MICHAEL NELSON JAGAMARA: STORIES
MNJ is the custodian of numerous traditional
stories which have been passed down to him mainly from his father’s
side. Such stories are epic narratives and hold knowledge of
laws and customs. Association comes through kinship and ceremonial
involvement. MNJ’s new expressionist designs are ‘coded’
versions of these narratives. Sprinkles of paint over his ‘logos’
often represent the scattered feathers in ground painting designs.
SITE / MEETING PLACE Concentric circles usually
represent a specific site such as waterholes and campsites—locations
of physical and/or spiritual significance. The ‘site’
is the starting point for many stories. Ground paintings for
ceremonial ‘sites’ are created in the sand, linking
people and places with stories and songs.
YAM / YALA Lines radiating from the centre depict
the yam with its web-like vine system. The central section is
a design painted on the body of participants during Yala (Yam
or Bush Potato) ceremonies. The Yala ancestors travelled underground
through huge areas of the Central Desert, which is why Yam stories
are found all over Australia.
POSSUM The ‘E’ shape represents
the possum paw print travelling over country. The Possum is
often portrayed as a promiscuous person, who roamed far and
wide from the site of Mawarriji, taking wives from every camp.
Eventually, he was chased away by angry people—the sinuous
line shows the mark made in the sand by the dragging tail of
the Possum. The Possum love story ceremony is about a Possum
Man and Woman who fell in love. Strict laws prevent certain
skin groups from intermarriage, so they ran off together to
the west. They were chased and punished as a lesson to others.
OLD MAN Old Man Dreaming is from the site of
Kunajarrayi, and is sacred men’s business. The U shape
is man sitting on the ground during ceremony with his Nulla
Nulla (horizontal line) placed in front of him.
RAIN / LIGHTNING The wavy line represents a
rain path accompanied by lightning, being single or multiple
strikes.
KANGAROO The central line represents the distinctive
track made in the sand by the tail, with the hind legs either
side. Traditionally, Kangaroo ancestors angered Warnayarra (The
Rainbow Snake) at Mawarriji, a sacred site near Mt Singleton.
They tried to punish the Kangaroo Men with a ferocious storm
of wind, rain, and lightning. The kangaroo men hid in a cave
for several days and waited for the storm to pass.
BUSH TURKEY MNJ is a custodian of the creation
story of the bush turkey, an animal which is celebrated in ceremony
as well as being an important traditional food source. His designs
allude to footprints in the sand.
STONE KNIFE ARRANGEMENTS These distinctive designs
depict the stone knife that Aboriginal people make from flint
and sharp stones found in their locality. These images can also
be related to male-initiation ceremonies.
LOLLY TREE a favorite bush food, this derives
from a real fruit tree, the Conkerberry, which MNJ remembers
near Mt Singleton where he used to climb as a child. The design
has been reinterpreted as a linear sand-painting pattern. Occasionally
MNJ layers this pattern over existing designs.
PURPULA This design represents a small goanna
living in the spinifex at the sites of Wapurtali and Waite Creek.
MNJ interprets this story with bold, repetitive stripes relating
directly to body-painting designs.