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Jin-merduwa (Mermaid) from Gupanga
My niece Stephanie is singing a song called Diyama and it is about Jin-merduwa. She is in the Ripple Effect Band. They are now famous in Maningrida and everywhere. Her great grandmother told her about the Jin-merduwa living at Gupanga. I heard the story before Stephanie. Now I hear her singing the story about that place. I am very proud of her. We have the same country. Our stories match. She is singing the story and I am making artwork about the story.
My lino print shows the Jin-merduwa who live at Gupanga. Gupanga is located at the mouth of the Blyth River. It is a saltwater place. There must be more than one Jin-merduwa living there? They eat fish, shellfish and seaweed. Sometimes they travel to the end of the river to find food in the ocean, but they don’t go far and always swim back to their home.
Gupanga is a beautiful place. The sand is golden, there are mangroves, and the water is cloudy. It is good hunting in that area. When we lived there, we got lots of barramundi, mudcrabs, shellfish, everything!
This is a bit of a dangerous story. I can’t say too much about this sacred place. The Rangers help to look after this place, but they also know they must be careful.
Kuninjku people call mermaids yawkyawk. Yawkyawk are also freshwater. In my language, Burarra we call them Jin-merduwa.
I love to make lino print fabric showing Jin-merduwa. I like using bright colours but sometimes I print using black and white.
A beautiful, one off, lino cut, hand printed deign by Elizabeth Wullunmingu depicting the story of Jin-merduwa. Sometimes she also includes her turtle print.
