Gurrumirringu's Footprint

Luku- Gurrmirringu's Footprint David Malangi vertelde de kunstcoördinator van Ramingining, Djon Mundine, op 10 oktober 1994: "Dit is de eerste keer dat ik dit schilderij heb geschilderd. Lang geleden liep een Yolngu man rond in Ngurrunyuwa. Hij was de eerste geest en hij heette Gurrmirringu. Hij zag het vuur op Murrunga Island. Hij liep rond en wierp zijn speren naar Murrunga. De ene was kort en belandde in het water bij Garangala, een rots voor de kust, de andere landde op het strand van Murranga. Hij liet er voetsporen achter op de rotsen, overal op het gebied van Mulanga. De bekende naam is Mulanga, de minder bekende naam is Burrarran'ngura. De voetsporen zijn er nog steeds, ik zal het je wel een keer laten zien, als je een boot hebt". THE DJANG'KAWU The Djang'kawu; two sisters and their brother came from the sun (east) by canoe from the island of the dead (heaven) and landed at Yelangbara (Port Bradshaw), south of Yirrkala. They carried special sacred digging sticks which they used to dig water holes bringing life to the land. The water holes, the Sisters, and the whole story are often represented by a "union jack" type design depicting the water hole and the sun from whence the women came. The women carried sacred 'dilly' bags decorated with sacred designs and adorned with tassels. They carried Sacred Rranga rolled up in Nganyal, conical mats. Heading north and west they used the sticks as walking sticks and made the water holes wherever they went. The sisters gave birth to the various tribe in each place teaching them their laws, language, songs, dances, ceremonies, and givingg them their land. At Dhamala on the western mouth of the Glyde River the sisters walked across the mud flats, mangrove shores and clay pan plains and made Manharrngu country. Here they rested and cleared their hair of nits (lice) in the shade of trees there. All over this flat area they dug water holes which bubbled to life, the water overflowing the plain. At another tree they hung their sacred dilly bags on the branches to hunt in the nearby mangroves for crabs and other delicacies. While they were away men crept up and made off with the bags and the sacred power within. Coming back the women could hear the men singing and dancing and realised what happened. Not aloss at this they allowed men to continue to control the ceremonies as women already have the ultimate power; to conceive and bear life; men merely imitate it. Continuing their sojourn they stopped a little further westward making another Manharrngu place at Dhabila - present site of Ramingining township's barge landing. Here on the grassy flood plains they saw and made sacred the Buwata - Bustard/Plains Turkey. From here they disappeared into the sunset in the west. Malangi paints the steps to the story at Dhamala and has inherited the responsibility for Dhabila since his brother died in 1982. The actions of the Djang'kawu are celebrated in the Ngaarra ceremony today. RAMINGINING Ramingining is a small community of around 590 people, of whom about 30 are non-Aboriginal people, mostly advisors or teacherrs of some sort or another. The village itself is located some 400 kms to the east of Darwin, and nearly 30 kms from the Arafura Sea. It is a relatively new settlement, having only been established in the early 1970's. Ramingining is situated upon the richest bauxite deposit (outside Nhulunboy) in Australia, possibly the world. The missionaries realised this and deliberately established the community at the present site to thwart mining company develeopment and associated problems as present in Nhulunboy. Earlier, in the 1960's an outstation of Milingimbi was set up at Nangalalala [ 8 kms N/E of Ramingining], a kilometre or so from the Glyde River. Ther older settlement Milingimbi Mission, was established in 1926 and is in fact situated on an island a few kilometres off the north Australia coastline. Nangala is still in existence, and is now considered an outstation of Ramingining. The area around Ramingining on the mainland is home for the Djinang speaking Wurrkigenydjarr/Marrangu, Wulaki, Mildjingi, Balmbi and Murrungun clans. In a wider circle are the Burarra, Rembarrnga, Wudamin, Ganalbingu and Manharrngu peoples. To the north are the Gorryindi, Gamalangga, Malarra and Walamangu peoples who look after the Crocodile Islands. Other people who live there and have ceremonial connections are members of the Gupapuyngu, Djambarrpuyngu, Wagilag, Liyagalawumir and Liya-gawumirr groups. The particular tract of land upon which Ramingining township is built is owned by the Djadawitjibi people, of the Djiang group. Their principal creative being is Garrtjambal, the kangaroo. Some 10-20 kms to the south of the village of Ramingining, where the looping Glyde River becomes the Goyder, is the large Arafura Swamp. Some 250 sq kms in area, this unique fresh water environment is home for an innumerable variety of water birds (including gurramatji, the magpie goose), fresh water plants, fields of water lilies, crocodiles, water snakes, insect life, and the magnificent and rare Corypha elata palm. (hundred year palm?). Ramingining is situated upon the richest bauxite deposit (outside Nhuunboy) in Australia, possibly the world. The missionaries realised this and deliberately established the community at the present site to thwart mining company development and associated problems as present in Nhulunboy. The Art The art of Ramingining has always been highly prized and is still today pursued by some of the best known living artists in Arnhemland Land. However until the 70's, when the settlement of Ramingining was established, most of the art work of this area was circulated to the outside world either through the Art Centre at Milingimbi, or the Government settlement of Maningrida, some 80 kms to the west towards Darwin. Now the Art Centre at Ramingining has come into its own; somewhat ironically, it now services the older settlement at Milingimbi. The result of this change in the last decade is that now all art is chanelled beyond the region of its production through the Ramingining community's own Art Co-operative, Bulabula Arts. This is a locally owned and controlled artists co-operative whose role is to 'market' the work of local painters, weavers, and sculptors to the outside world. The responsibility of the Centre is to show the works with the status and respect they deserve, and to show other people Aboriginal culture, in a way that may educate them. Origins Every Aboriginal person comes from a creator being, known as wangarr, in this region. These spiritual beings took many forms, moving across the land and sea, forming and shaping the landscape. As these beings travelled they imparted the 'life force' in that place for the Aboriginal people who were affiliated to that 'country' or land tract. They gave the people their langauages, songs, ceremonies, law, social customs, and technology. Always they wore the proper body ornaments and carried with them the life-giving rranga, sacred images of the wangarr, and girri, the wordly posessions each person needed for survival. They also gave each person/group their land.

PhysicalResource

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11840/1046717