Shorty Jangala Robertson's Dreaming

Water dreaming:

Piyurnu: 

In the usually dry creek beds are water soakages or naturally occurring wells.

Two Jangala men, rainmakers, sang the rain, unleashing a giant storm. It travelled across the country, with the lightning striking the land. This storm met up with another storm from Wapurtali, to the west, was picked up by a 'kirrkarlan' (brown falcon [Falco berigora]) and carried further west until it dropped the storm at Purlungyanu, where it created a giant soakage. At Puyurru the bird dug up a giant snake, 'warnayarra' (the 'rainbow serpent') and the snake carried water to create a large lake, Jillyiumpa, close to an outstation in this country.

This story belongs to Jangala men and Nangala women. In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, associated sites and other elements. In many paintings of this Jukurrpa curved and straight lines represent the 'ngawarra' (flood waters) running through the landscape. Motifs frequently used to depict this story include small circles representing 'mulju' (water soakages) and short bars depicting 'mangkurdu' (cumulus & stratocumulus clouds).

Pirlinyarnu:

The site depicted in this painting is Pirlinyarnu (Mt. Farewell), about 165km west of Yuendumu in the Northern Territory. Two Jangala men, rainmakers, sang the rain, unleashing a giant storm that collided with another storm from Wapurtali. The two storms travelled across the country, from Karlipinpa near Kintore. A Kirrkarlanji (brown falcon) carried the storm further west until it dropped the storm at Pirlinyarnu, forming an enormous Maliri (lake). A "mulju" (soakage) exists in this place today. At Puyurru the bird dug up a 'warnayarra' (rainbow serpent). The serpent carried water with it to create another large lake. Whenever it rains today hundreds of 'ngapangarlpa' (bush ducks) still flock to Pirlinyarnu.

The 'kirda' (custodians) for this Jukurrpa are jangala/Jampijinpa men and Nangala/ Nampijinpa women.

Click here to read Shorty's biography.