This Their Dreaming: Legends of the Panels of Aboriginal Art in the Yirrkala ChurchBrief outline of circumstances surrounding panels; List of artists for each moiety, maps shows territory of people mentioned in text; For each panel, describes each section & gives explanation of associated myth; Dua panel - the Djankawu journeys; Yiritja panel - legend of Banaitja; Glossary of terms. |
Common terms and phrases
ancestral animals Arnhem artists Banaitja banks Baralku Barama bark Beginning belonging birds Birrikidji body bush called camp canoe ceremonial cloud colour coming creatures creeks dancing dark digging sticks Djankawu Dreaming ducks early earth edge figure fire fish flats fresh freshwater goanna going grass ground hand hatching held heroes holding holes honeycomb hunting initiated inside island Journey lagoon land Language leaving legends light lines living looking mark Mawalan meaning moiety morning moving mythology night Nyapililnu painted panel paperbark particular passed pattern picture plains rain represent rest rising ritual rock running sacred season seen shark shows singing sisters Sometimes song spear spirit spirit world stands story streams string swamp symbol taking taught things totemic travellers tree walking waterhole waves women Yiritja