Djabayéna (Ancestral sawfish spirit) Djabayéna is a highly significant saw fish creation spirit that is part of the symbolic identity of the Ndjébbana speaking Kunibidji people of West Arnhem Land. When seen from the sky, the formation of a large Djabayéna can be seen at the opening of the Liverpool River on Read more…
Yawkyawk – Janet Marawarr ‘Yawkyawk swim underneath the rock. They always stay there. When the sun comes out they come out from underneath the river, make themselves warm. They sit and they look around. When they sit, they cry to themselves. Ngaldjorlhbo (mother of everything) she created them – yawkyawk Read more…
Kundalk (grasses) on Kunwarrde (Stone Country) That kundalk (sedge/grass) it grows in the water in that black mud, it holds fast to that mud. Wet season time, that kunwarrde (stone country) covered by leaves and grass and mud. When it rains the fish come through. You can see that grass, Read more…
Namarlbbe (Mimih Spirit Creation Story) Namarlbbe hides up in the kunwarrde (stone country), he’s hiding between two rocks. He’s standing and looking around that Mimih. That plant on the rock next to him is windilk, that brown/purple colour for pandanus. Namarlbbe has large ears to listen for Bininj. When that Read more…
Ngalng (fresh water yabby) Ngalng (fresh water yabby) ‘This is a story from Mankorlod. This is a djang story. This is the creation story about the fresh water yabby. Starting with the stone, that’s the raw one and the cooked one. The stone rock suddenly turned to ngalng, in a Read more…
Emu and Kangaroo (Ndjébbana) Food for emu and kangaroo, that spear grass and that green plum. That emu she goes and pushes her chest on that tree. And kangaroo, she’s standing there and eating and looking on the ground for that green plum. At end of dry season, first rain, Read more…
Lorrkkon – Marilyn James Marilyn’s first screen print design depicts the story of lorrkkon (hollow funeral logs). This the story of her great, great grandfather and grandmother who were bark painters, as well as also sacred lorrkkon painters. When designing this screen print, Marilyn was remembering her childhood living in Read more…
Lorrkkon Marilyn’s first screen print design depicts the story of lorrkkon (hollow funeral logs). This the story of her great, great grandfather and grandmother who were bark painters, as well as also sacred lorrkkon painters. When designing this screen print, Marilyn was remembering her childhood living in a small house Read more…