ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of the ways in which ritual musical performances are centrally implicated in the development of Dhalwangu spiritual identity. Garrapara is a Dhalwangu estate located on a small peninsula on the western extremity of the north coast of Blue Mud Bay; the Madarrpa estate at Baniyala and the Manggalili estate at Djarrakpi are located on slightly larger peninsulas to the east. The songs of the Garrapara song series focus on a particular kind of salt water found in the Blue Mud Bay area called Mungurru; Mungurru is the spiritual focus of the songs and all of the other songs relate to the Mungurru in some way. Bangana lived most of his life in Gapuwiyak, although he had spent time visiting many areas in Dhalwangu traditional country. As a singer, he spent a great deal of time using his skills to creatively evoke an image of these places in the mind's eye of his audience.
