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Jimbala Country- Spear head Stones by Kathy Ramsey

This is Jimbala country. Jimbala means Spear head Stones, just below the Iron ore mine.

The rock is called Loomoogool, meaning Blue-Tongue Lizard. back in the old days. 

T part of the land is so strong and gifted to my elders to this country. the rock tells its story. its very powerful and it has Ngarrnangarni story.

This rock is an old woman also my great great Grandmothers stories told to her families. This rock gave my families tongue to sing the tribal songs (corroboree). My families is well well known corroboree people, My grandfather Timmy Timms and his sister Peggy Patrick, also my Mother Mona Ramsey are the very special people of the Gija tribe.

The country of Bow river and Jimbala country is the boundaries of our ancestors that once walked, camped, gave names to hills, shared their songs together. Its been passed to them. and then, when the Kardiya (=White people) came, white people the pioneers of the Kimberley as they would called themselves, took over our native land and built pastorals over it and remain as their stations, also mining companies has taken parts of our land and left it in big ruin. God gave us boundaries to have and to hold, not to destroy it. For God is our creator. just remember that our country is spiritually connected to us  

WINUBA – EVELYN MALGIL

‘This is my family place. Hot water spring and cold water spring. That big hill on the background is my family place. That water live all year ’round. That little sand frog, it live for a long time.’ This place is the Ngarrangkarni (Dreaming) site for the sand frog. The waterhole at Winuba holds water all through the Dry season.

Warlawoon& Bow River Country – Kathy Ramsay

This painting represents two countries – Kathy’s dad’s country, Warlawoon, and her country where she grew up, Bow River.

One half is about the Warlawoon Country my dad Rammie Ramsay country my beautiful old artist dad who left his memory with me to carry on after him.

Trees

Camping areas

water holes

hills

and traditional stories of his mum and dad and their parents and so on he told me.

The other half is Bow River County.

My family has a strong history of this place. My grandfather Timmy Timms (Snr) named the dams here redrock damn, and the redrock itself called redrock and the damn near the hill is called marringarnji dam, meaning where dingos come to drink water with the horses and cattle.

My families has drovin’ histories and traditional stories both.

The road is called the old Wyndham road back in the early days. In nowadays it’s been graded.

My ancestors used to live anywhere here, at camping areas near the river beds. They used to live off the land eating kangaroo, porcupine, all sorts of bush foods.

We are so blessed God gave us boundaries to keep and to hold our future generation children to have and to hold.

Ngaginyji Joomooloony

This painting is about Joomena’s Ngaginyji Joomooloony, her boab tree. “The boab tree we are born under becomes our special tree; this one is Ngaginyji Joomooloony, which means ‘My Boabtree'” 

Eileen Bray Joomena was born on the side of a dusty highway along the road to Ord River and next to the creek that runs into Birnuwun (Alice Downs), Joomoon’s traditional county. The family had ventured out on a fishing trip when Eileen’s mum went into labour and was ‘laid down, with her sisters in law’, under a big boab tree and gave birth. The women stayed under the boab for a week, as is customary, and until ready to go back to camp.

Ant Hills – Tatum Rivers

Tatum has found her voice recently painting these beautiful Ant Hills, at times framed as they are and at others whimsically sitting within an East Kimberley landscape. Depicted in the classic Warmun style but with a fresh new take and colour palate. Tatum was drawn to painting antills as they are significant to the Kimberley landscape but also because of their meaning to her and her family. 

Her ancestors were placed in anthills of a particular colour when they passed away as these helped the body to change swiftly from form to soil, and her Jaru family believe anthills are for healing. In this ritual you are “rubbed down using soil from the anthills, and after you wash it off you feel refreshed. This process will wash away any difficult or negative feelings and also heals sickness and colds.”

Argyle Diamond Mind Rehab

This painting is about the closure of Argyle mine – the right hand side depicts the devastation caused by the site, and the left hand side depicts how we would would like it to be rehabilitated for our future generations.

The current rehabilitation project started in 2020 and we can see some positive changes, however we know that our land will never be the same again.

Kilkayi Barramundi Dreaming

Pulimuguwul (Butterfly)

Butterfly is the meaning of families coming to visit