Bill Harney

Usually a paperbark coffin but today it has been done on canvas. Costume design on canvas. It is a burial coffin made in the paperbark but printed on canvas this time. The four eyeballs glows up in the night for the spiritual people inside every paperbark coffin. But he’s printed on canvas today. When people passed away they buried them. But before they’re buried they dig up the ground and take them over there with a wooden rail around it (platform) with paperbark underneath. Thjen they pick up all the bones and roll them in the paperbark and take them to a special place, the Bumulgnara place. They can use both paperbark or kurrajong bark. And every year they used to go down and visit the graveyard and soon as it was dried out they pull all the bone out and wrap them up and have a big ceremony. Then early in the morning before breaking dawn two people collect that paperbark with that bone and away they go, so nobody knows where they’ve taken it. There are many bones in that Bumulgnara place. They take it and store it in the right spot and come back. Then everybody goes there and they vstart singing and when their voice goes out all these Bulmulgnara, all these bones, start waking up. When they get close up to them and they start to sing amongst those bones. Those bone people are singing too in a spiritual way. Thjey’re singing too, keeping them happy. The little faces are the dubuluj like a little dilly bag hanging there in the bone place. (Bill Harney 2004).