Elder storyteller Jungri recounts the Dreaming history of Mount Samuel, a gathering ground where two brothers, Lovegrove and Grant, first connected spiritually to the land. He traces a creation story from a spirit woman who became the mother of all mothers, through to kangaroo ancestors and his own lineage, claiming authority to allocate land to anyone who respects the story.
This is named by a lovebird. Lovebird? Man's Semeru. About the 2 women that walk from here across to Cross River. This is the beginning of the spiritual connection through Man's Semeru to the hill. So what is this that we're looking at here? Yeah, what's good in that? He's one of my grandparents, the Lovegroves. Yeah.
So this was a farm, was a station?
Yeah, it's a gathering ground. Where people used to walk and travel.
Burial ground?
Nah, they used to live here.
They used to live here?
Yeah. People that come out from west, east, west come in here. Coming to all people, all men of Lovegrove. Our father was leader for Yawarra, Warmu, Ayori. Come across the old man, Mr. Grant. Well, Mr. Grant and Lubbock, they were brothers.
Yeah?
Yeah, but 2 different colour, but they were full brothers. They were all Wombani men. One was black and one was yellow. So they linked it and pulled the old man, Mr. Grant, out from Lovegrove. Lovegrove and Grant are the main first 2 people, the first movement connection, spiritual connection.
So then if we turn this way, You should see the elder.
That woman? Yeah, Mad Samuel. This is a story. It began with— had a spirit come in and had a man come out of— she come out of a rib. As we speak, he different between man and woman. And snake. It's like the Bible, but in our— in my tongue, not Warmu, in Wambo. Red and white. Begin here, went through Tennessee Creek, right up to Banka Banka. That's how far I know.
So the significance of Mount Samuel is it was— that was the starting point for that lore, that story? Yes, it's the mother of all mother.
We had— you got mother of all mother in Alice Springs as well. All mother come from all over, but then you come here, we call them Manuwayu. So mother of mother now become like Eve. They broke this nation, wooden men. So men become kangaroo from their mother, Nabunaga. So yeah, Gabi was the first son for the kangaroo. So what do you look at? That's what you look at. Adam had a son-in-law, and the son-in-law's name was Jabali, and he had a son named Jungri. That's me, I'm the Jungri, I'm the keeper of the story. I don't own no land, but I give to every Oombali man that been murdered or dead. I got authority from Jesus Christ himself. I can't just give men land, I give them it through my culture. No matter what race, as long as they come in and understand our law, back to the creation, we are one.
