Paddy Japaljarri Stewart

‘Crow and Possum Dreaming’ by Paddy Stewart. This design is from an original painting and shows the Tjukurrpa (dreamtime) story of the Crow. The place created by Crow is desert oak, a tree like mulga and grows very thick. We hold that Dreaming and the place where the Dreaming Crow perched. It is ours; it belongs to us – the land, the Dreaming. Wangarlanjiri is the name of the place where the Crows all flocked together, where they were all hovering around. This story is about the sacred earth created from the Dreamings. Crows lay their eggs in a nest and look after them until they have hatched. Then, when the young have grown they fly away. The Dreaming ground of the Crows is black, like the Crows themselves. They all flew away to the south and scattered in every direction. On the top of the painting I have shown the possum dreaming. The possum was an old man who was all alone. You can see the sun, moon and stars. He was alone at the swamp when the Dawn Dreaming appeared. Day appeared to him as he sat all alone near that swamp which is called Parrarlpnaturnu – place of the Dawn. He had come from Yakurdiyi and Dawn came upon him at Parralpanturnu.