Komorlo (the egret) is a white bird which lives on billabongs, rivers, creeks and in open forest. We see them in all seasons, in many different countries in West Arnhem Land. There are three Kunwinjku names for the bird – komorlo, kabakaba and dabberrk. We sometimes see them chasing bulls, buffalo and horses, and standing on their backs. In the story of the two Ancestral Dogs, Adjumarllarl and Omwarl, these two dug a well in Gunbalanya which became a billabong for the egrets to live on. They all decided the egret should live there, and so today we see lots of egrets around the billabong in Gunbalanya.

Kedjebe (file snakes, Acrochordus arafurae) are found in freshwater billabongs, rivers and creeks where there are water lilies and mud. They have very loose, rough skin. Here in Gunbalanya, when the water in the billabong starts to drop in the dry season, families would wade out into the water and catch them for food. Since they are immobilised out of water and are not venomous, people can just pick them up and throw them on the bank. The best way to catch the kedjebe is by standing in the water of a billabong or river and feeling around the mud with your feet, and once you’ve found one reach down and pick it up. The traditional way to kill them is to take the head in your mouth, bite and yank down hard breaking their necks. Nowadays there are too many crocodiles in the Gunbalanya billabong, but there are plenty of smaller water bodies where people still catch file snakes. The cross-hatching technique used for the in-fill of the bodies is called rarrk.

Ngalbu Komorlo ngalkukbele mayhmayh kani kore kabbal manlabbarl mankabo manwanjdjad dja manberrk kore kubolkwern kunred. Karrinan bu Kudjewk Kurrung Bangkerreng Wurrkeng dja Kurnumeleng. Kunngey kakarrme danjbik bu ngarringeybun. Komorlo Kabakaba dja Dabberkk dja ngaldjalkudji ngalbu mayhmayh. Yika karrinan kabenkadjung mayh bulikki nganabbarru dja djarrang karrinan kabarndi kore kubodme bedberre. Kore story nawu duruk bokenh benemwam kukku benehboyawani benemarnebebmeng komorlo birriwokdanj yimeng ngaye ngare kondah kore manlabbarlkimuk kahboyo. Wanjh karrinan nawern bu bolkkime kore manbokimuk manlabbarl kahboyo.