Dr. Hugh Cairns

Dark Sparklers

Cosmic emu & rainbow

Wardaman Creation Story

represented by Samantha Wortelhock

The Milky Way (the ‘shadow figure’)

Spiritual presence of the Earth Mother at the Southern Cross

Red Kangaroo

Cosmic presence of Red Kangaroo gesturing The Law

Samantha Wortelhock

Working on Creation Story painting

Black spaces in the Milky Way

Especially the black-headed python shadow of Rainbow

Bill explaining

Bill Harney expressing the Night Sky and its Spiritual Presences

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Four Circles

The senior elder with initiates

(both in rock art and present day)

Initiates with totemic ancestors

The initiates (small figures of flying foxes) with totemic ancestors (large figures) as today

Willy Wagtail

Carries the stone knife and enforces The Laws

Women's Circle

The Mudu Law Circle of the women’s law (not known in detail by senior elder, Bill Harney)

Circles by Samantha Wortelhock

The contrasts of the British and Indigenous systems of law

The Dancer

This beautiful engraving of the dancer with large ceremonial boomerang shows that the justice system was
accompanied by song, story and theatre.

Pain's River Gorge

The Black-headed Python travels through the country leaving sites of majesty and beauty.

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Research at the Menngen cattle station

The Menngen family in 1998

Dr. Hugh Cairns with Dr. Jo Flood

Dr. Hugh Cairns with Head of Heritage Commission, Dr. Jo Flood, in 1979

Lightning Brothers

Lightning Brothers of Wardaman story on Menngen land

Juliy

Juliy telling the story expressed in rock art

Bill Harney with Hugh Cairns

Bill Harney tells the story coming out of the rock art paintings while Hugh Cairns records on video.

Bill Harney and Ted Croker

Bill Harney and Ted Croker at Menngen. These Old People (Wuna) tell the stories and share information.

Menngen land at Delemere 1979

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Bill explaining

Bill Harney expressing the Night Sky and its Spiritual Presences