September 2024

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Goorra-goorran Country- Special Water

“Goorra-goorran Country is my grandfather’s Country – Sandy Thomas. This painting represents a special waterhole way out there; the bright section in the middle is special healing water.

“In the early days you would go and drink it when you’re feeling sick or sore. The animals could be healed by drinking the water too. If they have broken legs even.

Goorra-goorran Country spans from Violet valley and up past Warmun and out around Bow River; and this waterhole is a long way out in that country. Nowadays you can only get there via helicopter.

I hope to get there one day soon.”

Madeline Purdie

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On Country- Bush Tucker

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Joomooloony (Boab tree)

Joomooloony (he Kimberley Boab tree), through all the different seasons and colours. Some of the Boabs are burnt, some with nuts and some green and dry. 

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Bow River Country, Kathy Ramsay

This is Bow River County.

My family has a strong history of this place. My grandfather Timmy Timms (Snr) named the dams here redrock damn, and the redrock itself called redrock and the damn near the hill is called marringarnji dam, meaning where dingos come to drink water with the horses and cattle.

My families has drovin’ histories and traditional stories both.

The road is called the old Wyndham road back in the early days. In nowadays it’s been graded.

My ancestors used to live anywhere here, at camping areas near the river beds. They used to live off the land eating kangaroo, porcupine, all sorts of bush foods.

We are so blessed God gave us boundaries to keep and to hold our future generation children to have and to hold.

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BUNGLE BUNGLES

These are the hidden caves at the Bungles Bungles national park.

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Yarralalil (cave dwelling spirit woman) by Mabel Juli

My country, Springvale.
That Yarralalil lives in the cave and she is a cheeky woman.
When she has husband around, don’t go near the man.
She is jealous for her husband. Moongoorr means jealous. She is jealous of him (does not let him look at anyone else).
Don’t go near him or she will poke you with her digging stick.
That cave where Yarralalil lives in is at the top of that hill.
When my father (Mabel’s father) went hunting for food he found her with a baby.
That Yarralalil locked herself in the cave.
When he came down the hill he didn’t see her but found her foot tracks.
She has got very long black hair and a white dress
The old man (her husband) only has front cover and bare bum.
When she has no husband around, you can go up there.

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Springvale

“Well this one you know, our land, well before, no Gardiya (whitefella) was coming before… so I drew this one, like our ancestors from the Ngarrangarni (dreamtime), they lived in the cave, that’s their home, from long time before.

And this now (the rest of the painting), this is Mabel Downs today. And, before they didn’t have houses like that, and then Gardiya been coming along, and we been start to meet up with Gardiya. Our people meet up with Gardiya and Gardiya been build a house like that for us.

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Warlawoon& Bow River Country – Kathy Ramsay

This painting represents two countries – Kathy’s dad’s country, Warlawoon, and her country where she grew up, Bow River.

 One half is about the Warlawoon Country my dad Rammie Ramsay country my beautiful old artist dad who left his memory with me to carry on after him. Trees, Camping areas, water holes, hills, and traditional stories of his mum and dad and their parents and so on he told me.

The other half is Bow River Country.Kathy says:

“My family has a strong history of this place. My grandfather Timmy Timms (Snr) named the dams here redrock damn, and the redrock itself called redrock and the damn near the hill is called marringarnji dam, meaning where dingos come to drink water with the horses and cattle. My families has drovin’ histories and traditional stories both.

The road is called the old Wyndham road back in the early days. In nowadays it’s been graded.

My ancestors used to live anywhere here, at camping areas near the river beds. They used to live off the land eating kangaroo, porcupine, all sorts of bush foods.

We are so blessed God gave us boundaries to keep and to hold our future generation children to have and to hold.”

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Juwari- The Devil Spirit – by Peter Thomas

The Juwari is the Devil Spirit.

He is the power, force and spirit of creation iitself, and everything within it and within us  He is the creation of country and the land, of the weather & seasons, of all the elements. He is the source of all forms of life and of death.

The Gija people present Rover Thomas’s dreamtime story, through performing the Joonba- A traditional dance and song ceremony called Gurrir Gurrir. Rover was given this dreamtime by the Juwari

This Gija story as told by senior Gija elder Patrick Mung and Cultural leader Jane Yalunga (Rover Thomas’s only daughter).

The story shares ‘there were three Juwari, from Wyndham side, from Gija country and down that way. Each one had a Joonba, it different each way. Them Juwari been fighting  who is the strongest  and who will bring them joonba to the Old man.

The Gija Juwari won and that was the start of the beginning, the birth of the corroboree and the Joonba- Gurrir Gurrir, as it is today’