Milpirri Banner - MAMINGIRRI (Two Devils)

Dreaming

Mamingirri (two devils). In this design the footprints are the tracks of the two devils. They were walking around the salt lake country in the Tanami Desert. They are two Warlpiri monsters. Traditional owner (kirda) Gladys Tasman Napangardi (dec) used to describe them as two Warlpiri monsters/cannibals with skinny legs. The Mamingirri have big teeth and were eating people and throwing their bones around. You can see their bones from the dreaming on east side of the Tanami track. When they killed people they would wrap the bodies into their waist bands and arm bands. They went underground and came out near the old gold mine at Windy Hill. One of the circles in the design is the Mamingirri site near Windy Hill. The song for the Mamingirri is very dangerous, if kurdungurlu sing it they risk going mad.

See the salt lake country in the Tanami Desert where the Mamingirri walked around - Map

See Windy Hill on Google earth which is a Mamingirri site - Map

Belonging to Skin Groups

Japangardi, Japanangka, Napangardi and Napanangka (Green Group)

Place

Warrayarna is an important rockhole for Mamingirri.

Drawn By

In the development of this banner Victor Simons Jupurrula, then Henry Cook Jakamarra contributed drawings. The appropriate people to draw this design are the Tasman family or their Kurdungurlu. The final design was drawn by Jerry Jangala Patrick in September 2012.

Kurdungurlu

Jerry Jangala Patrick

Families to learn more from in Lajamanu

Tasman and Johnson

One of the Traditional Owners is Lynette Tasman Napangardi. Lynette's place of birth is Yuendumu 1962, her language/tribe is Warlpiri and she lives at Lajamanu. Her country is Jirrparanpa, Kunajarraya and Parralya and her Dreamings are Wardapi, Yarla, Ngurlu and Ngayaki and Mamingirri. She paints her stepfather’s and mother’s Dreamings. Lynette’s father was a white man and to prevent the child being taken away, her mother, Molly Tasman, had to stand up to welfare and argue that she could bring up the child equally well herself. Lynette worked with Mary-Ann Tasman, her sister-in-law, and with her mother and started painting in 1986. Lynette is a strong community-minded person. She is often working for community based organisations such as world vision. She is an expert interpreter and a key member of the Baptist church.

Language

The word Mamingirri means “poor, dry country”