NAMOK, Wamud

Barrk, the black wallaroo, is endemic to the sandstone country of the great Arnhem Land Plateau. Shy and nocturnal by nature, it is not often seen. Bardayal’s country of Kabulwarnamyo has the rocky upper reaches of the Liverpool River valley running through it, just the habitat for barrk.

On Wamud Namok’s country, extensive ‘caring for country’ programs are being conducted using Bardayal’s treasured wealth of traditional knowledge in conjunction with western science.

The great Arnhem Land Plateau no longer has the traditional populace that traversed country, who managed estates, in part, with controlled burning. Not only did these burns suppress fuel quantities building up to dangerous levels ecologically, but they cleared bush, allowing the hunter to see further into it.

The work Barrk – black wallarooafter firewas produced when large-scale burning programs were being undertaken across the Plateau from Kabulwarnamyo. It depicts the burnt landscape; the hunter, now able to see his mark, has speared his prize: a large male bark. [1]

Wamud Namok

[1] Story of Barrk – black wallaroo after fire 2005, courtesy of Marrawuddi Gallery,Bowali Visitor Centre, Kakadu National Park, 2007.