The old people told us: verbal art in Western Arnhem Land

Abstract

AIM This thesis is based on a collection of stories (most of which relate to bark paintings), that were told to me by speakers of the Kunwinjku language of the Northern Territory of Australia. My objective is to show that these particular stories have an important role in the transmission of Kunwinjku culture. I do this by seeking to understand the stories and how they are used by Kunwinjku people. I first consider the stories in the original Kunwinjku language; secondly I relate the stories to the western Arnhem Land artistic traditions; and thirdly I examine their social context. The important role of such stories in cultural transmission is reflected in the phrases daborrabolk kandimarneyolyolmeng "the old people told us stories" and kandimarneyolyolmi "they used to tell us stories" which occur in many stories. I have included one of these phrases as part of my thesis title.