April 2025

Kukurlk Kare (Going Underground)

Karrinung kukurlk kare, karrijare manme (we are going underground looking for food).

“This is my country. In this painting, I’m looking at her little bit different way. This is what we see when we’re kukurlk kare (going underground)

Man-kurndalh (Black plum) I call mother. It is my mother’s Djang/Dreaming. The bush onion (kulumuduk) is white, the same as onions you buy at the store. We don’t eat this one though, it’s poison.

Wayuk is the water lily, with the big root growing in the earth. This is when that water is drying up a bit. There are worms and beetles- this is what we see underground, when we are digging for manme.”

-Jennifer Wurrkidj

Man-djarduk (Red Bush Apples)

Deborah Wurrkidj is a Kuninjku artist from the Kurulk clan whose country lies around the outstation of Mumeka in central Arnhem Land.

In this design she has depicted man-djarduk (red bush apples) – a sweet, crisp bush food that is a favourite to collect.

Man-djarduk fruits in kurrung and kunumeleng seasons, the build-up and first rains seasons.

Kunkurra (Spiral Wind)

‘My designs, they are all alive living up in my head’- Janet Marawarr

Janet Marawarr has depicted kunkurra, the spiralling wind associated with several sites in the Kardbam clan. On one level, this design can be interpreted as a depiction of the kinds of mini-cyclones common during the wet season in Arnhem Land, where the artist lives. Kunkurra also relates specifically to a site called Bilwoyinj, near Mankorlod, on the artist’s clan estate.

At this site, two of the most important Kuninjku creation beings, a father and son known as na-korrkko, are believed to have hunted and eaten a goanna. They left some of the goanna fat behind at the site, which turned into the rock that still stands there today.

Bilwoyinj site is also a ceremonial ground for a ceremony called Yabbaduruwa, a major ceremony owned by the Yirridja patrimoiety. The Yabbaduruwa ceremony is primarily concerned with initiation, land ownership and promoting the cyclical regeneration of the human and natural worlds.

Man-djarduk (Red Bush Apples)

Deborah Wurrkidj is a Kuninjku artist from the Kurulk clan whose country lies around the outstation of Mumeka in central Arnhem Land.

In this design she has depicted man-djarduk (red bush apples) – a sweet, crisp bush food that is a favourite to collect.

Man-djarduk fruits in kurrung and kunumeleng seasons, the build-up and first rains seasons.

Yawkyawk la Kunronj (freshwater mermaid) 2005

This screen print was created by the young Jennifer Wurrkidj, one of the most prolific artists at Bábbarra Women’s Centre. This design was re exposed onto screen after Kamanj passed away. Her sister Deborah Wurrkidj talks about this design.

At that time the children were all going to homelands school. The design shows too many yawkyawk in the billabong at Barridjowkeng a very sacred Yirridjidja site for Kuninjku people.

The design shows  kundayarr (pandanus) and wayuk (waterlily) around the billabong.

Our grandfather on our mothers side used to live at this site and they used to drink the water from this billabong. There is now an Outstation located at this site. 

This scene shows wet season as we can see by the mandjewk – (heavy rainclouds). The yawkyawk love the sound of the rain. 

Yawkyawk are young girls but they are spirits from kunred (country) that have fish tails.