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Wandjina Dreaming
The Wandjina spirit of the Wororra, Ngarinyin and Wunumbul tribe is highly respected by the people of Mowanjum. The Wandjinas brought the law, culture and language. The people of Mowanjum believe that the first Wandjina was called Idjair. He created the first human beings, the Gyorn Gyorn people. Wallungunder (Milky Way) travelled back to Idjair (the first Wandjina) to bring back more Wandjinas to give the Gyorn Gyorn (Bradshaw) people laws to live by. Wallungunder also created Ungud spirits which often appear in Mowanjum people. Every person at Mowanjum has an Ungud or Totem. It’s given before birth by the father or the grandfather through dreams, and represents a living animal. The three Wandjinas which represent the three language groups of Mowanjum are Namarali for the Worora people, Wodjin or Wanalirri for the Ngarinyin people, and Rimijmarra for the Wunumbul people. Each family group at Mowanjum has a Wandjina which guides them through their lives. The Wandjinas are most active as cloud spirits during the monsoon period, bringing rain to the entire Kimberley region. The Wandjinas facial characteristics can represent many climatic features. The eyes of the Wandjina can represent thunderstorms and even cyclones. The bigger and darker the eyes, the more powerful the Wandjina is said to be. The haloes and lines around the face represent different cloud formations and lightning. The line between the eyes resembles a nose, but it is actually a power line which is used to transfer energy. Small brush marks on the Wandjinas body usually represent rain drops. Wandjinas can be represented with either four or five fingers. When depicted with only head and shoulders the Wandjina is said to be floating in space or in the form of a cloud or storm. A full-bodied Wandjina is said to be walking the Earth. The rounded feature in the upper chest area can represent the heart of the Wandjina or a large pearl shell that was worn by tribal leaders.
