Turtle (1986)

This is komrdawh, the northern snake-necked turtle. It lives in the waterways and in among the water pandanus trees. The northern snake-necked turtle with cross-hatching. I cut this turtle from a water-bearing melaleuca tree called djidjerok. I cut the trunk and the water came streaming out and then I went and glued the segments of it together. Then it stuck together firm. I did it with wood glue. The komrdawh is yirridjdja moiety. There are still many of them at Bulkay, on the Tomkinson River flood plain, and in the creeks and among the freshwater pandanus and billabongs. People search for them on the flood plains by poking a thin iron rod into the ground until they hear it hit the shell of the turtle, “crack – oh there’s one”. Once the rains start, then the turtles start to appear and move around as they search for yabbies to eat.

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Komrdawh, mankabo yibengkan ngarrku midjimdjim kayo komrdawh. Rarrk kakarrme, ngale komrdawh. Njamed ngarradjdjeng djidjdjerok. Name ngarradjdjeng bobebmeng wam en ngamey glue ngabalhmeng whole lot kabarrbarrhmeng sticker one. Weleng bonj birrirdmeng. Kune nawu ngayimewong, glue wam ngimeng. Ngaleh komrdawh yirridjdja. Birridjalwern kure Bulkay kayo o mankabo, mandjimdjim o kulabbarl kabirrikarung komrdawh, kubba. Kabirribolkdulubun. Kabirribekkan darh, “Oh ngaleng”. Bu kadjakdung wanjh kabebme, kare wanjh, ngalng kangun kare.



Nawarramulmul (Shooting star spirit), 1988

In the early evening when it starts to get dark, they appear with their eyes glowing with light. They move towards us and then disappear. Their two eyes are lit up like torchlights and they move towards us and then disappear. Nawarramulmul. They are dangerous, like Namorrorddo spirit beings. They have long toenails, like those of the Namorrorddo spirit beings. They reside in the rock country, there with the Oenpelli pythons and the birds, those animals; with the chestnut-quilled rock pigeon that calls out “wuhwoo”. The chestnut-quilled rock pigeon belongs to Nawarramulmul. That bird is like the bar-shouldered dove from the bush, but the bar-shouldered dove lives in the jungle while the chestnut-quilled rock pigeon lives in the rocks. When it takes off it makes a loud noise with its wings, “barr barr”. It flies off and goes into the rock. That bird belongs to Nawarramulmul.

Wolewolehno kangokdan kamhre mimdorrengh kabenemhre. Kamre kayakmen bonj. Kamim yiman torch kamhkan wanjh yimarnek kabebme bonj kayakmen. Bokenh kabenerung. Mimno namekke nani yina. Mimkimuk nungan. Nawarramulmul. Nabang, yiman namorrorddo karohrok. Kundengengalnjkuyeng. Yiman kayime namorrorddo. Kuwardde kayo. En nawaran. Kikkik, ngalengman ngale. Doddorok. Wuhwuuu kayime. Doddorok nuye. Name yerre doddorok, yibengkan doddorok ngalbu yiman mabarrabbarra kuk. Mabarrabbarra kukno nakang ngalengman budj. Jungle ngalk ngalbu mabarrabbarra la ngale ngalengman nane, doddorok, kuwardde “barrr barrr” kayime. Kare kangimen kuwardde wanjh bonj kangimen. Nawarramulmul nuye.

Ngalyod, the Rainbow Serpent, at Milmilngkan, 1990

The rainbow serpent rose up at Ngandarrayo and pulled the people down into the earth, killing them all and turning them into bones. Rainbow serpents are found at many places in both duwa and yirridjdja moiety. They live in the earth under the ground or in bodies of water at places such as Dilebang or Benedjangngarlweng. The white clay in the ground at Kudjarnngal is the faeces of the serpent. Waterlilies [at certain places] tell us that the rainbow serpent lives there. When the wet season storms come we can see her in the sky [as a rainbow]. She makes the rain. When we see the floodwaters of the wet season rise, we say that the rainbow serpent is making the electrical storms of the monsoon wet season. Rainbow serpents are dangerous, just like crocodiles. They can kill people and other animals.

Ngalyod kure dolkang kure Buluwana benyibkeng kure djulng benhbom. Kubolkwern kare ngalyod, djang nungan karri, kubolkduwa, kubolkyirridjdja. Kanjdji kukurlk kayo, kuronj yiman Dilebang, Benedjangngarlweng. Delek kayo Kudjarnngal, kordno ngalengarre. Wayuk kakaberrkdi kamulewan ngalyod. Bu kadjakdung karrinan kaddum. Ngalengh kamarnbun mandjewk. Bu karrinan kabobidbun kudjewk karriyime ngalyod kamayhmayhke, kudjewk kahmarnbun. Ngalyod ngalbahbang, yiman namanjwarre karohrok. Bininj kabenbun, mayh kabenbun.



Milmilngkan, 2008

This is at Milmilngkan. The arched line at the top is bardedde (Flagellaria indica or bangle vine, also known as supplejack), where the water has filled up the waterhole. The white bar is water flowing, it flows along. In the middle, the water is held back like in a dam, and downstream it flows. The bangle vine, which grows in the stream, is holding the water back. The vine is saying, “You go away, that way” – it flows downstream. This is a duwa moiety place, downstream from the outstation buildings at Milmilngkan.

Milmilngkan. Mane yimeng kure yimewong barddedde, njamed bobarlmeng kunronj. Barddedde manih. Mane kunronj kamre konda kabebme kare. Kuburldjdjarn manekke balhmeng kunronj la kanjdji kadjale. Balhmeng barddedde bonj la kunronj. Manekke kaworhnan kayime “Yiray kureh” kakolung. Bolkduwa, Milmilngkan kure ngayi, kandjikanjdji.



Buluwana, female ancestor, at Dilebang, 1993

Buluwana is a woman of the Ngalkodjok subsection. She lived at Ngandarrayo and Dilebang long ago. The bones of those people who lived there are still there today from the time when they died in a drought. The body of Buluwana, the mother, can be seen today transformed into a standing stone. I call that ancestral woman my aunt. That place is associated with the duwa moiety. The bones of the people who once lived there still remain at that place. When we go there today we can see that Buluwana is still standing there as a rock forever.

Buluwana daluk, ngalyungki, Ngalkodjok ni kure Ngandarrayo, Dilebang. Korroko. Djulng birrihdoweng birriboyakni, wanjh ngalbadjan dolkang kakukdjabdi bolkkime kunwardde. Ngayi berluh ngayime. Kubolkduwa bukka. Wanjh birrimarnburrinj djulng. Bolkkime bu karrire karrinan kadjaldjabdi munguyhmunguyh.



Yawkyawk, 1985

The yawkyawk are from Barrihdjowkkeng but this painting shows one who has died in the great drought at Ngandarrayo. The female spirit beings yawkyawk appear in the late afternoon. At this time, they call out. Their country is at Barrihdjowkkeng, a yirridjdja moiety place. Sometimes they go in search of water to drink and sometimes they live in the jungle thickets.

Some yawkyawk female spirit beings have tails like a fish and they have a djang or sacred place. There is one such place for them at Kubumi [on the Mann River]. There are both duwa moiety yawkyawk, such as those at Kubumi, and yirridjdja moiety yawkyawk, such as at Barrihdjowkkeng. They have very long hair. The long green waterweed we see in the rivers is their hair. There is a djang for them at Kubumi, which is our country [Kurulk and Kulmarru clans]. The two men Paul Nabulumo and Dick Nadjalorro look after that place.

Ngalekke yawkyawk ngalkang Barrihdjowkkeng la manih dolobbo ngabimbom ngalbu doweng Ngandarrayo bu kunronj birriboyawam korroko. Birribebmeng birriwam, wolewoleh kabirribebme kabirrikayhme. Barrihdjowkkeng kunred bedberre, kubolkyirridjdja. Yika kabirrire kabirribongun, yika manngarre kabirrini.



Yawkyawk ngalberddjenj mak kabirrihni, djang kahdi kumekke. Kubumi karri, Barrihdjowkkeng. Duwa and kubolkyirridjdja. Ngalmarrekuyeng, manbak kunmarre ngalengarre ngalmarrekuyekuyeng. Djang Kubumi kayo, ngadberre kunred, Nabulumo kanahnan dja Nadjolorro.

Ngalyod, 1981

This is a Rainbow Serpent. It is from the place Dilebang. I painted this long ago, when I was young and living at Mumeka. The Rainbow Serpent has a tassel on its head called djirlin, her fur or hair. In the time of the rains, that’s when the Rainbow Serpents are around. We see them then. They are visible in the rain. Early in the morning, up high, they are there. There are red and green Rainbow Serpents; the red represents her power.

Ngalyod. Ngalkang Dilebang. Ngabimbom kunkare. Njamed, kureh ngahni Mumeka bu young ngahyimeng. Nani djirlinno nanih, djirlin mudno ey, kunmud. Kudjewk bu mandjewk name yinan ngalekke ngalyod en kayo wanjh namekke karrinan. Ka kakbebme mandjewk. Kurenj kaddum kumurrng arrinan kamhdi. Nakkan nawu red one, red and green. Namekke nakkan nawu red one, nakkan njamed, power ngalengarre.

Wayarra Spirit, 1990

Wayarra are spirit beings. When someone dies we can see that spirit appear. Mostly we see them at night. They wander around in the night. The spirits of the dead appear at night. They will cry at night, those baby wayarra, and the mother will search for them. They are just like humans.

Wayarra, kunmalng, kabirridowen wanjh kunmalng karrinan. Kukak ngarrbennan yika. Kawohre kukak. Kabirrimalngbebme, malngno kabirrire kukak. Kabirrinalkbun kukak, wurdyaw kanalkbun ngalbadjan kabiyawan. Yiman kayime Bininj.

• John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new is on show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney until 23 September, and at the Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide from 26 October to 28 January.