Yawkyawk

In the mythology of the Kunwinjku people of Western Arnhem Land, the Yawkyawk (also spelled yawk yawk or called ngal-kunburriyaymi) is a female water spirit. Non-Indigenous people often refer to them as mermaids, as they are depicted with a woman’s head and torso, scales on the belly, and a fish tail. The Kunwinjku word *Yawkyawk* means “young woman” or “young woman spirit being.”

An ancient story tells of two young women, Likanaya and Marrayka, who were traveling through Kuninjku Country. They camped too close to the sacred waterhole of Ngalyod (the Rainbow Serpent, a creator being) and were transformed into young girl spirits with fish tails. These transformation tales are closely linked to Ngalyod at certain sacred places.

Yawkyawks are believed to live in freshwater creeks, billabongs, and rock pools. Fish and small insects in these habitats are considered different forms of them, while water weed represents their long hair. They are amphibious and may bask on the banks in the sun. Specific landscape features are tied to parts of the yawkyawk—a river bend may be her tail, a billabong her head—and the stories also tell the tale of a river.

These stories connect clans and other groups across Kuninjku Country and are celebrated in Kunwinjku art, song, and dance. Artists like Lena Yarinkura have depicted the yawkyawk in their work. The myth also serves an educational purpose: yawkyawks are magical and alluring but also warn of danger, especially for children. As guardians of important water sites—essential for survival in the dry season—they caution people not to wander into forbidden places.