October 2024

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Spider, Bats & Tree

This painting depicts a small component of a longer Yirritja moiety songline. This has been painted on the traditional medium of dried and flattened stringybark. This bark is held in place by two plum tree sticks which helps the painting remain flat as humidity levels change. These sticks are bound using anbutbut (kurrajong) inner bark which is often used to make bush string.

Summarising the songline, the dance begins as a tree root, which grows into a small tree. From here it becomes a big tree along with a spider, flower pollen and hungry bats. At the end a dingo is involved. To finish the ceremonial dance, dancers are smoked, with the smoke releasing the spirit which holds this songline knowledge allowing it to move on to the next person. 

The small component shown in this painting – from the larger over all songline – consists of a growing tree in centre, two separate spider webs on the right, and two bats on the left. The spider is only found out bush and not to be confused with a spider around camp. Dots represented in the painting depict flower pollen blown into the spider web. This pollen is food for the bush bats.

Painting has been completed using a handmade grass reed brush called Jarlk. Raark or fineline work is in Yirritja style and consists of multiple lines before alternating colour. Modern acrylic paint has been used.

By CompNet Systems, ago

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Golden Tree Snake

This carving shows a golden tree snake climbing a small branch. Golden tree snakes often can be found in pandanus surprising ladies who gather this for weaving!

Carved using a collection of hand tools along with a modern grinder. Painted using acrylic paint.

By CompNet Systems, ago

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Mukuy

This carving shows a Mukuy from Solomans country. Soloman tells the story that when you catch fish you shouldn’t take too much… “give half back”. Mukuys travel around at night and if you have taken too much they will go hungry and cause mischief for you. By giving half back you are looking after the Mukuys and ensuring you remain safe.

Soloman has depicted this Mukuy with a full binji (belly) of nailfish (eel tail catfish). These have been completed in Yirritja style Raark which consists of multiple lines before alternating colour. Carved using a mixture of hand tools and completed using modern acrylic paint.

By CompNet Systems, ago

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Long Neck Turtle – Nyangura

Nyangura the Long-Neck Tortoise is Yirritja. The two sacred ancestral Nyangura are found at a place called Djirringi in north-central Arnhem Lane on Ganalbingu land. The tracks left by the two ancestral totemic Nyangura, as they crawled over the land at Djirringi, is a sacred symbol. This symbol is used as a ground design or sand sculpture during cleansing ceremonies otherwise known as Bulu-Lup or Wan’tjirr. During this ceremony, water is poured over the bodies of Yolngu relatives of the deceased as they stand within the sacred ground design representing the marks left on the ground by the two original ancestral Nyangura at Djirringi. Yolngu also dance Nyangura during bunggul ceremonies. Here they may paint the design for Nyanguru and other designs. Nyangura is also food for Yolngu. It is cooked and cut according to age old tradition. The artist has depicted four Long Neck Turtle’s in this painting.

By CompNet Systems, ago

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Garn’giny Ngarranggarni – Mabel Juli

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.

By CompNet Systems, ago

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Birnoo Country

I painted this painting in the style of my father, Mr Gordon Barney. It is slightly different but the story remains the same. This is his country – Birnoo Country (Alice Downs Station).

Birnoo is Gordon’s mother’s country. Gordon mustered cattle all throughout this country for many years – the way his father taught him to, my grandfather.

My father became known as a skilled horsebreaker and buckjumper (rodeo rider). When he worked as a stockman, he would often carry with him a saddle bag for his ochre collection. At the end of his mustering stint, he would have a bagful of ochres that he sourced from riding through his country.

He often paints the hills of Birnoo and now so do I. 

By CompNet Systems, ago

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Rockhole la Birnoowoon Country – Gordon Barney

I was inspire to paint this picture by my father, Gordon Barney. He paints the same picture and this is his story…. 

This Rock hole is la Birnoowoon Country,

we use this rock hole for fishing we catchem moot moot there thats the pearch small but very good eating we picnic here with the whole family and even bogey (Bath) in this rock hole it was very deep.

My country Alice Downs – Old Alice Down Station

We call it Wingunbuny. Ending of station creek.

 

Kija

Berrimbe gendewa dagoorlan birnoo gendang wiji ngerne

Yirrayinde goorndarrim burru nyirrega girrim

Yirramangginde moornmoorbe janggirrim.

By CompNet Systems, ago

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Ngarrgooroon Country; My Texas by Patrick Mung

In this artwork Patrick has painted the landscape and the places that are associated with his country, Ngarrgooroon (Texas); these places are very special to him as some areas still contains old cultural rock paintings and important dreamtime stories. These places include Red Butte, Horse Creek and Meriyin. Patrick has been to each and everyone of these places along with his wife, children, grandchildren as well as great grandchildren. Patrick is one of the many Senior artist’s and elders within Warmun Community.

By CompNet Systems, ago

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The beautiful Landscapes of Bulunggard (Texas Downs Station) by Patrick Mung

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. Balunggar 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. 

By CompNet Systems, ago