Acrylic on paper
Signed certificate of authenticity.
In the Dreamtime, the two Ancestral Dogs Adjumarllarl and Omwarl came to Gunbalanya from the west, looking for water. They stayed here, and started digging a well. A little bit of water came out and made a small billabong, which we now call Arrmunbu. It lies in the middle of the town of Gunbalanya. There they spoke with Komorlo (the Egret) and Manimunak (the Magpie Goose). Komorlo said she would stay on the billabong and live there. And Manimunak said she would go up to the top of Arrkuluk hill and stay there. So they made their decision. Manimunak climbed to the top of Arrkuluk, and the two dogs kept on going, past Injalak Hill. But Komorlo decided to stay back where there was a billabong. So today we see lots of egrets on the billabong, standing and flying around and eating fish. Every wet season the rains fill up the billabong again, and we can see lots of egrets chasing small fish in the shallows, spearing them with their beaks.
Bu korroko duruk bokenh Adjumarllarl dja Omwarl
benemwam karrikadbeh kukku benehboyawani. Wanjh
benemwam benemyimowong kondah Koyek, benemwam
benedanginj beneyerrkang benengadkaruy bobebmeng
manboyahwurd kore kahlabbarl manlabbarlyahwurd bukka
wanjh kabolkngeyo Arrmunbu manlabbarl. Kumekke wanjh
komorlo dja manimunak birriwokdanj. Wanjh ngalbu
komorlo yimeng ngaye wanjh kondah ngare ngani kore
manlabbarlkimuk. Dja ngalbu manimunak yimeng ngaye
mak kondah ngare kaddum Arrkkuluk ngani. Wanjh
birriwokdanj birrimunkewerrinj manimunak bidbom kaddum
Arrkkuluk dja bedman ngaldaluk dja narangem Adjumarllarl
dja Omwarl benebalwam benebolkyurrhkeng Injalak. Dja
ngalengman ngalbu komorlo yimeng ngaye wanjh kondah
ngani kore kahlabbarl. Wanjh karrinan ngalwern ngalbu
komorlo kore manlabbarlkimuk kani karrolkan kare djenj
kayawan kangun. Dja karrinan ngalwern kore kabbal ngalbu
komorlo kakadjung karranjbun kundang ngalengarre
kangun nawu djenj kilekilelh bu kudjewk kukku kabokurrme
kore kabbal.