October 2023

Rock, Cod & Turtle- by Sonia Bray

This is a story from Bray’s uncle’s country, Purnululu (Bungle Bungles). Bray tells the story about the rock cod and the turtle: ‘The rock cod is a fish that stands in the water and camouflages itself. The turtle was making its way to Purnululu. The rock cod jumped out of the water and through a hill where it left a mark that you can see today. The turtle followed him.’ The mark left by the fish can be seen between the hilltops in Bray’s painting and the turtle is painted in the bottom left-hand corner.

Purnululu – Bungle Bungles – Marietta Bray

This painting shows the country that Marietta’s mother comes from, Purnululu. It is also the country of her uncle, renowned Warmun artist Jack Britten. Purnululu ( The Bungle Bungles) is located 55 kms south west of the Warmun Community. It is a significant point of reference for many Gija people and has many sacred places located within its striped domes. Marietta paints this country using a strong sense of design and pattern.

Birnoo Country

Birnoo Country

Jarlaloo Country

Jarlaloo is Patrick’s country. It lies south of Warmun and north of Purnululu (Bungle Bungles). Patrick knows this country inside out, as he walked and mustered cattle all throughout this country with his father, George Mung Mung. Jarlaloo is the Gija name for the Ord River, where it runs into Stony Creek. There are a lot of doworrolji in this country – doworrolji are rocks heaped up into ridges.

Birnoo Lorraine Daylight

Palm Tree

Jarlarloon – Patrick Mung

Patrick Mung Mung has been turning his brush to his grandmother and mother’s country Jarlaloon, as new memories of these days drift back evoking reconnection and reflection. Patrick says – ‘I’ve bin thinking clear lately. My mind is good and my memories are all coming back good and clear. My grandmother and my mother and their country, and life the way we used to live. All the stories they would tell me. All my old people and those times living old ways.”

The subtly varied pink ochres found, collected and prepared by Gija artists and artsworkers, are the pre-eminant features in this new body of work.  His late wife B Carrington also loved to use the strong pink tones in her later work and he talks at times of finding her in those colours.

Kilkayi Barramundi Dreaming