This bird is Guḏurrku or the Brolga. Sung by the Dhuwa moiety but displayed here naturalistically rather than in sacred identity.

Within the spiritual law of North East Arnhem land it is accepted that the spirit of deceased people is guided to its appropriate destination by a bird from that clan.

This work is a decorative piece made from stringybark (Eucalyptus Tetradonta) which is harvested from the tree in the late Wet Season (February-June). Ṉuwayak means bark. The bark is usually initially heated intensely over a fire and then laid down flat for some weeks. After the surface is sanded smooth a layer of red paint us usually the first to go down.

The paints used are earth pigments. The red (Meku), yellow (Gaŋgul) and black (Gurrṉan) are provided by rubbing rocks of these colours against a grinding stone and then adding water and PVA glue in small quantities. A new batch of paint is prepared or renewed every few minutes as it dries or is used up. After an outline of the composition is laid down the marwat or crosshatching commences. This is applied using a brush made of a few strands of straight human hair usually from a young woman or girl. The artist charges the marwat (brush) with the paint and then paints away from themselves in a straight line. Each stroke requires a fresh infusion of pigment.

The last layer to be applied is almost always the white clay or Gapan which is made from kaolin harvested from special sites. This also has water and glue added after being crushed into a fine powder.

Most works are made in the homelands as a means of obtaining extra income to defray the huge expenses of travel and freight residents have to find to live on their ancestral land.

About the artist: 

Djul’djul is the daughter of the famous Gälpu clan artist Mithinarri Gurruwiwi. She is a very precise and knowledgeable wood carver and painter. Together with her sister Manany and brother Watjuku (deceased) they have inherited a lot of painting knowledge and skill from their father. All three artists also share the same Gumatj mother, Duwambu Burarrwaŋa. 

Djul’djul’s husband was Burrŋupurrŋu (Bruce) Wunuŋmurra (deceased), a highly respected yiḏaki player and maker. She painted the yiḏaki he made, often with Gälpu clan designs from her own clan. These designs sometimes feature Wititj the olive python, djaykuŋ the file-snake and guḏurrku the brolga. At other times they are decorated with beautiful columns of diamonds, the sacred miny'tji belonging to the Dhaḻwaŋu clan, representing the freshwater system where their creation ancestor Barama emerged from the water.

These yiḏaki are highly priced among collectors and players world-wide, being commonly referred to as some of the best works available. Djul'djul's bark paintings, ḻarrakitj and carvings are now becoming sought after by dealers and collectors for their fine attention to detail. Recently she has also been producing worrwurr (owls) in collaborayion with her sister Manany.

In recent years, Didiwarr, one of her sons, has been making yiḏaki that she has been painting. These instruments are often decorated with a coiled djaykuŋ at the distal end. This is a new collaboration, continuing the legacy of their work with Burrŋupurrŋu.