TL;DR

  • In the Wanjina Wunggurr cultural bloc (Worrorra, Ngarinyin, Wunambal), Wandjina are creator rain-beings who “made country” and laid down Law; Wunggurr is the water-serpent/life-force that moves through deep pools and seas. See the West Kimberley Place Report. 1
  • Repainting (“keeping them fresh”) is a living custodial duty linking rainmaking, fertility, and social order; failure to repaint risks cosmological disorder. See the Antiquity debate and community statements. 2
  • Iconography (white-faced, haloed, often mouthless beings) and techniques (white huntite grounds, blown pigment) are documented in primary sources from Grey (1841) onward and in conservation science. 3 4 5
  • The ritual logic—images renewed to renew the seasons—aligns with EToC’s thesis that ritualized recursion sustains and transmits the self/“I” and social order; the Wunggurr serpent motif coheres with EToC’s Snake-Cult strand (EToC v3).

“Yorro Yorro is ongoing, everything standing up alive.” — David Mowaljarlai, quoted in exhibition text. 6

Country, Peoples, and the Mythic Complex#

The Wanjina Wunggurr cultural bloc spans the northern/west Kimberley and includes Worrorra (Woddorda), Ngarinyin, and Wunambal (often alongside Gaambera), united by custodianship of Wandjina Law and associated serpent powers called Wunggurr (also Ungud/ungud).[^*] Authoritative syntheses describe Wandjina and Wunggurr as “powerful creator beings” who ‘make country’ and bind people to reciprocal responsibilities; Wunggurr travels with Wandjina, inhabits pools and tidal waters, and governs fertility and rain (West Kimberley Place Report, pp. 2–6, 173–189). 1

In contemporary governance and cultural practice, this unity is institutionalized (e.g., Wanjina-Wunggurr native title bodies; Wilinggin and Uunguu Healthy Country Plans), which explicitly link “refreshing paintings” to looking after country and Law. 7 8

A note on epistemic scope and respect#

This account draws only on published, public-domain, or community-authorized sources. Secret/Sacred dimensions are not discussed. Primary custodians retain authority over meanings and permissions.

Iconography, Technique, and Early Attestations#

European records begin with Captain George Grey’s 1838–39 observations near the Glenelg River. He saw immense white‑faced figures with radiant headbands: “the eyes were the only features represented on the face.” (vol. 1, ch. 10). 3

Twentieth‑century anthropology (A. P. Elkin; J. R. B. Love; Ian Crawford) systematically documented Wandjina imagery and associated narratives; Crawford’s The Art of the Wandjina remains foundational (OUP 1968; see bibliographic overviews). 10

Technique and materials. Ethnography and conservation science converge on a distinctive process: a matt white ground is created, often “by blowing the pigment from the mouth,” over which black/red/yellow infill and halos are applied (p. 160). 5 Scientific analyses identify the white as huntite‑rich mixes (and kaolinite), sometimes layered many times. 4

Why no mouths? Custodians explain that Wandjina are too powerful to be shown with mouths; giving them mouths would unleash unceasing rain. 11

Cosmological sourcing of materials. A widely cited motif says prized white pigment sources (huntite) are bodily excretions or spit of the serpent (Ungud/Wunggurr): “the highly valued white pigment… [is] the excreta or spit of Ungud.” (Morwood, Visions from the Past, p. 112). 9

Ritual Repainting (“Keeping Them Fresh”) as Rain-Law#

Community leaders describe repainting as custodial law, pedagogy, and cosmological maintenance. David Mowaljarlai explained training “young people… about repainting—body painting for ceremonies and to renew the painted images on rock.” (Morwood, Visions from the Past, p. 304). 9

In a canonical federal heritage synthesis, “Rain-making is intrinsically linked to the re-painting of the Wanjina.” (West Kimberley Place Report, p. 173). 1 During the late-1980s Ngarinyin Cultural Continuity Project, senior lawmen presented repainting as necessary to keep country right amid disruption; a landmark response in Antiquity crystallized the principle: neglect risks “mal-function of the natural order.” (Antiquity 62 (1988)). 2

Custodians also explicitly tie Wandjina to Law in social life. As Mowanjum artist Rona Charles put it, “the Wandjina teaches the law of the land.” (ABC News, 2019). 12

Key correspondences (entities, domains, obligations)#

ItemRole & domainRitual obligationSanction/powerKey primary statements
WandjinaCreator beings; rain/cloud; laid down Law; “made country”Keep images “fresh” (repainting); proper conduct at sitesControl rain/cyclones; punish law-breaking“Rain-making is intrinsically linked to the re-painting…” 1
Wunggurr (Ungud)Water-serpent/life-force; inhabits deep pools & tides; fertilityRespect pools; travel/ceremonial linksChild-spirit provision; seasonal abundanceWunggurr travels with Wandjina; pools as malay/increase places. 1
White ground (huntite)Luminous presence; medium of powerPrepare/renew ground carefullyLinks to serpent body fluidsHuntite identification; serpent “spit” motif. 4 9
Mouthless faceSovereign power over rain; speech unnecessaryDo not add mouthsEndless rain if broken“Too powerful to be depicted with mouths”. 11

How Ritual Maintains Seasonality and Social Order#

Ethnographic descriptions of place networks (e.g., Punamii–Unpuu/Mitchell Falls) link Wunggurr travels, Wandjina paintings, and ongoing ceremonial responsibility: “The powers and creation story… are fundamental to our beliefs… We have a really strong responsibility in our Law to make sure those links are not broken.” (Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation statement recorded in the Place Report, p. 18). 1

This custodial logic underwrites periodic repainting cycles described by communities and heritage documents; repainting is not “restoration” but Law in action that keeps rains regular and “everything standing up alive” (Artlink summary of Keeping the Wanjinas Fresh). 13

Technique as liturgy. The act of blowing the white ground, the selection of serpent‑sourced pigments, and the renewal of halos and body designs are themselves the means by which seasonal potency is renewed (technique; pigment science). 5 4

Provenance, Fieldwork, and Scholarship: A Timeline#

Year/PeriodAttestation / eventSource
1838–41Grey records and illustrates grand white-faced figures in Glenelg sandstone caves3
1930–48Elkin’s classic studies; re-locates Grey’s caves; systematizes NW Kimberley rock artBibliographic overviews. 14 15
1968Crawford, The Art of the Wandjina (OUP); definitive regional monographOverview at UWA profile PDF. 10
1987–88Ngarinyin Cultural Continuity Project repaints major sites; ensuing debate in Antiquity16
1993–2005Mowaljarlai & Malnic, Yorro Yorro; Blundell & Woolagoodja, Keeping the Wanjinas FreshCatalog & archive. 17 13
2010sHealthy Country plans link site refreshing to Law; pigment science identifies huntite layers7 4

Tables of Correspondence#

Table A — Wandjina/Wunggurr and seasonal order

ThemeMythic mechanismMaterial/ritual correlateSeasonal functionRepresentative source(s)
Rain LawWandjina control clouds and wet seasonRepainting (“freshening”) of imagesEnsures rains/“increase”Place Report. 1
FertilityWunggurr inhabits deep pools/tidesRespect/ceremony at malay (increase) sitesAbundance of fish & lifePlace Report (Danggu). 1
Potency of imageMouthless, haloed presenceHuntite white ground; blown pigmentLuminous efficacy of figureTechnique; Science. 5 4

Table B — Primary statements (short quotes, ≤25 words each)

SourceQuotation
Grey 1841“the eyes were the only features represented on the face.” 3
Place Report“Rain-making is intrinsically linked to the re-painting of the Wanjina.” 1
Antiquity 1988failure to repaint could cause “mal-function of the natural order.” 2
Frederick & O’Connor“a matt-white… background, created by blowing the pigment from the mouth.” 5
WIPO“Wandjina are… too powerful to be depicted with mouths.” 11
MorwoodWhite huntite “excreta or spit of Ungud.” 9
ABC News“the Wandjina teaches the law of the land.” (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-16/kimberley-artists-legal-action-over-wandjina-misappropriation/10813488). 12

Analysis: Ritual Recursion and EToC#

EToC argues that humanity’s decisive step involved the emergence of recursive inner life, ritualized and transmitted through powerful symbolic packages—especially snake cults and feminine‑coded initiations. “My thesis is that women discovered ‘I’ first and then taught men about inner life.” (EToC v3). 18

The Wandjina–Wunggurr complex aligns with this framework in four ways:

  1. Recursive maintenance: The world is literally kept in order by renewing an image that “made country.” Repainting is iterative recursion enacting cosmology; the act sustains the order (Place Report; Antiquity debate). https://www.dcceew.gov.au/…/ahc-final-assessment-full.pdf; https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/repainting-of-images-on-rock-in-australia-and-the-maintenance-of-aboriginal-culture/4FAD6BE899CEAA60140299203D277683. 1 2
  2. Serpent vector: Wunggurr (Ungud) is a water/serpent life‑force; serpent‑linked pigments (huntite “spit”) materially embed the serpent into the rite—resonant with EToC’s Snake‑Cult throughline. https://research-solution.com/uplode/books/book-44756.pdf. 9
  3. Law as cosmotechnique: Law is not merely juridical; it is meteorological and ecological (rain, increase places). This fuses ethics with climate control via ritual, exemplifying EToC’s claim that ritual architectures scaffold recursive social minds. https://www.dcceew.gov.au/…/ahc-final-assessment-full.pdf. 1
  4. Iconic minimalism: Mouthless faces—power without speech—invert logos‑centered cosmogonies; agency is enacted by ritual performance, not verbal declaration. This coheres with EToC’s emphasis on ritual‑first cognition before full narrative abstraction. (Iconography syntheses: https://www.wipo.int/web/wipo-magazine/articles/safeguarding-cultural-heritage-the-case-of-the-sacred-wandjina-37917; Grey 1841 text: https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks/e00054.html). 11 3

Correspondence table — EToC vs. Wandjina–Wunggurr

Wandjina–Wunggurr elementEToC constructAlignment noteEvidence
Repainting as rainmakingRitual recursion maintains “order”Iterated rite sustains environment & societyPlace Report; Antiquity paper. 1 2
Wunggurr serpentSnake-Cult of ConsciousnessSerpent as agent of life/knowledge/potencyMorwood, p. 112. 9
Mouthless, haloed presencePre-linguistic/para-linguistic potencyPower beyond speech; efficacy via riteWIPO explainer; Grey 1841. 11 3
Law = ecology + kinshipCultural selection of recursive normsLaw encodes seasonal logistics & kinshipABC Rona Charles; Place Report. 12 1

FAQ#

Q1. Are Wandjina “Rainbow Serpents”?
A. Closely related but distinct: Wunggurr (Ungud) is the serpent/life‑force; Wandjina are creator rain‑beings. They travel together in narratives and in country. See Place Report, pp. 17–19. 1

Q2. Is repainting modern “restoration”?
A. No. It’s a lawful ritual—an obligation that keeps rains/fertility and transmits knowledge; “failure” risks disorder. See Antiquity 62 (1988). 2

Q3. What is the white paint and why does it matter?
A. Typically huntite‑rich mixes; sourcing and application are ritually meaningful and materially stabilize the luminous ground. 4

Q4. Why are most Wandjina mouthless?
A. Because their power does not require speech; giving mouths would risk endless rain. 11

Footnotes#

Sources#

  1. Dcceew ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. Cambridge ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. Gutenberg ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  4. Rockartaustralia ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  5. Researchsystem ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  6. Visionaryartexhibition ↩︎

  7. Wunambalgaambera ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  8. Kimberley-land-council ↩︎ ↩︎

  9. Research-solution ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  10. Research-repository ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  11. Wipo ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  12. ABC News ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  13. Artlink ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  14. Rockartresearch ↩︎ ↩︎

  15. Cambridge ↩︎ ↩︎

  16. Cambridge ↩︎

  17. Magabala ↩︎ ↩︎

  18. Vectorsofmind ↩︎ ↩︎

  19. Archive ↩︎