In de Kimberley zijn de spectaculaire afbeeldingen van de Wandjina's op rotswanden te vinden. De Wandjina is een belangrijke Voorouder, die eerst het water naar de aarde stuurde en daarna zelf uit de lucht kwam om het leven te brengen. Hij heeft de mensen, de dieren en de planten gemaakt. Toen zijn werk klaar was schilderde de Wandjina zichzelf op de rotswanden. Aboriginals benaderen de Wandjina met respect, ze vragen toestemming om de grot te mogen betreden en houden speciale ceremonies. Schilderingen van de Voorouder die er verwaarloosd uitzien worden bijgeschilderd zodat de Wandjina er weer helder uitziet en zijn spirituele kracht bewaard blijft. De Wandjina is erg machtig, hij kan stormvloed en orkanen oproepen als hij vertoornd is. Is zijn stemming goed dan zorgt hij voor milde regen en de vruchtbaarheid van het land, de mensen en de dieren. De Wandjina wordt tegenwoordig ook op stukken boombast en op doek geschilderd samen met dieren als slangen, vogels en schildpadden. De Wandjina-traditie en haar uitdrukking in de kunst zijn kenmerkend voor de Worrorra-, Ngarinyin- en Woonambal-clans, die hun eigen afkomst terugvoeren op Wandjina-Voorouders.<BR> <BR> The Wandjina is found in cave paintings in many places throughout the Kimberley. There are many stories about the Wandjina told by Aboriginal people all of which have something to do with rain-making. The other recurrent feature of cave paintings in the Kimberley are small active figures ususally painted in red orchre known as breadshaw figures. They are named after the explorer, Joseph Bradshaw.They are called Gooyorn by the Woonambal.<BR> <BR> Lilly Karedada, her brother in law Louis and sister Rosie say the Wandjina are rainmakers living in caves and the Gooyorn are their helpers. If people go to a cave they should call out saying something like "Hullo, I'm not trying to disturb you. I belong to this country, don't make big rain!" If he wants the Wandjina can cause a cyclone to come and wash the intruder away.<BR> <BR> Louis tells a story of how the Wandjina spead out and stayed in all the caves in a place near the Gibb River called Wanalili.<BR> Some people belted the owl (morn-gorn) and took out all his feathers. He felt ashamed without his feathers and ran down to his friend, a Wandjina. He said,"Look! Look at me! They took all my feathers. I've got no feathers! What about you to help me!"<BR> <BR> And the Wandjina send that lizard, that one that has a white mouth called Magoorri-goorri. That lizard ran down and called the people. He ran down to the little ridges. He looked back there and he called the people to help him. "Come here! Come here!" he says. <BR> That is why you can see that lizard runs stop and shake his hand, run stop and shake his hand. Then he called the rain. This was in the early early days when all the country was still soft. He made big rain and he called all the animals.<BR> <BR> All the Wandjina and this Gooyorn mob got lots of goannas and little crocodiles and held them by the neck. They went along whipping people with them. And all the Wanjina, that is another lot of Wandjina, they spead out, they were still fighting. The first one, the boss one, stayed at Wanalili. This other lot of Wandjina kept on fighting. And when they finished fighting they said: "Oh, I'll have a rest there. I' ll lie down in this cave now. This is my cave."<BR> <BR> Allright another lot went down and they found another cave.<BR> <BR> "This is my cave"<BR> <BR> It happened everywhere like that. They made their homes in all the different caves. And that's how the Wandjina spead out everywhere. This was from early days at Wananlili when the Wandjina drowned the country.<BR> <BR> They used boomerangs and shields and tomahawks when they were fighting. When the fighting finished the rain stopped and the country was drowned full of water. Then the water dried out again.<BR> <BR> More stories about Wandjina and photo's of the place called Wanalili by Louis can be found in the Art of the Wandjina by I.M.Crawford publised by OUP in 1968<BR> <BR> East Kimberley<BR> From 1880 on, this area has been occupied by white colonists. Over-grazing destroyed the ecological balance of the country. Once in a while the Aborines speared cattle for food. This resulted in conflicts. As in many other area's the Aborigines were forced of their land. During the first 50 years of colonisation, about half of the Aboriginal people of the East Kimberleys were murdered. Aboriginal men used to work as stockmen on the cattle stations. In 1969, things became worse when a new law demanded the payment of equal wages for black and white workers. Most Aboriginal stockmen were fired and became homeless as a result. With government assistance these Aborigines established the Warmun community at Turkey Creek, which is now the most important art centre in Kimberleys. In their paintings the major theme is the land and location with a special historical or spiritual meaning. The landscape is depicted in profile and different perspectives are used. Whewreas the central desert artist depict mountains as flat circles, the East Kimberley artists paint them in profile as conical shapes. The edges of the paintings are often decorated with a line of dots, which are also used to emphasise main issues in the painting. The art works are done on linen with natural ochres, mixed with a binder. Sometimes artists mix the colours. <BR> <BR> Turkey Creek and Kununurra,<BR> Painting on canvas and linen done in natural ochres.<BR> Cultural and artistic renewal is typical of the art of this region. The originality and high standard of these paintings has made them well known and appreciated. Mountains, rivers and baobabtrees are abstractactly depicted in these works. Especially appealing are painting of the Bungle Bungles: conical shaped mountains east Warmun (Turkey Creek).<BR>