The painting I do is all about my mother’s country, Texas Downs Station – there’s Old Texas and New Texas, which is the one still standing today. Ballangara is the name of country, the place goes back a long way, from early ages. Our old people, ancestors survived and were living on this rough and beautiful landscape, as you see it today. This Country goes a long way before my grandparents and mother came along this country.
This is my Mothers’ Country.
My mother was born and grew up this country, with her father & mother.Also back way back from her great grandparents
Well this the dreamtime story about Wardal and Garn’giny (star and moon). That’s what my mother and dad told me about that Dreamtime thing.
“Garn’giny ngelmang roord-ngarri nginji.
The moon sits in the east.
Wardal dal gerloorr ngarrgalen.
The star sits on top of the hills.
Laarne berdij nginiyi danyi garn’giny.
The moon went and climbed that hill.
Wijige-ngarri ngoorramangbe-ngiyiwa thamboorroo-gal.
They made him run away because he loved his mother-in-law.
(That moon loved his mother in-law, but they told him he couldn’t love her and to go away.)
Ganybelgbe nginini.
He felt shame (and climbed up the hill).
Gerlewirring deg nginini.
He was looking from on top [of the hill].
Nginini-birri “Nanggayib barrroonnha.”
He told all the people “You will all die.”
Nginini-birri “Ngayimoowana mooliyinde ngenben’ge.
He told them “I will be the only one living”.
(He cursed those people.)
“Boora-boorab ngeliyande” wanemayi-birri melagawoom dam, woorrji-ngarri berrani yilag.
“I will keep coming back” he told them all, while they were sitting down below.
(You are all going to die and I will be still alive, coming out.)
“Daam merrgernbem boorarrgarr ngeliyande.”
“After three days camp I will rise from the dead.”
Nanggayibwa berrayin-gili namoowana ngininji.
They all died and he was the only one that stayed alive.
Merrgern daam nginji boorab ngidji, daam merrgernbem.”
He camps (sleeps ~ dies) for three days then appears (again as the moon), after three days.
This is Yarin country in Darrajayin (Springvale Station) which lies south of Warmun. This is Juli’s traditional country.
The star in the paintings is the promised wife of the moon, the straight skin to be his wife. He wanted dawool, the woman who became the black headed python who was the mother of wardal, the star, i.e. his mother-in-law.
This triptych by Shirley Purdie recalls 3 massacres that have occurred on Gija country. As described by the artist each massacre is inspired by very different motives. These different events, placed side by side, are seemingly unrelated, however each is significant to Shirley as they shape the experience of her country and mark the enormous changes that have been witnessed, and remain in the living memory.
Gilbany (Mabel Downs)
(far left)
‘This lot really old people. They never seen gardia (white man) before. They bin look from that big hill at Gilban (Mabel Downs) and seen that wagon and they bin say, “that’s the one that came out of the water. That’s the rainbow serpent.” Shirley explains, ‘They see them and think they bin ghosts; and they see the tracks of that wagon and bin think its like serpent track. That’s why they bin thinking like that.’ Shirley smiles and laughs lightly as she reflects.
‘That’s why they bin kill ‘im. They bin think they come to do bad thing to them. Now they wasted everything in the wagon. [When] they came across the flour [they] painted them selves with it – like maundu (white ochre). They didn’t know flour and sugar and tea them old people so they bin waste him out.’
On Garlungkudi (Kangaroo Tail Dreaming)
(middle)
‘This one on top here. One place called On Garlungkudi (Kangaroo Tail Dreaming). All bin camping there, he got a flat on that other side.’
‘And that lot all the Gija people.’ Shirley indicates the group of brown markings on the left side of the hill. Now pointing at the brown markings on the right side of hill she continues, ‘and all that the Woolangoo tribe from Ngarinyin country – from my fathers country. They bin come and fight now. Big War. Blackfella massacre place.’
Mistake Creek
(far right)
‘That bloke was from Darwin, Aboriginal, Black fella. He bin go there (to Mistake Creek) for holiday mix up [with] some fella from Warmun (Turkey Creek) and some fella from Rhatigan Creek, all Gija people. That bloke from Darwin now bin there and he bin seen one women. She said to him “I gotta husband.” He was anger one, jealous for her.’
‘Now, he took the milking cow and hid him behind the hill. Went back la Warmun and told liar to the boss. He said “they bin kill cow! I got that bell here.” All the boss bin jump on their horse now, go to that holiday place and just shoot em, everyone.’
‘The Gija police tracker went there and saw everyone dead. They bin seen [understood] what happened, they bin kill him [that Aboriginal bloke from Darwin] now. Shoot ‘im and burn him up.’
‘My old auntie Winnie bin give me this story.’
In 2015 Warmun community commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Mistake Creek Massacre. It is believed that Seven Gija people were killed by men under the control of a Constable Rhatigan, at Mistake Creek, East Kimberley. The massacre is supposed to be in reprisal for allegedly killing Rhatigan’s cow, however the cow is claimed to have been found alive after the massacre had already taken place.
A + B TRIPTICH
This work is inspired by a Ngarranggarni (Dreaming) story about Goorlabal the Serpent.
In the Ngarranggarni, Goorlabal travelled from One Mile in search of water. He found water in the Springvale River. He rolled on his back in the water because he was over-heated. He turned into stone and is still there today.
Goorlabal protects the waterways near Warmun, and this work shows the waterways entwined with the vertebrae of Goorlabal.
ileen has painted the Wirrawirrdul, Wirrawirrdul is the Kija name known for mermaid, she was told a story by an elder women of the community and was also known to be Patrick Mung’s sister – her name was Buttercup Mung. Buttercup told Eileen that she once heard noises and splashing within the junction area of the creek, when she went to investigate she had seen a women with half a fish’s tail and the other was human, She was very beautiful and pale – sit-in on the banks of the creek. When the mermaid had noticed that she had been seen, she quickly then jumped back into the water and disappeared.