Katie Cox

In the Ngarrangkarni (Dreaming) there were two kangaroos – Jallangngenung, a kangaroo with short arms, and Jirrgan, a big kangaroo with long arms. They had collected Kirring (sugarbag, wild honey) from holes in the hills. Jirrgan was greedy and using his long arms to dig out the Kirring, he ate it all up. This made Jallangngenung wild with anger. Both kangaroos grabbed their nulla nullas (fighting sticks) and had a big fight. Jirrgan, the greedy one, won the fight and Jallangngenung ran away. As he ran away he threw his nulla nulla behind him, which became his tail. Jirrgan did the same thing. Jallangngenung said to Jirrgan -” I’m going to live in the hills, surrounded by spinifex, where are you going to live?” Jirrgan, the greedy one, said “I’m going to live in the black soil country (in the plains)”. That is where you see these kangaroos today.