Charlene Carrington / Barramundi Dreaming (3B)

Based on a painting by the late Rover Thomas, Charlene has depicted the country with which she associates a Kitja Women’s story handed down from time immemorial. Daiwal (Barramundi) features strongly in Women’s Business and Sacred sites in her Traditional Country, secret places where the Kitja Women meet to discuss the Law, initiate the young women and pass their culture to the young ones. The core of the story is that the women had woven fish nets from pandanus palm leaves. They had a good catch, however one of the Barramundi escaped and flew over the country, dropping her scales to make the rich diamonds. Charlene has painted a former Daiwal Women’s Ceremonial site near the Argyle Diamond Mine, which clearly shows a white image attributed to the bones of the Barramundi. The Kitja women were forced to shift this site closer to the Warmun Community after the Diamond Mine acquired this particular land. The Tradition of the Barramundi Dreaming is far deeper than this story however due to the sacred nature of the dreamings no further details can be given.