Mulkun Wirrpanda - Yalata Miny'tji

Date of Birth - c 1940

Moiety - Dhuwa

Homeland - Dhuruputjpi

Clan - Dhudi-Djapu

Clan language - Dhuwal

This work depicts early events during Ancestral (and present) times at Yalata, an area close to Dhuruputjpi (about three hours drive South West from Yirrkala). It is a coastal area, that has territory leading up a river through plains country behind the beach. The plain is tidal and during the wet seasons it is flooded by the rains and tidal surge creating areas of brackish water. These plains are depicted opposite as the field of linework. During the dry season the grass and black earth dry out. Then the fires come, turning a swamp into a huge plain of cracked black earth. Fresh water springs dot this sun baked plain forming small islands of vegetation and as Rarrandada (the hot time) builds the thirsty birds come to these sacred springs in their thousands. The noise of the gudurrku or dhanggultji (brolgas) and gurrumatji (magpie geese) is deafening, the mud scored with their tracks, represented as arrow head shapes within the miny'tji opposite.

In Ancestral times, activities of the Djang'kawu took place here. The Djang'kawu are the Dhuwa moiety Creator Beings. The Djang'kawu named this country for the Dhudi Djapu by plunging their sacred digging sticks in the ground, which created waterholes at Yalata. Freshwater sprung from these wells as did a sacred goanna, a manifestation in some circles of the Djang'kawu themselves. Also on the wet clays around the wells the goanna observed the footprints of Danggultji the Brolga.