Click to enlargeb. c.1927 / 1935
- Region
- Kimberley
- Community
- Baluwa (Violet Valley)
- Language group
- Gija (Kija, Gidja, Kitja)
Garnanganyjel, 2009
natural earth pigments on canvas
120 x 90 cm
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- Provenance
- Warmun Art Centre, Kununurra, WA, Cat no. WAC045/09
- Artwork story
- This place is a significant site in the Dreaming of the emu, garnanganyjel. Garnanganyjel shares her skin name with Thomas. Both are Nyawoorroo. This relationship is called nharrugu. 'That Garnanganyjel [emu] bin leave some [sugar leaf] there,' Madigan Thomas says. 'Where you go to Doon Doon, that jump-up [hill], you can see him [the Sugar leaf plants]. Binkirrbal - gural [turkey, emu's mother] say "I gotta camp here I can't travel that far." She leave some [binkany] at that place.' 'Garnanganyjel yeah, he bin leave him too much load, he bin have 'im that binkany. He bin leave 'im that binkany. He bin leave 'im, he bin come through la Crocodile Hole, camp there. Some bala bin bale up there, turkey and some emu, some bin keep travelling. That gural bin stop there, he bin say "I not goin' to travel day after day, night and day", you know? ''I derreba here." That mean he camp there. This lot keep going up la Garnanganyjel, la Bedford Downs.' The first part of the Ngarrangkarni (Dreaming) story tells of the Garnanganyjel (emu) travelling through Gija country and leaving the binkany (sugar leaf) plant in places where she stopped. The Garnanganyjel whose skin name is Nyawoorroo, walked from Crocodile Hole, through Jack’s Yard to Pelican Hole and finally to Bedford Downs where she stopped. Binkirrbal (bush turkey) walked some of the way with Garnanganyjel. Binkirrbal was of Nyaajarri skin, Garnanganyjel's gural (mother). Binkirrbal followed Garnanganyjel as far as Pelican Hole, where she decided to camp. It is because of Binkirrpal that Gija people stop and camp at night rather than keep travelling. This painting shows the place where the emu stopped. The row of round shapes is the emus sitting down. 'That garnanganyjel you know where he bin stop there now. This one that hill that side, should be bore that side [in the red area]. And all the mother one [turkey] bin camp langa Roogoon. Mudbarriyal that garnanganyjel now, he name Mudbarriyal now. Goordooroo and boomerang now. Fighting meself 'nother people, I think. That jirraginy that green frog and that 'nother goanna like a Gilban - Boonoonggoony -that lot now they bin fighting. And that green frog he bin throw boomerang left side, he bin stuck im in la that nharrugu [same name one for Thomas] yeah that's the story now. All been fighting meself because that jirraginy and bunungkuny that lot been want 'em all the young, one they been always kill em and drowned 'em bat. He's husband tubala they bin fighting fighting.' This part of the garnanganyjel story explains why emus have short, bent wings. Thomas says the emus fought with the green frog and goanna who were their husbands in Gija kinship. The green frog threw a boomerang, which lodged in the emu's side.