John Mandjuwi Guruwiwi’s language groups are Galpu & Dhangu. His homeland is Gika – adjacent to Matamata which is set on a mangrove beach facing North across the Nalawarung Straits in far North North-Eastern Arnhem Land. His Skin Group is Gawurr and language Dhangu and the spiritual themes John is related to are:
Wititj – The oldest human religious myth, the Rainbow Serpent which is key to Galpu identity. Its prism of colour in sinuous form summons the power of tempest and the shimmer of wet leaves.
Bol’ngu – In common with all Dhuwa clans, is a patch of dedicated rainforest which generates the cloud and merges with others to form Thunderman the embodiment of the monsoon cloud mass.
Banumbirr – The Morning Star (Venus) connecting Buralku – the island of the Dead with The Two Sisters with Wurrkadi, (pictured in the painting) larvae of the Horned beetle.
The fine lines of ochre pigment are applied with a blade of grass. The image shows edible foods such as stingrays
and wurkardi (small grubs found on coastal beaches). The dark circles represent the fresh water coming up through the sand that has run underground from New Guinea rains. When the tide is out you can drink this fresh water that is bubbling up. Text Helen Read 2024