July 2023

Dupun (Hollow log)

Dupuns (hollow log coffins) were traditionally used by Yolngu people as a type of coffin. They are made from tree trunks which have been hollowed out by termites and painted by clan members of the deceased depicting totemic motifs and clan patterns relevant to the person. Many years ago, Yolngu people would move about the land seasonally, travelling to where the food was available. When a member of the clan passed, their body was ritually painted with relevant clan totemic designs and placed in a tree to decompose. When the clan travelled back through the same area the following year, the bones of the deceased would be placed in the dupun and taken to the deceased persons country where a hollow log ceremony would commence. It is Yolngu’s belief that in practising this hollow log ceremony it allows the spirit of the deceased to embark on the final journey of their existence and on to the dreamtime.

Baru Dhawu (Crocodile Story)

Baru (the crocodile man), was from the Gumatj clan. People usually call him Gurdu Gurdu or Baru which means crocodile. He lived his life at a place called Yirrkala. Living near him were other people, and when Baru didn’t have enough to eat he began to kill and eat these other people. After a while others noticed that some people were missing. When Baru went to the toilet, the people could smell this strong smell, so they knew that he ate the other people. Some men went to get help and they took message sticks to the other tribes. Some were sending smoke signals. When they came to Baru’s camp they started to spear him in the left side of his ribs. He dropped into the fire and burnt his left hand and maybe his right hand. He then ran into the bush and yelled to his countrymen – the animals, birds and fish that live on the land and in the sea. He stopped and he named the tribes and clans and also the places until he came to a place called Gamarru/Guyurru. There he took a rest and said to himself “This is where I stop and call this place Gamarru/Guyurru”. Baru, still in pain from the fire, then jumped into the water and turned himself into a crocodile. The fire left scars on his back. Baru paintings belong to Gumatj and Warrawarra and also the Marpi clan. This painting is used at death ceremonies or initiations and it normally is painted on the belly, which means the person the design is painted on is part of Gurdu Gurdu (the crocodile people).

Raypiny Dhawu (Fresh Water Story)

All Aboriginal people originate from a spiritual source, fixed in a particular place in their land or the sea. These ‘spiritual reservoirs’ are often in the form of special waterholes made by Wangarr (creative spirits) that were created long ago close to the beginning of time. These creator beings moved across the countryside, shaping the land and implanting in each tract of country, the spiritual life force for the people who were to own it. These creative spirits took many forms and when they gave the land to each group, they also gave songs, dances, ceremony, the associated laws and language.

The creation story for Ganalbingu people took place near the middle section of the Glyde River where it becomes the Goyder River. Their land, Ngaliyindi, sits astride the Arafura Swamp in Central Arnhem Land. Many Ganalbingu artists paint totemic species significant to their clan. These can include baru (crocodile), banda (long necked turtle), buliya (catfish), yalman (waterlilies), gumang (magpie geese), dakawa (fresh water yabby), ratjuk (barramundi), warrnyu (flying fox) and more.

Lorrpu ga Marrngu in the Mayku tree

This painting depicts Lurrpu (Sulphur-crested cockatoo) and Marrngu (possum) in a Mayku Tree (Paper Bark Tree) and is a song line for the Gupapuyngu people. In the song line the Lurrpu feed on nuts and seeds of the Mayku Tree across the vast landscapes of Arnhem Land.