Jajutuma Jukurrpa (Caterpillar Dreaming)

The Jajutuma Jukurrpa is related to a site near to Wapurtali (Mt. Singleton) to the west of Yuendumu. ‘Jajutuma’ (caterpillar) are found in ‘warrilyi’ trees (Blue Mallee). Paintings of the travels and actions of Jajutuma in the Wapurtali area often show the huge battle that the ‘jajutuma’ and ‘yarla’ (bush potato) ancestors fought at Yumurrpa. In traditional Warlpiri paintings symbols are used to depict specific sites, events, entities and the travels of heroic ancestral beings. In the paintings of this Dreaming long straight lines and continuous wavy lines often are used to depict the paths taken by the ‘jajutuma’ ancestors as they travelled from Wapurtali to Nyurdiparu. This story belongs to women of the Nakamarra/Napurrurla subsections, and to their calssificatory brothers: the Jakamarra/Japurrurla men.