Bäru (Crocodile) Dreaming
Madarrpa
As told by Djambawa Marawili AM (the artist).
‘This print is about Bäru (crocodile) living at Yathikpa, Garraŋali – the crocodile’s nest.
The wife is Dhamiliny (blue tongue lizard). These two were human beings then.
Dhamiliny went around collecting snails. She saw the fire was burning good and strong. She wanted to eat the snails. When she sat down to cook the snails she started teasing Bäru. She was throwing the shells and the juicy bits towards him. Bäru was trying to relax by the fire, he started feeling yaka manymak (not good: bad), because his wife was teasing him when he was trying to rest. This is when Bäru threw his wife on to the fire. The man turned into Bäru and the woman into Dhamiliny.
The fire reached out to the sea and burnt the dugong while he was feeding himself in the rocks. There is a shade where Bäru was sitting, with his spear, spear thrower, bathi (dilly bag) and a shell for drinking water from. The stick is holding the fire. When I saw the Berndt crayon drawings, I saw clear patterns of the country and the stories. That made me think about doing this new way of drawing but still with old story.’
$295.00
1976 saw ‘Buku-Larrnggay Arts’ being established by the Yolngu artists. Yolngu worldview sees every species of plant, animal, fish, bird or any place or person as belonging to one of the two balancing halves of the world (moieties); Yirritja or Dhuwa.
The art and craft of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka is drawn from Yirrkala and the approximately 25 homeland centres within a radius of 200km. The major clans of the Miwatj are; Gumatj, Rirratjingu, Djapu, Manggalili, Marrakulu, Madarrpa, Gälpu, Dhalwangu, Dätiwuy, Ngaymil, Djarrwark, Djambarrpuyngu, Wangurri, Warramiri, Dhudi-Djapu, Gupapuyngu and Munyuku.
They express their sacred identity through art. Here are some of the dreamtime stories of the Bäru (Crocodile).