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{{Short description|Yolngu Aboriginal Australian creation myth}} |
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{{unreferenced|date=December 2006}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} |
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In [[Aboriginal mythology]], the '''Djanggawul''' are three siblings, two female and one male, who created the landscape of [[Australia]] and covered it with [[flora (plants)|flora]]. They came from the [[underworld]], [[Beralku]], and were eventually eaten by [[Galeru]]. |
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{{Use Australian English|date=February 2020}} |
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The '''Djang'kawu''', also spelt '''Djanggawul''' or '''Djan'kawu''', are [[creator being|creation ancestors]] in the mythology of the [[Yolngu]] people of [[Arnhem Land]] in the [[Northern Territory]] of Australia. It is one of the most important stories in [[Aboriginal Australian mythology]], and concerns the [[Aboriginal moiety|moiety]] known as [[Dhuwa]]. |
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==Background== |
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The Djanggawul myth specifically concerned the Dua people, including about a third of the clans that lived in northeast Arnhem Land. According to Oliver, the humans born of the two sisters are the ancestors of the Dua clans, the animals the sisters created are the totem animals of those clans, and the places the sisters visited are the clan shrines. |
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The Djanggawul/Djang'kawu myth<ref>{{cite book| author = Wells, A.E. | title =This their dreaming | year =1971 | publisher= UQ Press, St.Lucia, Qld}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| author =Berndt, Ronald M. |author-link= Ronald Berndt | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=a3WrtxazTRkC| title =Djanggawul: An Aboriginal Religious Cult of North-Eastern Arnhem Land | publisher =[[Routledge]] | year =2004 | page =1 | isbn =978-0-415-33022-0 }} (Originally published 1952)</ref> specifically concerned the [[Dhuwa|Dua]] (Dhuwa) [[Australian Aboriginal kinship|moiety]] of people, including about a third of the clans that lived in north-east Arnhem Land. The humans born of the two sisters are the ancestors of the [[Rirratjingu]] clan.<ref>{{cite book| author = Oliver, Douglas L. | title = Oceania: The Native Cultures of Australia and the Pacific Islands |year=1989 | publisher= University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu }}</ref> According to Milirrpum Marika (1983): "The base, foundation, culture, our Djang'kawu, the base of the Dhuwa moiety only, of the Dhuwa moiety and its various songs".<ref name=nmaancestors>{{cite web | title=The Djang'kawu ancestors | website=[[National Museum of Australia]] | url=https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/yalangbara/djangkawu-ancestors | access-date=20 July 2021}}</ref> |
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==Story== |
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The mythology was staged in early contact times during several days of dancing, singing, and the manipulation of sacred emblems, on a stage of man-made holes and earth sculpture. Oliver, following Berndt 1952, feels that the Djanggawul cycle is a dramatic enactment of Arnhem Land's dramatic monsoon cycle, which shaped aboriginal food procurement activities. Oliver says, "This is not to say that a dramatic presentation was needed to familiarize the Arnhemlanders with the stark reality of their monsoon climate, and of its direct effects upon their lives; about that they were deeply aware. What the rituals did was to rationalize that climate in mythical terms (a reassuring thing in itself) and to provide them with a doubtless satisfying means of attempting to insure the regular recurrence of the rains. For no matter how discomforting the climate of the rainy season may have been ... the Arnhemlanders evidently recognized how essential it was for sustaining the only life they knew." (1989:169) |
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The Djang'kawu are three siblings, two female and one male, who created the landscape of Australia and covered it with [[flora and fauna]]. They came by [[canoe]] from the island of [[Baralku]] (Burralku) in the east at night-time, guided by the [[Venus in culture#Other cultures|Morning Star]] (the planet [[Venus]]), landing at [[Yalangbara]].<ref name=wam/> The sisters, Bitjiwurrurru and Madalatj,<ref name=nmaancestors/> were the custodians of [[Australian Aboriginal law|ceremonial law]], and carried with them their [[digging stick]]s, feathered [[headwear]] and [[Australian Aboriginal artefacts#Sacred items|sacred objects]] hidden in their basket and mats. The objects changed into various [[landform]]s along their route, and they created [[freshwater]] wells at Yalangbara by plunging their [[digging stick]]s into the sand, after which the digging sticks turned into a variety of plant species.<ref name=wam>{{cite web | title=Yalangbara: art of the Djang'kawu|first=Margie |last=West | website=[[Western Australian Museum]] | date=7 December 2010 | url=http://museum.wa.gov.au/whats-on/yalangbara/background-essay | access-date=17 July 2021}}</ref> Their [[clap sticks]] (''bilma'') turned into rock formations.<ref name=nmaancestors/> |
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At a site known as Balma, high among the [[sand dune]]s, the Djang'kawu sisters gave birth to the first of the Rirratjingu clan, and performed the first [[ngarra ceremony]], which is now one of the major ceremonies of the region.<ref name=wam/><ref name=nmaancestors/> |
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The two female Djanggawul made the world's sacred [[Amulet|talisman]]s by breaking off pieces of their [[vulva]]s. They included Bunbulama, a rain goddess. |
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The story includes a meeting with [[Makassan contact with Australia|Makassans]] (''Bayini'') cooking [[sea cucumber|trepang]] (''dharripa'') on the island of Wapilina in [[Lalawuy Bay]]. The siblings ask them to leave their land.<ref name=nmaancestors/> |
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A possible source that includes the "Djanggawaul Song Cycle," partially available (with other links) on [http://books.google.com/books?id=a3WrtxazTRkC&dq=isbn:041533022X google books]: |
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The Djang'kawu continue westwards, producing more offspring which gave rise to other clans of the Dhuwa moiety.<ref name=nmaancestors/> |
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Djanggawul: An Aboriginal Religious Cult Of North-eastern Arnhem Land <BR> |
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Berndt, Ronald Murray<BR> |
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==In art== |
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London, Routledge: 2004 (first published 1952) |
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A collection of [[bark painting]]s by [[Mawalan Marika]] entitled ''Djan'kawu story'' (1959) is held by the [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]].<ref name="Art Gallery of NSW">{{cite web | title=Works from the collective title Djan'kawu story | website=Art Gallery of NSW | url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/?group_accession=IA64.1959%20-%20IA68.1959 | access-date=18 July 2021}}</ref> |
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===Major exhibition=== |
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The ''Yalangbara: art of the Djang'kawu'' touring exhibition, instigated by Mawalan Marika's daughter, artist [[Banduk Marika]], and developed with the assistance of other family members and the [[Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory]] at Darwin, opened at the [[National Museum of Australia]] from 7 December 2010. This was the first major survey exhibition of the Marikas' work, and covers around 50 named sites in the Yalangbara peninsula that were traversed by the Djang'kawu journey.<ref name=wam/> It followed a 2008 monograph of the same name, edited by Margie West and produced in partnership with Banduk Marika and other members of the family.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Banduk| last1=Marika |last2=West |first2=Margie |title=Yalangbara : art of the Djang'kawu |date=2008 |publisher=Charles Darwin University Press |location=Darwin, N.T. |isbn=9780980384673 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-8ZdPgAACAAJ | access-date=18 July 2021}}</ref> The exhibition featured not only contemporary prints and other items, but also works produced at the Yirrkala mission in the 1930s, bark paintings dating from the 1950s, drawings in [[crayon]] commissioned by anthropologist [[Ronald Berndt]], and the Djang'kawu digging stick, borrowed from its usual place alongside the [[Yirrkala bark petitions]] in [[Parliament House, Canberra|Parliament House]] in [[Canberra]]. The exhibition also travelled to the [[Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory]] in [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] and the [[Western Australian Museum]] in [[Perth]] in late 2011 and 2012.<ref>{{cite web | title=Yalangbara: Art of the Djang'kawu | website=[[National Museum of Australia]] | date=29 July 2019 | url=https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/yalangbara | access-date=20 July 2021}}</ref> |
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==Official recognition of significance== |
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The significance of the story is recognised in the forthcoming (2022) assessment of Yalangbara for inclusion in the [[National Heritage List]] or [[Commonwealth Heritage List]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/8ac00639-6069-454e-a191-e6b8a3eed9a2/files/fpal-nhl-2018-19.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419154815/http://environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/8ac00639-6069-454e-a191-e6b8a3eed9a2/files/fpal-nhl-2018-19.pdf |archive-date=2019-04-19 |url-status=live| title= Finalised Priority Assessment List for the National Heritage List for 2018-19| author=[[Australian Government]]. [[Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment]]| date= 1 July 2020| access-date=20 July 2021}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
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* [[Baijini]], a mythical or historical people mentioned in the Djang'kawu songline |
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* [[Djanggawul Fossae]], a feature on the planet [[Pluto]] |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:Australian Aboriginal deities]] |
[[Category:Australian Aboriginal deities]] |
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[[Category:Sky and weather deities]] |
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[[Category:Underworld deities]] |
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[[Category:Yolngu]] |
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{{australia-myth-stub}} |
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[[fr:Djanggawul]] |
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[[it:Djanggawul]] |
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Latest revision as of 12:37, 22 October 2024
The Djang'kawu, also spelt Djanggawul or Djan'kawu, are creation ancestors in the mythology of the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is one of the most important stories in Aboriginal Australian mythology, and concerns the moiety known as Dhuwa.
Background
[edit]The Djanggawul/Djang'kawu myth[1][2] specifically concerned the Dua (Dhuwa) moiety of people, including about a third of the clans that lived in north-east Arnhem Land. The humans born of the two sisters are the ancestors of the Rirratjingu clan.[3] According to Milirrpum Marika (1983): "The base, foundation, culture, our Djang'kawu, the base of the Dhuwa moiety only, of the Dhuwa moiety and its various songs".[4]
Story
[edit]The Djang'kawu are three siblings, two female and one male, who created the landscape of Australia and covered it with flora and fauna. They came by canoe from the island of Baralku (Burralku) in the east at night-time, guided by the Morning Star (the planet Venus), landing at Yalangbara.[5] The sisters, Bitjiwurrurru and Madalatj,[4] were the custodians of ceremonial law, and carried with them their digging sticks, feathered headwear and sacred objects hidden in their basket and mats. The objects changed into various landforms along their route, and they created freshwater wells at Yalangbara by plunging their digging sticks into the sand, after which the digging sticks turned into a variety of plant species.[5] Their clap sticks (bilma) turned into rock formations.[4]
At a site known as Balma, high among the sand dunes, the Djang'kawu sisters gave birth to the first of the Rirratjingu clan, and performed the first ngarra ceremony, which is now one of the major ceremonies of the region.[5][4]
The story includes a meeting with Makassans (Bayini) cooking trepang (dharripa) on the island of Wapilina in Lalawuy Bay. The siblings ask them to leave their land.[4]
The Djang'kawu continue westwards, producing more offspring which gave rise to other clans of the Dhuwa moiety.[4]
In art
[edit]A collection of bark paintings by Mawalan Marika entitled Djan'kawu story (1959) is held by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.[6]
Major exhibition
[edit]The Yalangbara: art of the Djang'kawu touring exhibition, instigated by Mawalan Marika's daughter, artist Banduk Marika, and developed with the assistance of other family members and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory at Darwin, opened at the National Museum of Australia from 7 December 2010. This was the first major survey exhibition of the Marikas' work, and covers around 50 named sites in the Yalangbara peninsula that were traversed by the Djang'kawu journey.[5] It followed a 2008 monograph of the same name, edited by Margie West and produced in partnership with Banduk Marika and other members of the family.[7] The exhibition featured not only contemporary prints and other items, but also works produced at the Yirrkala mission in the 1930s, bark paintings dating from the 1950s, drawings in crayon commissioned by anthropologist Ronald Berndt, and the Djang'kawu digging stick, borrowed from its usual place alongside the Yirrkala bark petitions in Parliament House in Canberra. The exhibition also travelled to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwin and the Western Australian Museum in Perth in late 2011 and 2012.[8]
Official recognition of significance
[edit]The significance of the story is recognised in the forthcoming (2022) assessment of Yalangbara for inclusion in the National Heritage List or Commonwealth Heritage List.[9]
See also
[edit]- Baijini, a mythical or historical people mentioned in the Djang'kawu songline
- Djanggawul Fossae, a feature on the planet Pluto
References
[edit]- ^ Wells, A.E. (1971). This their dreaming. UQ Press, St.Lucia, Qld.
- ^ Berndt, Ronald M. (2004). Djanggawul: An Aboriginal Religious Cult of North-Eastern Arnhem Land. Routledge. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-415-33022-0. (Originally published 1952)
- ^ Oliver, Douglas L. (1989). Oceania: The Native Cultures of Australia and the Pacific Islands. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Djang'kawu ancestors". National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d West, Margie (7 December 2010). "Yalangbara: art of the Djang'kawu". Western Australian Museum. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "Works from the collective title Djan'kawu story". Art Gallery of NSW. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Marika, Banduk; West, Margie (2008). Yalangbara : art of the Djang'kawu. Darwin, N.T.: Charles Darwin University Press. ISBN 9780980384673. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "Yalangbara: Art of the Djang'kawu". National Museum of Australia. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ Australian Government. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (1 July 2020). "Finalised Priority Assessment List for the National Heritage List for 2018-19" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
