By Tyler Wright
Stories from the monsoonal forests and wetlands of West Arnhem Land have been told through rock paintings made by ancestors of Kunwinjku culture for at least 20,000 years.
Rock art of the stone country, or kunwarrdebim, is still used by contemporary West Arnhem Land artists like Gavin Namarnyilk and Timothy Nabegeyo, whose work among others is now on display at the Burrinja Cultural Centre.
Injalak Arts has collaborated with Burrinja Cultural Centre to showcase the most recent moment in the deep time story of Kunwinjku culture, with a gallery of paintings presenting a glimpse of Kunwinjku bim, or painting, from the last 30 years.
“My painting, it’s from my ancestors [who] pass it on, and we keep on doing the work of Kunwinjku, first people,” Gavin said.
“We’re the ones continuing the work for the Watiwati, for the children,” he said.
For these two men, and within Kunwinjku culture, Bim, or pictures, are a spiritual practice.
“It’s been passed on to this generation, all of the Watiwati Bim, and our ancestors [were] there living in the cave,” Timothy said.
“Bim is important for us… we paint ourselves in body, culture, sometimes we use [it] in ceremony,” Timothy said.
Timothy’s painting displayed in the illustrates the dream time rainbow serpent, Ngalyod; a major part of the dreamtime story in Kunwinjku culture.
It is said the rainbow serpent has powers of creation and destruction; responsible for the production of most water plants including water lilies and algae.
“That’s my dreaming, where my great grandfather and his father told the story about Ngalyod,” Timothy said.
“Everybody has got a different style, but same colours that we use [are] like black, red yellow and white.”
Alternatively, Gavin’s rock paintings include an image of the tree spirit Dulklorrkkelorkken, the pandanus spirit Marlwa and people guarding mankung djang, otherwise known as honey.
The bim kunwarddewardde exhibition is supported by the Australian Council for the Arts and will be on display until Saturday 8 October.
Burrinja Cultural Centre is located at Wurundjeri Country, 351 Glenfern Rd, Upwey VIC 3158.
