WARINGARRI ABORIGINAL ARTS

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Wanalirri

Wanalirri (Wandjina) with Kira Kiro (Bradshaw) figures, Lu (Snake). The Wandjina are ancestral spirits who created country, people and animals in the North West Kimberley before turning themselves into rock paintings. They are sometimes called “lightning man” or “rain maker” and every year they replenish water holes, creeks and rivers through making the wet season. The Wandjina can be vengeful if people break the law, by making savage storms and cyclones. The predominant white colouring and shape of the Wandjina’s body represent water and clouds which are sometimes offset by the use of a red pigment, used to paint the Tili (heart), representing blood that shows us that the Wandjina are partly alive.

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Aru

Aru (Rocks) – Berkley Coloured Rocks – Berkley River Country

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Mother and Child Wandjinas

Mother and child Wandjinas. Wanalirri or Wandjina are ancestral spirits who created country, people and animals in the North West Kimberley before turning themselves into rock paintings. They are sometimes called “lightning man” or “rain maker” and every year they replenish water holes, creeks and rivers by making the wet season. The Wandjina can be vengeful if people break the law, by making savage storms and cyclones. The predominant white colouring and shape of the Wandjina’s body represents water and clouds. The red pigment area on the chest is the “Tili” (heart) of the Wandjina and represents the “human” part of the Wandjina.

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Woomarri – Yulu – Langi – Aru

Woomarri (King George River country) – Yulu (Bush Flowers) – Langi (Trees) – Aru (Rocks)

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Burning the Bush Hunting

Kira Kiro (Bradshaw) figures are depicted burning the bush to hunt for animals.

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Kira Kiro Country

“This painting shows the country before the fires and before people started changing the environment.”  

The country is alive with Madjal (Grasses) – Watja (Leaves) – Yulu (Bush Flowers) – Kanandur (Pandanus)- Kulalar (Vines) surrounding a rock hole near the sea.  The colours of flowers and leaves are reflected in the waters. Striated rocks surround the water hole.

Mary’s work is inspired by the rich environment around her and depicts a record of her botanical knowledge. Her images are made up of a myriad of small brushstrokes in layers to represent her vast botanical knowledge describing bush foods and medicines. 

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Bush Spirits

Mary has depicted Kira Kiro or bush spirits in this painting. They are believed to be protectors of sacred ceremonial places and tribes as they wander through the bush.  Fire is in the foreground of the work, which is burning the grasses (madjara) of the bush.  The Kira Kiro figures are going hunting for meat (ngala).  They burn the bush and wait for the kangaroos, emus and turkeys to run out. They are teaching the people how to hunt.

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Kira Kiro hunting

Kira Kiro are hunting in the bush.  They are happy that it is the wet season and there is plenty of bush tucker.

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Seaweeds

The fish and the turtles are feeding on the seaweed

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Cob Web

When you go through the bush and rocks, there are all the beautiful set of cobwebs with insects and leaves, so I thought it would be nice to create this story for our children.