BIRRUNGA WIRADYURI
Wiradyuri Ngayirr Wiradyuri Sacred

2019
acrylic & pastel on canvas

This one is looking down from above on the protection ceremony of 5 fires performed by the Bathurst Elders on Wahluu (known as Mt Panorama) in July 2018. The ceremony is a once per 110-year event.The 5 fires were lit and then sacred white ochre was used to connect the fires by laying it on the ground both in the external diamond shape and in the internal + cross while the ochre was being placed the smoke of all 5 fires went in various separate directions – and the cicadas were singing very loudly.

When the final connection aspect was made with the sacred white ochre, the cicadas went silent and the smoke of the four external fires went horizontal, low across the ground, meeting at the centre fire where the smoke of all five fires met and went spiralling directly upward. The Creator Spirit who guards Wahluu was present as were a large number of elite warrior ancestors, the head of whom was sent to Challenge Uncle Brian Grant who was facilitating the ceremony. The warriors and the Creator Spirit Guardian are represented by diamond.

There were women Ancestors present as well and they are represented by cicadas. Baayami was present as well as a Local Ancestor Creator Spirit and Wahluu. They are represented by three faint diamonds with long lines representing spears. The theme that underpins the work is the central Wiradyuri Law of Yindyamarra which consists of five aspects: to do something slowly, to respect, to be gentle, to be polite, to honour. There are clusters of five throughout the piece, most notably in the 5 fires, the 5 bands of cross hatch with the crosshatch consisting of a series of 5 arcs. The 5 bands of crosshatch represent Yindyamarra.