KANDAJIDJI

(MALE ANTILOPINE KANGAROO)

“This Kangaroo belongs to Yirridjdja moiety, you can see him on that kunwardde bim (rock painting). He’s big and red” – Ivan Namirrkki. Kandakidj is a lead creator celebrated in the Wubarr, Mardayin and Lorrkkon ceremonies. In these ceremonies, initiates are introduced to sacred artefacts that are considered parts of the body of Kandakidj. Artists often pay attention to represent these powerful items inside the body of their figures by decorating them in special ways.

Hunting kangaroos is a vital part of Kuninjku life and intimate knowledge of animal anatomy is formed through hunting and preparing food. However, in the ceremonial context, initiates learn that the Ancestral beings were also hunted and their body parts transformed into sacred objects and features of the landscape. These transformations retain a measure of the power of the original Djang. Initiates may be brought to visit these important sites and are shown the objects used in dances in the ceremony. Artists, such as Namirrkki, use their bark paintings as a means of revealing connections between these different realms of understanding and help to create coherence between different layers of Kuninjku knowledge.