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Published by CompNet Systems on

Wandjina & Unguds (cloud and rain spirits & totems)

The Wandjina spirits are highly respected by the Worrora, Ngarinyin and Wunumbul people who live at Mowanjum and up the Gibb River Road to Kalumburru in the North West Kimberley region of Western Australia. The Wandjina gave the Law, Culture and Language to the people to abide by. These customs are carried on today. The Unguds represent the dreaming of the people which the Wandjina has given. The Ungud is given before birth to the parents, grandparents aunts or uncles of a child, through dreams, or it may come as a living animal.This is considered as a gift from the Wandjina to the parent, the animal becomes a gift to the unborn child which the child belongs to. Now when the child dies it goes back to being that animal. Today each and every individual has their own animal that belongs to them.

Categories: MOWANJUM ART AND CULTURE CENTRE

Name: Sherika Goombun Duckhole

Language: Ngarinyin

Community: Kupungarri

Biography:

Sherika Phillipa Duckhole was born on the 1984 at Derby Regional Hospital. She is a Ngarinyin woman from the Brremarra Clan. She lived at Kupungarri Community before she moved to Mowanjum Community. She has three children. Sherika is an artist and a traditional singer for cultural song, the Junba.  She has been working as Arts Worker since 2013 and was also a Media and Collection Trainee in the Archive of Mowanjum Arts. She is an Arts Centre Director for Mowanjum Arts since 2020.

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