Bedford Downs Massacre - Jawurabany Hill, 2008

natural earth pigments on canvas

80 x 80 cm

$3,650

Secure payment via Stripe. Prices in AUD.

Provenance: Warmun Art Centre, Kununurra, WA, Cat no. WAC268/08
Artwork story: 'Where they bin burn 'em bat all the people you know?' Madigan Thomas says. 'And they bin sort of, this part bin little bit burnt, you know, when aunty and uncle mob bin come down there. Look at that bushfire, but this thing bin start off flat country bin cut 'em off them. Grass - you know when fire couldn't go over. That's the Fire Fire Burning Bright [corroborree]. This one coming down la Jawurabany, Jawurabany Hill. That's the way they bin see them bushfire burning here from that top of the hill. Coming down, they bin see that big bright. And they bin thinking about bushfire ought a keep moving you know? But fire bin one place, you know - [down on the] plain. They bin tell straight away. Something wrong. And uncle bin say "I sneak in la Bedford Downs, la home", he bin say. Old people bin home and find 'im sneaking, travel up there and one old girl bin come out la him. He bin tell 'im that story: "I dunno, gardiya [white people] bin do something la all the people". Listen abat there, he reckon nobody here. They bin give 'im tea and sugar and they bin tell 'im bat him you know - all the man bin missing from that afternoon, never turned up la Bedford Downs. That one now, "might be they burn 'em now," they bin tell 'im. They bin give 'im tobacco, start 'im off. Aunty and Mum bin hiding la one place. Go back, tell 'im that two olgaman [old women] - his wife and mum. Tell 'em tubala [two of them]: "Nothing. No good. Everything no good", he bin tell 'em. "We'll have to go straight back". They bin all go back that same way. That spring this side and 'nother Jawurabany spring. Go back right over again behind la Bedford Downs you know? They bin show themselves where they bin burn 'em, relations always be like that. They bin know then, straight away. Uncle, you know, old people, they know when fire one place, not moving 'round you know - everywhere. Jawurabany, they bin look down, from here down. They bin see that flame.' Thomas tells the story of her uncle who discovered a massacre of Gija people by the white station managers of Bedford Downs. Her uncle came upon a large fire that was burning intensely in one place, rather than spreading like a grass fire would usually do. He travelled back to station to tell the victims' families what he had seen while his wife and mother hid. The Gija people at the station said that some of their family had not come back to the homestead that afternoon. Their fears that they had come to harm were confirmed by the news of the strange fire. The spirits of those who had been killed and their bodies burnt appeared to their relatives. Gija people dance the Fire Fire Burning Bright corroboree to tell the story of the massacre.

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Madigan Thomas

1927 – 2011

Region: Kimberley
Community: Baluwa (Violet Valley)
Language group: Gija (Kija, Gidja, Kitja)

Bedford Downs Massacre - Jawurabany Hill, 2008

natural earth pigments on canvas

80 x 80 cm

$3,650

Secure payment via Stripe. Prices in AUD.

Provenance: Warmun Art Centre, Kununurra, WA, Cat no. WAC268/08
Artwork story: 'Where they bin burn 'em bat all the people you know?' Madigan Thomas says. 'And they bin sort of, this part bin little bit burnt, you know, when aunty and uncle mob bin come down there. Look at that bushfire, but this thing bin start off flat country bin cut 'em off them. Grass - you know when fire couldn't go over. That's the Fire Fire Burning Bright [corroborree]. This one coming down la Jawurabany, Jawurabany Hill. That's the way they bin see them bushfire burning here from that top of the hill. Coming down, they bin see that big bright. And they bin thinking about bushfire ought a keep moving you know? But fire bin one place, you know - [down on the] plain. They bin tell straight away. Something wrong. And uncle bin say "I sneak in la Bedford Downs, la home", he bin say. Old people bin home and find 'im sneaking, travel up there and one old girl bin come out la him. He bin tell 'im that story: "I dunno, gardiya [white people] bin do something la all the people". Listen abat there, he reckon nobody here. They bin give 'im tea and sugar and they bin tell 'im bat him you know - all the man bin missing from that afternoon, never turned up la Bedford Downs. That one now, "might be they burn 'em now," they bin tell 'im. They bin give 'im tobacco, start 'im off. Aunty and Mum bin hiding la one place. Go back, tell 'im that two olgaman [old women] - his wife and mum. Tell 'em tubala [two of them]: "Nothing. No good. Everything no good", he bin tell 'em. "We'll have to go straight back". They bin all go back that same way. That spring this side and 'nother Jawurabany spring. Go back right over again behind la Bedford Downs you know? They bin show themselves where they bin burn 'em, relations always be like that. They bin know then, straight away. Uncle, you know, old people, they know when fire one place, not moving 'round you know - everywhere. Jawurabany, they bin look down, from here down. They bin see that flame.' Thomas tells the story of her uncle who discovered a massacre of Gija people by the white station managers of Bedford Downs. Her uncle came upon a large fire that was burning intensely in one place, rather than spreading like a grass fire would usually do. He travelled back to station to tell the victims' families what he had seen while his wife and mother hid. The Gija people at the station said that some of their family had not come back to the homestead that afternoon. Their fears that they had come to harm were confirmed by the news of the strange fire. The spirits of those who had been killed and their bodies burnt appeared to their relatives. Gija people dance the Fire Fire Burning Bright corroboree to tell the story of the massacre.