Jeffrey Jangala Gallagher, Yankirri Jukurrpa (Emu Dreaming) - Ngarlikurlangu, 76x76cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Jeffrey Jangala Gallagher
• Community - Nyirripi
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation
• Catalogue number - 1223/24ny
• Materials - Acrylic on linen
• Size(cm) - H76 W76 D2
• Postage variants - Artwork is posted un-stretched and rolled for safe shipping.
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

This painting depicts a ‘yankirri Jukurrpa’ (emu [Dromaius novaehollandiae] Dreaming) from a place called Ngarlikurlangu, approximately 50kms north of Yuendumu. The ‘kirda’ (owners) of this Dreaming are Nangala/Nampijinpa women and Jangala/Jampijinpa men. 

This Jukurrpa tells the story of a ‘yankirri’ (emu) and a ‘wardilyka’ (bush turkey [Ardeotis australis]). ‘Yankirri’ lived at a soakage to the west called Warnirripanu (or Walangkamirirri), while ‘wardilyka’ lived at a soakage to the east called Parirri.  The emu and bush turkey used to go around the country picking ‘yakajirri’ (bush raisins [Solanum centrale]) and mashing them into ‘kapurdu’ (fruit balls) to save in their nests for later. However, they were jealous of each other; the emu thought that the bush turkey was picking the best and juiciest ‘yakajirri’, and was leaving him with only the sour ‘yakajirri’.

The emu went to the bush turkey’s nest to the east while the bush turkey was out hunting and smashed up the ‘kapurdu’ that the bush turkey had saved there. When the bush turkey returned, he found his smashed ‘yakajirri’ balls and realized that the emu had destroyed them. He went to the west to confront the emu and when he found him, they got into a big fight. The bush turkey eventually flew away to the north, leaving behind the smashed ‘yakajirri’ balls.

This practice of making ‘kapurdu’ (fruit balls) is a traditional Warlpiri method of storing ‘yakajirri’; in the old days, people used to dry the ‘yakajirri’, grind them up with a rock in a coolamon, mix them with water and form balls from them, and cover the ‘kapurdu’ with red ochre so they would keep.

Today at Ngarlikirlangu we can see round, red rocks which are the ‘kapurdu’ that the emu smashed up. There is also a dance for this ‘yankirri’ (emu) Jukurrpa that is performed during mens’ initiation ceremonies. A number of other Jukurrpa are also located at Ngarlikirlangu, including ‘wardilyka Jukurrpa’ (bush turkey Dreaming), ‘yardijiinypa Jukurrpa’ (meat ant Dreaming), and ‘pirntina Jukurrpa’ (woma or Ramsay’s python [Aspidites ramsayi] Dreaming). Lots of ‘yakajirri’ grow around the Ngarlikirlangu area today.

In contemporary Warlpiri paintings, traditional iconography can be used to represent the Jukurrpa, associated sites, and other elements. ‘Yankirri’ are usually represented by arrow-like shapes depicting their ‘wirliya’ (footprints) as they walk around.

Jeffrey Jangala Gallagher was born in 1970 in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community located 290 km north-west of Alice Springs in the NT of Australia. He was born into a family of well-known Warlukurlangu artists. In 1978 he moved to Nyirripi with his family, where he attended the local school.

Jeffrey began painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu and Nyirripi in 2021. He paints his father’s and grandfather’s Yankirri Jukurrpa (Emu Dreaming) - Ngarlikirlangu and Lukarrara Jukurrpa (Desert Fringe-rush Seed Dreaming), Jukurrpa stories relating directly to his land, its features and the plants and animals that inhabit it. The have been passed down through the generations for millennia. He uses an unrestricted palette, blending his own patterns with ancestral motifs to depict his traditional Jukurrpa.

When not working, or painting, he loves to play sport and hunt with his family and friends.