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Warramarn Ngarranggarni
‘The white spot in the painting is the Warrananj, the Eagle, the owner of Gija land Warrmarn. The Eagle Dreaming is located in the centre of Guwalunj, the hill overlooking old Warrmarn (Turkey Creek). Gawalalaj is that long hill that forms part of Guwalunj but it is bunched up altogether and runs down towards the south, like a long boundary fence line. Gawalalaj is a reference point for all the old time Gija- people that first set foot and lived on this land.
Guwala – them small knoll stand alone by itself
Jurrung – Kangaroo Dreaming situated down the creek. Black outcrop below the bridge eastside.
Jirrinj – Same kangaroo Dreaming on the left
Kawarrata – Long black hill on canvas, is actually the spear Dreaming
Kalumpunj – Sharp pointy end of spear Dreaming painted in white ochre on canvas, separated from the long spear Dreaming.’
DREAMTIME STORIES
LEGEND
This is the story of the kangaroo. It is said that the kangaroo (jirrinj) was travelling from the north towards the desert in the south came across Warrmarn and stop to have a rest, but the Eagle (Warrananj) had thought the kangaroo was going to take over the land, so the Eagle took up his spear and threw it at the kangaroo, the Eagle missed him by an inch. The kangaroo hopped on towards the desert , where the spear had landed, the sharp pointed end snapped and that is the sharp pointed hill in this painting.
BELIEF
Hector said: ‘If Warrananj, the eagle, would have listened to the Jirrinj, the kangaroo, and stayed at home, old Warrmarn would have had two languages, Gija and desert language, and two cultures would be practiced together nowadays. But the eagle was satisfied with only one, and thus there’s only Gija language and culture in Warmun.
MYTHS
Warramarn Warrananj Ngarranganti (Warmun Eagle Dreaming)
During the dreamtime, Jirrinj, the kangaroo, fled south into the desert. There it remained until it finally turned into a spirit. That was the time when humans came into the world. For a time thereafter Jirrinj saw something in the north, around Warmun. But Warrananj, the eagle, didn’t notice and so Jirrinj wanted to explain what it saw to Warrananj. But Warrananj didn’t have time for any explanations and even got angry and threw its spear at Jirrinj. So Jirrinj decided to send a man from the desert, to live among Gija people in Warmun instead. An old Gija lady, who was killed in a car accident, came to the desert man as a vision. In this vision she told him Jirrinj’s message, but also she showed him all of the Gija country and taught him Gija language, the names of all places and all the songs. The vision made the desert man sick for a while but then got better. He then gathered all the leading Gija elders and started to explain the Dreaming (Ngarranggarni) he had had. He spoke in Gija language and so the Gija elders believed him, because no one ever taught the desert man this language. And so finally the message from Jirrinj was heard in Gija country. That thing that Jirrinj noticed and wanted to explain to the eagle was the Gurirr Gurirr corroborree. The desert man that Kangaroo sent to live with the Gija people was the famous painter Rover Thomas.
