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Jarlarloyni

Jarlarloyni is a female Wandjina that married Namarali one of the main three Wandjinas that created the laws, country and language for the Ngarinyin, Worrorra, and Wunumbal people. Namarali was originally from Ngarinyin country however he travelled to the Worrorra coast and fell in love with Jarlarloyni.

My uncle Donny Woolagoodja speaks about Jarlarloyni;

Jarlarloyni belonged to Montgomery reef or to Umadai Ungardon. The pronouncement of that name represents this area (Wijingarra Bard Bard, far north Kimberley coast, Worrorra country). Umadai Ungardon sounds like that word when they say Jarlarloyni.

It’s like she’s related to this part of the country, and that’s where Namarli got her. He didn’t get her from up there (Ngarinyin country) he found her here and that’s why the people got angry, she was the wrong skin for Namarli. They didn’t want him to have her.

Another story that my father said, that Namaralis brother was after her too. That‘s how they had that battle because this clan from this area here didn’t like him to have her so they were trying to kill him. They talked amongst themselves saying he’s trying to take our women away.

That’s when the war began. They sent people to all different tribes to tell them to come and help kill Namarali because Namarali was a very smart warrior and very strong. They got tribes from all different areas to come and fight in the battle to get rid of Namarali. They were talking amongst themselves asking why Namarali was coming over here to take our women, so they killed him (Namarali).

Jarlarloyni wasn’t a Ngarinyin woman. Some people say that she came from Ngarinyin country, but I don’t think so. That name, Jarlarloyni, it’s for this country. Namarali fell in love with Jarlarloyni. Namarali ran away from Ngarinyin country because he was angry with his tribe.

His tribe was angry with him for coming here to Wororra country so they followed him.

The Worrorra people were very angry with him for stealing Jarlarloyni.

The caves for Jarlarloyni and Namarali are located approximately 3km’s in from the coast of Langgi

Today you can still see Jarlarloyni and Namarali as they appear in ochre on the rock surface in their respective caves.

Large rock formations at Langgi represent Jarlarloyni and Namarali as well as the other Wandjina warriors that past during this battle.

Categories: MOWANJUM ART AND CULTURE CENTRE

Name: Amelia Ringeewala Hurrell

Language: Worrora

Community: Mowanjum

Biography:

Born in Darwin NT to a European father and a Umida/Ungardun woman from the West Kimberley coast of WA.  My mother and I moved from Darwin to Derby/Mowanjum and stayed with families for a while.

We then moved to  Broome until the age of 6.  

I returned to Derby where I now reside permanently with my partner, three children and a grandchild.  

As a child I was taken out to my grandfather's country (Yaloon/Cone Bay), where my oldest uncle ( Sam Umbagai ) told me dreamtime stories and about country, he always told me the story about Dumbi the Owl.

My uncle told us to respect the country and not to harm it or the animals or the spirits of the land will get angry and will punish us, and I learnt it at first hand. " When I was a child I was making humbug and not listening, I fell and hurt myself very badly " and from that day on I always listened. 

I've just began painting earlier this year (2017), and I like to paint the Jilinya the first bush woman.  I was told she is the mother of all people, and there is a place in George Waters area on the coast where her dreaming is at, and I am connected to this place through my mother's grandfather (mother's side) and that is the reason I paint her.

My first exhibition was at the Darwin Art Fair 2017

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