime legend teaches enduring truths. Faith and perseverance can open paths even in the darkest times. Humans are not separate from weather and land but are part of a living system shaped by respect and responsibility. And through this story, Indigenous Australians preserved ancient environmental wisdom, explaining the origins of rainmaking rituals that are still remembered and honored in parts of Australia today.