Bill Harney

Unulbulgu is the Creation redback kangaroo. When he was a human he travelled from western side right through the country naming all the mountains, high mountains, waterholes, springs, rockholes, billabongs and plants and put it all together in the Creation ceremony. He zigzagged all around the country. The lines around the kangaroos in the painting represent the zigzag travels as he made the songline. Then he joined black bat Warlung, brown bat Mallamingming and deaf adder Jamba. During the trade time they had ceremony with redback kangaroo and Mallamingming made pandalung (sugarleaf). They had a feed and they made all the law. That’s in the line. Corrondolbi (Rainbow) brought the water to them in the trade camp and they had a ceremony and he had his 2 children – 2 little rainbow – later on they became a tree snake. And he had all his children with him – fruit bats called Gunben. And they did all the dancing and made trade and when old Rainbow died Grasshopper called Lidi made up the paperbark coffin and decorated with the straw – made it like a wool we call wulbun and they called it Bamoolnara. And they sang it the song called Yarindi and made the Baroolnara flash the light from his eye every night so no one go there. The 2 kangaroos – one held the stone knife for the initiation ceremony – the other had song and boomerang. They are surrounded by the songline called Goojinga right through the country. The middle piece is Goolu – it’s the song in their heart – that’s why it’s heartshaped. Down the bottom Balgin where he left a mark behind. The black line is where he stopped overnight, the white one is the water that came from his mouth and when he spat it out you can see it. It’s the spots in the Goolu. The red one (ochre) is the ceremony law. The yellow one Murrabibi – that’s design for ceremony. The trades were all sorts – spear point, stone knife, stone axe, shield, boomerang, hook (number 7) boomerang, come back boomerang, clap stick, boolbool – hangs down feathers, keyanun – little dillybag, lijardi – coolamon, gininj – spear, oodooru – nulla nulla, karnbis – clap stick, malduwudu – beating stick or baton, and others brought goyin that’s honey or sugarbag and nullargin (hard wax) and bennagin (soft wax) and mulluburra (didgeridoo). That was brought by Girribush – long tail pheasant. Karnbis was brought by Jolborman – butcher bird. Big trade and Worlong (grass) made his trade by Grasshopper Lidi and Jolborman made trade with Budda – wild black plum.