Marking Stone Dreaming, known as Jalala (also spelled Djalala) in the West Kimberley, tells of the stones used from the Dreamtime to mark the boundaries between traditional lands and to signal the presence of sacred sites. It's a story most closely associated with the late Ngarinyin artist Jack Dale Mengenen, who painted it many times as part of his life's work recording Kimberley culture and Country. This page explains the Jalala story, its meaning, and where it sits among other Dreamtime stories and Aboriginal creation traditions.
What Are Dreamtime Stories?
Dreaming, or Dreamtime stories are traditional Aboriginal narratives that explain how the land, its animals and its people came into being, and set out the Law and cultural obligations that flow from that creation. Every language group has its own word for it, and its own body of stories tied to specific families, Country and custodians. Dreaming stories are understood as timeless, always present, not confined to the past, and are kept alive today through ceremony, art, and oral storytelling passed from one generation to the next.
What Is Marking Stone Dreaming?
Marking Stone Dreaming or Jalala refers to marking stones: physical stones from the Dreamtime that mark the boundaries between different people’s Country in the West Kimberley, and that signal to travellers when they are approaching a sacred or taboo site. They serve a practical and spiritual purpose at once, helping people stay within their own Country's boundaries while also warning of ground that calls for particular respect and care.
The Jalala Marking Stones Story
Jalala is documented through the life and paintings of Jack Dale Mengenen (c.1920–2013), a Ngarinyin man who spent much of his working life as a head stockman at Mount House Station on the Gibb River Road, and who was raised in Ngarinyin culture by his maternal grandfather. Late in life, Jack Dale began painting the stories carried in his memory of the Kimberley, including Jalala.
As Jack Dale explained it, the marking stones divide one people's Country from another's: Ngarinyin Country lies to the east, Bunuba Country to the south, and Unggumi Country to the west. People are expected to keep to their own boundaries, and if a traveller doesn't know the Country, the stones can be followed to find the Wandjina, the great Creator Ancestors whose painted images are found at hundreds of sacred sites across the West Kimberley. Jalala stones are often placed near these Wandjina paintings as a further signal that a sacred or taboo place is close by.
In some of his paintings, Jack Dale gave the Jalala image an additional layer of meaning, using it to represent the circling force of a whirlwind, the powerful winds associated with the Wandjina ahead of the big storms that mark the start of the wet season. Through this, his paintings connect the marking stones, the sacred Wandjina sites, and the seasonal rains that renew the land. Jack Dale also described the Jalala stones as having a role in law and ceremony, used at gatherings to help interpret whether certain events were tied to wrongdoing, and to help re-establish balance within the group.
Land Marking Stones and Sacred Sites
Boundary and marking stones like Jalala exist within a much broader Aboriginal tradition of stone arrangements used for ceremonial, spiritual and territorial purposes right across Australia. These range from large stone arrangements, such as the egg-shaped configuration at Wurdi Youang in Victoria, to smaller sacred objects like tjurunga among Central Australian groups, stone or wood items considered to carry deep spiritual significance, often connected to particular ceremonies, ancestors and Country. Jalala's role in marking both territorial boundaries and the presence of sacred ground reflects this same underlying idea: that specific places, objects and stones carry meaning and law that must be respected by anyone passing through.
Aboriginal Story Stones for Kids
It's worth noting that "Aboriginal story stones," a term often searched by parents and teachers, refers to something different from Jalala. These are a popular modern educational resource, usually a set of stones hand-painted with Aboriginal-style symbols, used in schools and homes (particularly around NAIDOC Week) to help children practise oral storytelling and learn traditional symbols. When sourced from Aboriginal-owned businesses and artists, they can be a respectful, hands-on way to introduce children to storytelling traditions and symbol meanings, distinct from the specific, culturally significant Jalala marking stones described above.
Uluru Dreamtime Story
Uluru holds deep spiritual significance for the Anangu people, its traditional custodians, and is surrounded by numerous Tjukurpa (Dreaming) stories that explain features of the rock itself. One of the most widely referenced is the story of Kuniya and Liru, involving ancestral python and snake beings whose conflict is said to have left visible marks on Uluru's surface.
Because these stories are the Intellectual and Cultural Property of the Anangu people, Parks Australia asks that Tjukurpa stories not be retold or reproduced by others. Out of respect for that request, we won't retell the details here, if you'd like to learn more, Parks Australia's own Uluru-Kata Tjuta website shares the story directly, with Anangu permission and context.
Dreamtime Stories and Spirits
Across Aboriginal Australia, the Dreaming is populated by ancestral beings, sometimes described as spirits, who shaped the land, created its people and animals, and established the Law. These figures take many different forms depending on Country and language group:
- The Wandjina of the Kimberley, associated with rain and cloud
- Bäru, the crocodile dreaming ancestor of Yolngu Country in Arnhem Land
- The Rainbow Serpent is recognised, under many different names, across much of the continent as creators of rivers, waterholes and rain.
These beings aren't seen as distant mythology, but as an ongoing presence connected to specific places, still honoured through ceremony and art today.
Every Aboriginal language group across Australia holds its own creation stories, explaining how particular landscapes, animals, plants and natural phenomena came into being. Unlike a single origin myth, these stories form an interconnected web across the continent, tied to specific Country and passed down by the families and custodians who hold the right to tell them. Jalala, the Wandjina, and Uluru's Tjukurpa stories are just a few of many hundreds of such creation traditions still held and practised today.
Shop the Collection at Mandel Aboriginal Art Gallery
Every artwork in this collection is created by Aboriginal artists with the cultural authority to paint these stories, supporting artists and their communities directly. When you buy through an Aboriginal art gallery, you're supporting the continuation of these stories for future generations, backed by clear provenance and a direct connection to Country.
Contact us for a detailed look into Aboriginal art and the Dreamtime stories.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Marking Stone Dreaming?
Marking Stone Dreaming, or Jalala, refers to stones from the Dreamtime that mark the boundaries between different peoples' Country in the West Kimberley, and that signal the presence of a sacred or taboo site nearby.
Who painted the Jalala story?
Jalala is most closely associated with the late Ngarinyin artist Jack Dale Mengenen, who painted the marking stones repeatedly across his body of work, sometimes also using the image to represent the whirlwinds that precede the wet season.
What are Aboriginal story stones?
Aboriginal story stones are a modern educational resource, usually hand-painted stones featuring Aboriginal-style symbols, used to help children practise oral storytelling, distinct from the specific cultural significance of Jalala marking stones.
What is the Uluru Dreamtime story?
Uluru is associated with several Tjukurpa (Dreaming) stories held by the Anangu people, including the story of Kuniya and Liru. As these stories are Anangu Intellectual and Cultural Property, they're best read directly from Parks Australia's official Uluru-Kata Tjuta resources rather than retold elsewhere.
