DAVID ROY
Murruŋgapuy Dhäwu (The Story of Murruŋga Split Log (Murruŋgapuy Dhäwu (The Story of Murruŋga)

his work tells a story about the ocean around Murruŋga, an island north east of Milingimbi associated with the Mälarra clan. In the painting you can see the bäday (seaweed), dikarr (flying fish), yälurr (sea snake), and the large black eggs of the larratitja (barracuda) that all belong there. The artist David Roy says “it’s like a garden”.Bäḏay is strong and can be used as rope when harvested from the sea, but is also a term used to refer to twined rope made from balgurr (Kurrajong) that is use for turtle and dugong hunting. The three strings that are twined to make this rope are said to be symbolic of the three Dhuwa Yan-nhaŋu clans, Maḻarra, Gamaḻaŋga and Gorryindi working together. These three clans are all associated with Murruŋga.Larratitja comes from Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island) and has two directions. One is to a Yirritja place called Bulgubulgu at Howard Island – he stopped there to sleep a little while. Then he went to Murruŋga and laid eggs there – he made a sand hill called Yakamanbuy. Then he travelled west past Burulpurul, described as a small sand island off Gurriba.The roundel in the centre of the painting represents a waterhole, and the panels of rarrk (cross-hatching) show the surrounding waters. Although a small island, Murruŋga has an abundance of freshwater. Story adapted July 2026.