Kirrkalunji (The Brown Hawk) - 2021
2021 Milpirri - Yinapaka
Kirrkalunji (The Brown Hawk)
Description of Dance
This dance draws from the story of Kirrkalunji who hunts snakes, wraps them around its head when flying to show fearlessness and strength, but ultimately drops the snakes. The dance starts with all dancers coming into the space with strong, rigid and sharp hunting actions. All movements are definitive and confident (no bent arms like the Crow). The central movement phrase declares strength and then the whole group moves into a circle, flying around to hunt for snakes. A long diagonal line is formed from Yatijarra to Kulirra (North to South). Alternating moves symbolise the Brown Hawk’s wings and the dropping of the snake. Everyone then jumps from North to South to affirm Kirrkalunji’s confidence and hype. All dancers link arms to create one long snake and the canon action flows from one end of the line and back again with everyone finally reaching for the sky. Kirrkalunji then flies away and disappears.
*Milpirri 2021 was reimagined to suit the current COVID circumstances. The dance in this video is from a showing at Lajamanu school. They are not complete dances.
Choreography
Stephanie Spillett, Bec Reid and David McMicken
Kirrkalunji (Brown Hawk) story as told by Steve Jampijinpa Patrick
Kirrkalunji says what about me. I am community with fear. You have fear but I don’t. I can show you how to get rid of fear. I can fight snakes, I can kill all the dangerous snakes. I can get big animals like kangaroos and bring them to you. I attack their eyes. I am the bravest. With that knowledge you can fly high and not be afraid. You can see that rainbow serpent. I can pick that up and put it around my head. They said, yeah you can put him there, but you can’t make it stay there. It slipped off and got away. You can’t make it stay solid there. Your bravery is just temporary. You cannot sustain it. In the meantime while they were talking, the wedgetail came back with a friend. When they got closer it was the Emu. They picked up all the conversation. Emu said I can teach you mob to fly really high amongst the clouds and tame them. All the birds burst out laughing. They said Emu? You want to teach us how to fly? Some threw stones and sticks and spit on him. They chased him away. Poor thing.
Story from Nganarirri - near Papinya