Cirrus@Austlit

'Butcher Joe Nangan was one of those charismatic people who exercised a most profound impact on all who met him.

'Having spent his life acquiring the ritual knowledge and lore, not only of his own Nyikina and Walmajarri forbears but also that pertaining to the lands of his neighbours, Nangan believed that he could, through his art; present his world to a wider audience. 

'With pencil, paint and pocket knife Nangan deftly depicted the artefacts, legends and history of his country.

'The legends that Nangan relates and illustrates provide a traditional explanation on how his world came to be. Nangan also records the often-brutal history of the frontier experience and the clash of cultures as Europeans began to encroach on Aboriginal lands.

'Possibly one of the most prolific of Australia’s Indigenous artists Nangan left a record unparalled of a world at the cusp — a world that would soon fade and vanish as time moved on.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Wanjina Beings – among the most distinctive of all the Aboriginal Ancestral Beings depicted in Australian rock art – have been a topic of conjecture among Western scholars since their discovery by the explorer George Grey in the Northwest Kimberley Region of Australia, in 1838. Their origins have at various times been ascribed to travellers from other continents and even extraterrestrial sources.'

'This essay presents a brief history of past research into the Wanjina cult of the Kimberley: and examines some of the core mythology that embraces the country of the Wanjina and which links people, from the coasts lapping the Timor Sea, to the fastness of the Kimberley Plateau.'

'Drawing together a range of ethnographic data this essay shows that the Wanjinas have played an integral role in underpinning the identity of the Worrorra, Wunambal and Ngarinyin peoples. This cultural connection stretches back for many millennia and continues today, through both oral traditions and the visual arts, playing a major role in defining the bond that holds these three groups of Indigenous Australians together.' (Source: Publishers website)