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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.

Name: James Mitjpunun Malibirr


Language: Ganalbiŋu


Community: Gapuwiyak


Biography:

James has been creating art since he was a little boy, he estimates around the age of sixteen. Taught by his father, uncle and adopted father, he learned through sitting, watching and absorbing traditional techniques, knowledge and stories. As James asked about certain stories being painted, his teachers made sure to teach him to only tell the right culture and the right story, as culture is important and it is wrong to tell someone else's story.

Artistic through a variety of mediums including canvas, carving, and yidaki (didj), Jame's recurrent themes are fish and billabong tucker, as well as stone blade paintings which is his mothers story.


© the artist / art centre