In this spoken narrative, an Indigenous Warumungu cultural knowledge‑holder maps a songline that stretches from Tennant Creek through Warmoon/Manowin, Thunder Creek, Banka Banka, Pitanga, Guada, Niliagua, and Big Yalwa. He recounts the creation ancestors—Wilbigari (the first Tenga), Alkunija (Snake Nangwa, equated with Adam), and the transformative figure Jungarabu—who are said to have birthed all peoples of Australia. The speaker weaves together spiritual concepts such as the Red Band, the colour red as a symbol of spirit, and the roles of Babaji/Yamulu (white spirits) within the landscape. He describes the ongoing colonial contest over the land, naming the Northern Land Council (NLC) and Central Land Council (CLC) as parties that have “stolen” country, and questions the legitimacy of white ownership. Kinship and inter‑generational authority are emphasized through references to grandparents, elders, and the responsibility to pass the songline forward. Metaphorical imagery—dogs, turkeys, breaking strings—illustrates the flow of the songline and the speaker’s effort to reconnect with ancestors and warn contemporary authorities of cultural breach. The overall purpose is to assert cultural sovereignty, explain the spiritual geography of the Warumungu country, and call for recognition of Indigenous custodianship.
Chapters
Tell me. All this land here, Warmoon, is Manowin. So you got all this country right all around. Those all represent Red Band spiritual connection. Cree Sunawi. Thunder Creek, Banka Banka. Cross river here. Pitanga here. Got bottom hand happening over to me here. And we traveled in the dog traveling go to place called Guada. From Guada come across place called Niliagua. That dog and turkey, but the turkey kept going. That turkey kept going. So the dog, when it comes across here, it comes down like that, no? Called a red band. This is Manlo Kamala Pika Banka Banka. Place called Big Yalwa, my grandfather country. His name is Wilbigari, the first Tenga. Another old man was Alkunija, Snake Nangwa. Today we look at him as Adam. They were the first 2 people that breed everybody in Australia, mankind. My people walk from the north, walk across the sea, come here to find my grandmother and my grandparents. And my mother, who my father was from the coast, come down as Snake Nangwa. When Gordon cast that crow in her stomach, for her to come back being balanced between man and moon. And at the moment, that business here, see? Can you see? That business here. That greedy, traveling, traveling, come here and it spins round and round. Nothing keep going to north. It's all here, all back. Hmm. All this block. I need Banker Banker to come in and talk to us mob, CLC. Banker Banker got NLC stole this country here and CLC stole this country. But the big mystery, we follow this line through our song. Tell us, Juga Ba, I mean, tell us where we travel. What white man with the body and mark show us which land? Who the next person on the list that own that land? Camera? Camera. I hope you understand. You can do the block there. They block it here and block it here, so nobody was coming through. And through this way, no one coming into men's bodies. So the spirit went past and it's spinning around. They don't know where to go, looking, where is men? So no matter what we do, you look at reality, spirit can't own this nation without men. They come in their bodies. For my rib, she don't speak, it's the son. The son speak for the land when it become man away from father, father. Then he say, that's why he speak, son speak. Stop shining whisper between mother and father. So if son and sons, then dad gone hunting. Culture, another country. Wife don't come back and question why you go over there in the summertime. You can't think about that. That's an elder, he's a leader. I gotta follow him around for me. Let's stop Chinese whisper amongst our people. And Wamumba. Wamumba known as Eastern Wamumba. Now Eastern Wapun. But when we talk to you, we Wapun. We kept it Wamumba. Yeah, but now we tell them about the snake that walked from west come here by Badingi. Had a snake turn into man walk in this nation. Become Jungarabu. Man, woman, snake. That Jungarabu didn't— that Jungarabu— well, you got Jungarabu. This is Turrbal. See all this here outside? That's all red, colour red. Who was that on the outside? Colour red? Yep. Well, it represents spirit. So the marks you're making now is spirit? Spirit that's coming into every man. Like it said in the Bible, the spirit goes through men. Well, same here. Spirit culture men coming in, every spirit comes. Now we all different skin, right? So us can do different. So we sit on chief now for older generation, and you might have Jabba J sit on Jabba J for older one. Every skin replace their thing, leadership. Now all this woman all around white spirit, I call them Babaji. Babaji mean Right. Today people call them Yamulu, red men. And it's true, it's red men, but they're taking too much land without men, without the white men. They're going to speak to us, come through my rib, then we can speak to them. At the moment they got no authority, because then we go through men. Camera? Camera. See, when I break that string now, blow up, look, all that like this, right? So I'm breaking from here, from here, here, here, 3 line connect to all the people. So I'm go back 3 more line, go back right back to my Great-grandmother here. Then go back through. No matter what we're doing in life, I great-grandmother flog us. No parents got to throw you off grandparents. That's why grandparents always flog us. Same as here, Jabululu. Then I can take a chick with me as a man, cultural man. I go back red bin, see my great-grandmother come tell them, look. They're doing wrong. Can you come and say something to these people? They really represent my soldiers. Every one of them are soldiers coming in to find the truth. Yeah. Well, good. Enough, innit?
