Yawkyawk (Ngalkunburriyaymi) This is a depiction of Ngalkunburriyaymi or Yawkyawk, the fish-women spirit. Sometimes compared to the European notion of mermaids, they exist as spiritual beings living in freshwater streams, particularly those in the stone country. These water spirits are perhaps the most enigmatic, and are usually described and depicted with the tails of fish. Thus Read more…
Ngokngok (Owl) Ngokngok or mun-ngokngok is the Southern Boobook owl. Their clan is Warrawarra and the are connected to witch doctors and traditional healers.
Nguykal (Golden Trevally) This is a depiction of Nguykal, the Golden Trevally [Gnathanodon speciosus]. In the early times of creation, Nguykal, the Trevally ancestor, travelled as two fish from the east along the coast. As he travelled along the coast he named clans or bapurru. These clans include Gamarl, Mardarrpa, Read more…
Nguykal (Golden Trevally) This is a depiction of Nguykal, the Golden Trevally [Gnathanodon speciosus]. In the early times of creation, Nguykal, the Trevally ancestor, travelled as two fish from the east along the coast. As he travelled along the coast he named clans or bapurru. These clans include Gamarl, Mardarrpa, Read more…
Marrchila (Saltwater crocdile) Marrchila, ana-munya gu-nirra, gu-bugula a-waywunga a-boya, lika guna-gepiya, a-warrchinga a-rracha a-yurra. Nipa a-weya a-workiya, a-yinaga, “Garr-rru.” The crocodile swims around at night, then after sunrise it climbs up out of the water and lies in the sun getting warm. It always makes a sound, it goes “Garr-rru.” Read more…
Ngangiy (Mud-mussels) This Painting depicts Ngangiy (Mud mussels) a type of shellfish; a mussel, a commonly gathered clam found in the mangrove mud and characteristically coated with coralline growth and stained partly black. Polymesoda coaxans (Corbiculidae). This plentiful shellfish is collected in the dried out floodplains, only a small sliver Read more…
Burlupurr – large dillybag Burlupurr, or dilly bag, is a large woven collecting basket. These large bags are often made from the vine ‘Malasia scandens’, a strong pliable plant which grows along the floor and into the canopy of monsoon vine thickets. The bags are used to collect any kind Read more…
Mimih Spirit The mimih spirit exists in a realm that runs parallel to and mirrors many facets of human life, also demonstrating the deep sense of time and place understood by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Such spirits feature importantly in relation to Aboriginal spirituality, cosmology, social and moral Read more…
Mandjabugudukguduk Manjabukudukkurduk refers to a deep black waterhole that has deep spiritual significance as the site where Kuninjku people’s spirit comes into being and returns in death. The artists explains, “When we die our spirit will go back there… so this spirit will live forever, like we are still alive, Read more…
Ngalng (Freshwater yabby);- This narrative is closely associated with Ngalng (yabby) which are depicted in this work in figurative form, placed alongside the circular holes in which they can be found in creeks and waterholes. Namunjdja explains, ‘Kunkurra is for the Mankorlod area. [It] has songs, so when we sing, kunkurra Read more…