Three Nyawana in Yariny Country

Mr Peters

49x59cm (image size)

Etching and screenprint

Artist skin name: Juwurru

Languages: Gija and Kimberley Krio

Art Centre: Warmun Art Centre, Western Australia

Printed: Basil Hall Editions

This is Garnkiny place (moon dreaming) and those three are Nyawana (Garnkiny’s straight skin or potential wives). That moon, that old man, wanted to marry a woman who was daawul. Wrong way skin for him. Everyone bin asking him “who you want to marry. They said, this one this Nyawana?” He couldn’t say nothing. He got too much shame cause he wanted to marry his mother in-law.’

But he couldn’t marry her, he was supposed to marry her daughters. He got shamed and walked off and turned into garkiny. Then, he turned around and cursed everyone. He said, “you can be anything, a tree, rock.” He turned some into trees, that’s them there, them Nyawana them trees.’

Traditionally, the mother-in-law relationship with her son-in-law, is referred to as Lambarra. It is an ‘avoidance’ or ‘taboo’ relationship. These two are not supposed to talk to each other or say each other’s name. For Gija, people this is not just a story.