Warramiri

The Warramiri is a large seafaring Yirritja clan. The clan homeland is between Barrkira and Maṯamaṯa. However, most clan members live on Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island) and in the Miwatj region. They also own the Wessel Islands. The Warramirri people speak Djaŋu.

Members of the Warramirri clan use the last name Bukulatjpi. David Burrumarra MBE was a clan leader and scholar. His brother Liwukaŋ Bukulatjpi was a clan leader and painter noted for his bark paintings, carvings and brightly colored acrylic works.

The spiritual themes of the Warramiri are heavily connected to the sea, particularly around Dholtji (Cape Wilberforce). Their most sacred songlines revolve around the ancestral beings Marryalyan and Birrinydji, who were responsible for creating the Warramiri people. Marine animals such as the octopus, squid, crayfish, and giant clam are seen as sacred for their metamorphoses.