Johns River

We acknowledge the Biripi people as traditional custodians of this country around the Birroguns or Three Brother mountains, and we acknowledge their continuing connection to land, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and future and extend that respect to all Aboriginal people.

A group of local Biripi artists from Gangga Marrang Arts & Cultural Centre in Taree have taken our Three Brothers mountains to the international art world.

Their landmark piece commemorating the legend of the Birroguns. The large painting, just recently finished, left Taree in April 2011, and was presented to the American people and President Barak Obama.

The artwork was commissioned as a gift by Craig Huth (the "Diceman") of 2RE and Max FM, who presented the painting in person to the U.S. State Department. The painting depicting our Three Brothers region and the story behind them was on display briefly in the White House and was also exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution. (see video below of presentation at the U.S. Dept of State).

‘It is a huge honour and a great privilege for us as Australian indigenous people, to be giving such a gift to the first black American President,’ say Gina and Sonya Varagnolo and Renee Skerratt. ‘We chose to tell the story of The Three Brothers because it is meaningful to us and represents our spiritual connection with our land and where we come from, the Biripi country.

The Birroguns, art by Biripi artists from Taree, featuring the Three Brothers legend

The Three Brothers Villages

The Three Brother Mountains are known as "the Birroguns" in the local Gathang (formerly spelt as "Kattang") language.

The are a prominent natural feature, visible from almost all Camden Haven communities (in both the Port Macquarie-Hastings and Manning councils), with a particularly good view of all three from both Crowdy Head and Diamond Head.

The Three Brothers are skirted by the villages of Moorland and Johns River in the south, up through Stewarts River and Hannam Vale to Lorne and Kendall north of Middle Brother, and of course Laurieton at the foot of North Brother. All are remnants of the Big Brother supervolcano, intersected today by the Camden River (formerly the river was named "Johns River"), and Stewarts River, both of which flow into Watson-Taylors lake (Lake Widjirrieijuggi).

The Three Brothers Painting

The painting combines intricate dot patterns and line work associated with Biripi culture. In the foreground feature many local animals from the Three Brothers region, as well as birds. Clearly portrayed also is the camp ground of the three brothers and three great fig trees, after which Taree is named.

The intricate dot pattern and Biripi line patterns represent the Aboriginal spiritual connection to the land and water, with the animals and birds forming part of the inter-connected pattern. The three brothers hang as fluid sceptres in the misty clouds over the mountains, watching over their country as they do to this day.

Being Painted at Gangga Marrang, the Birroguns (Three Brothers) story come to life on the canvas

The principle artists are, in order of contribution, Gina Varagnolo, Sonia Varagnolo, Renee Skerratt, Wayne Paulson, Joan McDonald, Tania Taylor and Serge Morcome. All are local members of the Biripi community in Taree.

The legend of the Three Brothers will feature prominently in planned information panels at both the Koolyangarra Reserve along Koolyangarra Way, and at the hall. Koolyangarra means "place of the bat-totem", and the reserve was rededicated by Auntie Barbara as part of the Welcome to Country ceremony which opened the 150th Jubilee celebrations in Johns River.

The Reception in Washington

Saltwater-Freshwater features with aboriginal art at the U.S. Department of State along with the Three Brothers painting

Ann Stock, who serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, wrote in her April 8th blog entitled "Modern Aboriginal Artwork Comes to the State Department", as follows:

"This week, I had the honor of accepting, on behalf of the American people, pieces of modern Aboriginal artwork from the Biripi and Worimi peoples in Taree, New South Wales, Australia. The artwork was presented by Taree radio journalist Craig Huth, who is in the U.S. taking part in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).

"A group of Biripi artists from the Gangga Marrang Arts and Cultural Centre in Taree, spent several weeks creating the painting, entitled, "The Three Brothers." Gangga Marrang means 'to transform into something beautiful' in Gathang, the indigenous language of the mid-north coast of New South Wales. The goal of the Centre is to strengthen and promote Biripi culture to the world.Craig Huth presents the Three Brothers aboriginal art on behalf of the Biripi and Worimi peoples to the Ann Stock, Asst. Secretary of State

"The painting combines intricate dot patterns and line-work associated with Biripi culture. The foreground features native Australian animals, the camp ground of the three brothers, and three fig trees, after which the city of Taree is named.

"The intricate dot pattern and Biripi line patterns represent the Aboriginal spiritual connection to the land and water, with the animals and birds forming part of the inter-connected pattern. The three brothers hang in the clouds over the mountains, watching over their country.

"The painting was complimented by Biripi artist Ray Davis-Hurst's hand-carved, traditional boomerangs from the wood of a thousand-year-old Huon pine.

"Thank you to the Biripi and Worimi artists for their efforts in connecting our two countries."

Doorigan, Yoorigan and Jurigan

The story being presented to the President was told to the Gangga Marrang art group by Barry Bungie, as it was handed down from his grandfather, an Elder in the Biripi tribe.

According to the legend, three brothers were sent up into the mountains on an initiation ceremony where they had to sustain themselves alone in the bush for a certain period. The youngest brother, Dooragan, decided to go back to his parents’ camp for a visit, so he would not have to remain alone in the bush for so long.

He saw an old woman near the brothers’ camp, and when he told his parents what he saw, his father told him to quickly return to his brothers’ campsite to warn them that the woman was a witch named Widjirrieijuggi.

His father gave him a special boomerang to protect himself from the witch. Unfortunately on Dooragan’s return, he found the witch had already managed to kill and eat his two brothers, Yoorigan and Jurigan.

Dooragan then fought and killed the witch with the magic boomerang in a great fight. He then cut her in half so her spirit could not return to the land. One part of her body fell into a big chasm which then filled with water, forming another local landmark, the lake known today as Watson-Taylors Lake. The other half fell on the earth and formed a low hill north of Taree.

The younger brother then buried the remains of his two brothers and in his grief, he walked up the mountain and threw himself off the top. The mountains then rose up higher and absorbed the spirits of the three brothers, who remain watching over Biripi country.

Today, some Biripi refer to South Brother as Boorigan, the "small boy" mountain, with Middle Brother being Yoorigan, and North Brother as Dooragan.  

The Gangga Marrang Group

The phrase "to transform into something beautiful" in the Gathang language heard throughout the mid-north coast, is "Gangga Marrang".

The Gangga Marrang art group is under the auspices of the Taree Indigenous Development and Employment organisation (TIDE), funded by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Many of the artists appeared in the Saltwater Freshwater festival recently, this year held in Port Macquarie, including artist Nicole Duncan (see art on right).

The Gangga Marrang Dancers

In addition to the great artwork, gallery and museum, the Gangga Marrang Dancers, who performed at the Olympics opening ceremony in Sydney, represent the Biripi Culture throughout the state. Didge players accompany the dancers, and the group performs and holds workshops throughout the community and at local schools.

TIDE provided the start-up funding for the Gangga Marrang project, and they also administer funding for Indigenous culture and heritage projects, small business planning and development, as well as various jobs, community support and work projects.

The TIDE organisation also provides natural resource management services through their Aboriginal Green Teams, and work with both Coastcare and National Parks and Wildlife.

Gangga Marrang Art Gallery and Cultural Centre is at 82 Victoria Street in Taree. You can call them for information on 02 6552 7856.