Paddy Japaljarri Stewart

The story of the Ngarlu Kukurrpa (Ngarlu Dreaming) is about a Jungarrayi man called Linti pilinti who lived a Ngarlu, which means ‘red rock’, a country to the east of Yuendumu. Lintipilinti fell in love with a Napangardi woman, a forbidden relationship under Warlpiri law, as the women was his classificatory mother-in-law. Lintipilinti fell in love with the Napangardi women when he saw the large hole in the ground she made when she urinated. Lintipilinti was aroused by this. He began to wonder how he could woo the Napangardi. He went to Ngarlu and made hair string for her, singing as he worked. The Napangardi women could not sleep and began to feel sick. She realised that someone was singing ‘yilpinji’ (love songs) for her. A little bird visited the Napangardi women every day. The little bird visited the Napangardi women every day. The little bird was taking the Jungarrayi’s love songs to her. The force of the Jungarrayi’s love songs pulled the Napangardi women to Lintipilinti. When the two met again they made love but they were turned to stone, as their relationship was taboo according to Warlpiri religious law. The two can still be seen, as two rocks at Ngarlu today. During the course of these events the women from Ngarlu who gossiped about the wrong skin love union turned into ‘miinypa’ (native fuchsia). These are plants with small red flowers that have honey inside them that are delicious to eat, tasting like ice-cream. Ngarlu is a scared place where ‘minypa’ or ‘yanyirlingi’ are still commonly found today.