JoyBurruna

Burruna’s late mother was a renowned artist who was one of the first Yolngu women to ever paint. She paved the way for Yolngu women to not be seen as only weavers but painters too. Burruna learnt to paint by watching her mother and she now paints alongside her sisters, daughters and granddaughters with a family lineage of strong women painters.

Joy loves to paint stories about Morning Star, the very special and spiritual ceremony that is particular to her father’s side of the family and other clans in this region. She also paints the king brown snake and blue tongue lizard creation story for her country of Djarraya.

Sometimes Burruna will also paint the flying fox creation story for her mother’s country of Ngalyindi, and fresh water stories about long neck turtles and crocodiles. These stories are part of her family knowledge.

As well as being an artist for Bula’bula Arts, Joy is one of the directors.

Language: Djambarrpuyungu

Baru (the crocodile man) was from the Gumatj clan. People usually call him Gurdu Gurdu or Baru, which means crocodile. He lived his life at a place called Yirrkala. Living near him were other people, and when Baru didn’t have enough to eat he began to kill and eat these other people. After a while others noticed that some people were missing. When Baru went to the toilet, the people could smell this strong smell, so they knew that he had eaten the other people. Some men went to get help, taking message sticks to other tribes and sending smoke signals. When they came to Baru’s camp they started to spear him in the left side of his ribs. He dropped into the fire and burnt his left hand and maybe his right hand. He then ran into the bush and yelled to his countrymen – the animals, birds and fish that live on the land and in the sea. He stopped and he named the tribes, clans and places until he came to a place called Gamarru/Guyurru. There he took a rest and said to himself “This is where I stop and call this place Gamarru/Guyurru”. Baru, still in pain from the fire, then jumped into the water and turned himself into a crocodile. The fire left scars on his back.

Baru paintings belong to Gumatj and Warrawarra and the Marpi clan. This painting is used at death ceremonies or initiations and it normally is painted on the belly, which means the person the design is painted on is part of Gurdu Gurdu (the crocodile people).

The long-necked turtle is a dreaming totem for the freshwater people, the Ganalbingu, whose country includes the World Heritage listed Arafura Wetlands in Central Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.

The Yolngu (people) of Arnhem Land originate from a spiritual source, fixed in a particular place in their land or the sea. These ‘Spiritual Reservoirs’ are often in the form of special waterholes made by Wangga (Creator Beings), long ago close to the beginning of time. These creator beings moved across the country side, shaping the land and implanting in each tract of country the spiritual life force for the people who were to own it.

These creator spirits took many forms. When they gave the land to each group they also gave songs, dances, ceremony, the associated laws and language. The Creation story for Ganalbingu people took place near the middle section of the Glyde River where it becomes the Goyder River. Their land, Ngaliyindi, sits astride the Arafura Swamp in Central Arnhem Land. Some of their major Creative Beings include Banda (freshwater long neck turtle) and Yalman (water lilies).

The Morning Star Ceremony is from the Dhuwa moiety. I have painted the ceremony here. It’s got leaves from the banyan tree that makes figs for people to eat – they are part of our bush tucker.

The Morning Star is from my great grandfather, my grandfather and my father. I paint it for my family to show my sisters and brothers. My grandfather and my father have both passed away, so I teach the bunggul (dancing) to my children.

We make a little Morning Star (you can see a man holding that on the right side of the painting), so the big Morning Star can came out. It is a long ceremonial pole that we dance around. You can also see the little Morning Star in this painting. There are men with yidaki (didjeridoo) and bilma (clap sticks) singing the Morning Star song cycle part for my people. The women have banyan tree leaves that they are dancing with.

We make a big Morning Star pole as part of the ceremony. You can see that in the middle of this painting. Banumbirr – Morning Star – is an exchange ceremony with other clans in the Bapurru (clan group). The Morning Star is the first star you see in the sky in the mornings.

This painting depicts Dhulumburrk (Nymphaea violacea), a fresh waterlily. The flowers and lily pads of fresh waterlilies can be seen far and wide across the Arafura wetlands, providing coverage for many animal species including Banda (long-necked turtle) and Baru (crocodile). The flowers come in many beautiful colours, in particular a vibrant purple.