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'All the events in the narrative take place at or in relation to Yajarlu: the theft of the child, its return to its rightful home, the separate but always present concern of the old Jupurrurla for both the people, the mother and child, and the country, and who might be lighting fires. The narrative is about restoring things to their rightful state and position, In this way at the close of thstory, the traveller who is passing through on his way to his own home and relatives provides a coda elegantly emphasizing this central concern.'
(Source: Warlpiri Dreamings and Histories, 1994, p. 43)
Notes
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'Translator's note:
Jacko Ross Jakamarra is regarded by older Warlpiri people living at Yuendumu as one of the finest exponents of the traditional narrative. To the Western reader, his way of telling a story may seem strange, cryptic, allusive and apparently disconnected; characters and activities are introduced that do not seem to relate to the appearent plot, the matter of the abducted child ... There are two other aspects of Jakamarra's narrative technique which should be noted. One is the allusiveness, which both compliments and teases the listeners by demanding they supply details they should know, for example, that the Jupurrurla is the owner of Yajarlu. The other is the humour of the dramatized exchanges, the words put into the mouths of the different characters, and also of course the way the narrator acts these out, the way the other woman considers taking the child and decides to do so, the panic of the mother when she discovers the substitution.'
(Source: Warlpiri Dreamings and Histories, 1994, p. 43)
