Dog Dreaming
Clip 1: Two dogs
3 min 0 sec
Taken from the documentary Dog Dreaming (2001)
Original title classification not known – this clip chosen to be G
Availability of the complete title
Please be aware that this clip may contain the names, images and voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who may now be deceased.
Curator’s clip description
An elder sits beneath an overhanging rock. He begins to tell of the two dogs that created the Dreaming stories in the land where the people spoke Mengerrdji. The male dog is called Adjumalar and the female Womarr. The elder tells us that the two dogs travelled the country to a place where they dug a well – Duruk Benengadbom or ‘the two dogs dug a well’. It is also called Kilerrekkilerr, and is a sacred site.
Curator’s notes
In Indigenous culture, the land was created by Dreaming ancestors. In this clip we learn about Adjumalar and Womarr, a male and female dog who traversed the country creating landmarks. The elder tells the story in a cyclical structure, repeating certain parts of the story. Repetition is very predominant in Indigenous storytelling and, in this clip, we hear how certain information recurs, giving the spoken word its own rhythm.
Romaine Moreton, curator
