Description
Warrabunbun and Mun-ngokngok are protective spirits. They are connected as healers, and witch doctors. Their clan is Warrawarra and they live on Warrawarra country at Gamurra Gu-yurra, on the mainland west of Milingimbi.
In the afternoon Warrabunbun goes to the creek and to the little billabong at Murlmurlma. He carries a bag, a spear and a maŋal (spear-thrower). He gets fish for himself and then he goes back to camp and cooks it on the fire. At nighttime sometimes you hear him: “Gooooo Yuuuuuu”. He makes a torch out of stringybark. He ties up the stringy bark and sets it alight. When he wants water, he scoops it up with raŋan (paperbark). He can easily spear wallaby, emu, fish and goanna. When he sees jamandarr (a yam species, depicted on the right and left), he cooks it and eats it. To make fire he rubs two sticks together. In Burarra we say of these sticks, an-ngurtga awu barra, meaning literally, “it will give fire”.
In this painting Warrabunbun has just eaten a ginyginy (freshwater catfish). He is returning from Murlmurla (the circle, bottom).
