Paddy Japaljarri Stewart

The Wati Jarra Jukurrpa (Two Men Dreaming) belongs to Japaljarri/Jungarrayi men and Napaljarri/Nungarrayi women. The painting is about Two Men who were living together in the Dreamtime. They were fine young men, and also good hunters who used to go out early in the morning to spear kangaroos and other animals. When they speared an animal, they would cook it and then come back home to eat it. The painting depicts two sites – out bush and their camp site. The painting shows hunting tools such as pikirri (spear-throwers), kurlarda (spears), wirlki (boomerangs), and kuturu (clubs). They had all sorts of things, including ceremonial objects. You can also see their warlu (campfire), wati (men) and yapakurlangu wirliy (the Two Men’s footprints). In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, particular sites and other elements. In paintings of this Dreaming, concentric circles are often used to represent the ‘warnirri’ (water hole) while ‘U’ shapes represent yapa (human).