ngilyki

This painting represents the relationships and connections between skingroups of the Walmajarri people and how our culture keeps this strong. Each of the eight sections represents brother/sister combinations linked by two circles; the outer circle shows family relationships and the inner circle is representative of the spiritual connections and all of the cultural beliefs that support this.

Nangala - Jangala
Napaljarri - Japaljarri
Nampijin - Jampijin
Napanangka - Japanangka
Napangarti - Japangarti
Napurrula - Japurrula
Nakamarra - Jakamarrra
Nungurrayi - Jungurrayi

ngilyki

This painting represents the relationships and connections between skingroups of the Walmajarri people and how our culture keeps this strong. Each of the eight sections represents brother/sister combinations linked by two circles; the outer circle shows family relationships and the inner circle is representative of the spiritual connections and all of the cultural beliefs that support this.

Nangala - Jangala
Napaljarri - Japaljarri
Nampijin - Jampijin
Napanangka - Japanangka
Napangarti - Japangarti
Napurrula - Japurrula
Nakamarra - Jakamarrra
Nungurrayi - Jungurrayi

 

PIRLIRR

In the birth place of my ancestors every living and nonliving thing has a spirit, when elements of all these spirits come together they form a pirlirr (soul). This pirlirr will roam the country, sometimes for years or even decades, in search of the parents of an unborn child that will carry this pirlirr. When the pirlirr finds the right parents it transfers itself into a totem (jarriny), which comes in the form of an animal and while in the totem it will guide this animal into path of the parent/s.
For traditional people with whom the totem makes contact, the animal is hunted and eaten for food; but for non-Indigenous people the pirlirr will guide the jarriny in the path of the parents and makes itself known that it has found the Mother/Father of carrier of this pirlirr. After the carrier has passed on the spirit disperses back into the earth from where it came.

wuntara

Wuntara means burnt land. This painting shows traditional burning of my father’s country (Jalyirr), on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia. My people, the Walmajarri people, have used this method of maintaining the land for thousands of years and still do to this day. The practice of traditional burning ensures new growth to the land for seasonal bush foods. These bush foods formed the diet of my nomadic ancestors but it also provides food for animals.

During the dry season (April through September) when water was scarce the smoke would be used by my ancestors as a signal for locating members of the tribe and to provide easier access across the burnt spinifex grass to waterholes.

Through the Wuntara we can also easily track the animals we still hunt for food, including muntuny (blackhead python), lungkara (blue-tongue lizard) and jarrampayi (goanna).

 

ngilyki

This painting represents the relationships and connections between skingroups of the Walmajarri people and how our culture keeps this strong. Each of the eight sections represents brother/sister combinations linked by two circles; the outer circle shows family relationships and the inner circle is representative of the spiritual connections and all of the cultural beliefs that support this.

Nangala - Jangala
Napaljarri - Japaljarri
Nampijin - Jampijin
Napanangka - Japanangka
Napangarti - Japangarti
Napurrula - Japurrula
Nakamarra - Jakamarrra
Nungurrayi - Jungurrayi

 

Lannoo Lannoo

Lannoo Lannoo is the birth place of my father and his father before him. It’s the homelands of my family situated on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert. The parallel lines represent the undulating landscape of sandhills and claypans that is home to a diverse range of plants and native animals. My family and I experience a deep connection to this land which is carried through our cultural beliefs, practices, stories and songs.

The symbols represent Spirituality, Aboriginal Lore and Family Kinship structure. These elements form the basis of Walmajarri culture and have been passed down through the generations so that they are still strong in our contemporary culture. This is how we maintain our connection with the land of our ancestors.