Dr. Hugh Cairns
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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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Juliy
Juliy telling the story expressed in rock art