https://books.sharingstoriesfoundation.org/liya-dhalinymirr

Mukarr Djambatj Story

The Liya-dhälinymirr Djambarrpuyŋu Clan is from Badaypaday, towards the North of the Mitchell Ranges in North East Arnhem Land.
A long time ago there was a reef at Badaypaday and there lived the Mukarr. The Mukarr are Creator Ancestors that hunted and feasted on Dhalwadpu, Green Sea Turtles. They used to go out to the reefs to catch a turtle with a harpoon and come back to the coastline of Badaypaday.
I’m telling the story of the Mukarr and their journeys in a giant ancestral Green Sea Turtle shell. My father told me this story, which was told to him by his father, and his father’s father across the generations, all the way back to my ancestors, the Mukarr. The songs and stories left behind by the Mukarr hunters tell us about hunting and making and creating of Rawu, the turtle hunting rope that was attached to the harpoon.

Mukarr Djambatj Storyline

Mukarr Djambatj songline is our Rom (Law), that occurs on Country, showing Ḻiya-Dhälinymirr connections to Country and kin, our way of life and Culture that was created for us by our Ancestors, the Mukarr. Through the creation of a rawu rope, the ancestors created this law and custom which stretches out from Baḏaypaḏay along the rulyapa tidal waters, connecting us to other clans.

The words in the songline are a map that connect us to everyone in our clan nation; the land, the water, the turtle, the wind and the tides. All the elements are awakened by these songs. When we sing , we feel like ew are sitting, facing a mirror. We are seeing all those things and places inside ourselves. The Mukarr Djambatj songlines are used during funeral ceremonies, where all clans related to the Ḻiya-Dhälinymirr clan nation have responsibility to work together to sing the spirit of the deceased to their final resting place. In funeral ceremonies, the strong vision in our head connects the spirit to places as well.

We are learning from the moment we are born - not just about one topic but about the whole ecology of life and how everything works together. Our world makes sense through our connection to each other, to animals, tides, plants, clouds, and all other elements of Country. We work our whole lives to understand the sophisticated knowledge system of these songlines. Senior Custodians and Djungaya (Caretakers) from these clans shared their knowledge and supported the transformation of the songline into the book you see here. This story we are making is for everyone, so you can view it whenever you like . Welcome to this story that you will experience here today. The knowledge we are sharing here was created as a digital Ancestor for our young people so they can be strong in the knowledge of who they are. We are also choosing to share this with you, to help bridge the gap in understanding between our cultures. We have been told for a long time that we need to do things Balanda way. Now we are asking that Balanda respect us, our culture and the knowledge we carry.

The project was led by Peter Murrkiḻtja Guyula, Davis Muwarra Marrawuŋgu and Yiŋiya Guyula.

https://books.sharingstoriesfoundation.org/liya-dhalinymirr