Editing Wawalag (section)

== Role in traditional culture ==
===Rituals and ceremonies===
The story of these ancestral beings forms the basis of sacred rituals that are widespread across Arnhem Land.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal| last1=Berndt| first1=Ronald| last2=Berndt| first2=Catherine| author-link1= Ronald Berndt| author-link2=Catherine Berndt|date=1948| title=Sacred Figures of Ancestral Beings of Arnhem Land| journal=Oceania| volume=18| issue=4| pages=309–326| doi=10.1002/j.1834-4461.1948.tb00487.x}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal| last=Eliade| first=Mircea| date=1967| title=Australian Religions. Part III: Initiation Rites and Secret Cults|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/462555|journal=History of Religions| volume=7| issue=1| pages=61–90| doi=10.1086/462555| s2cid=162261057| issn=0018-2710}}</ref> The story of the sisters embody what the clans consider their [[religious law]] and it is traditionally told through paintings, sculptures, song and dance cycles.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> These sacred laws, also referred to as ''[[madayin]]'', are specific to each clan and they are taught during three [[Ceremony|ceremonies]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Because of the sacred nature of these rituals, there is a restricted access to them and a limited understanding of the knowledge shared during them.

Djungguwan is considered the initiation ritual when young boys from the Dua moiety are [[Circumcision|circumcised]] and introduced to the cultural laws of their clan through the story of the sisters.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> In the narrative, the gender of the babies is ambiguous, sometimes they are referred to as sons or  daughters, because they are yet to be circumcised.<ref name=":3" /> The removal of the foreskin marks the separation of what is considered the 'female part of male infants'<ref name=":3" /> Dua men and women come together to perform dance and [[song cycle]]s which represent the snake awakening when it smelled the blood and exited the waterhole to make its way to the sisters’ [[hut]].<ref name=":1" /> In 1966 footage of the ceremony was captured, parts of the ritual were not shown as they are only accessible for&nbsp; those taking part in the ritual or initiated Dua men.<ref name=":2" />

Gunabibi is a [[fertility]] ritual that is done during dry season; the song and dance cycles focus on recreating the part of the story where the land was flooding because of the rain.<ref name=":1" /> The transition from dry season to wet is often seen as a symbol of fertility in the story, making this the main focus of this ritual.<ref name=":10" /> For weeks, both men and women perform together non-sacred songs until the [[bullroarer]] is turned, representing the voice of Yurlunggur.<ref name=":1" />

Ulmark ceremony, also known as Ngurlmak, is the final ceremony and while it involves other myths, it "re-emphasizes the fertility elements and the bisexual symbolism already present in the first two" ceremonies.<ref name=":1" />

These rituals belong to the Dhua moiety which means that the clans affiliated to it are the owners and custodians of the knowledge shared during them. However, clans of the Yirritja moiety are involved during some parts of these rituals<ref name=":3" />

=== Totems and paintings ===
During these rituals, wooden sculptures and [[bark painting]]s are used as mnemonic devices to tell parts of the story and or represent the sisters.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":8" /> Some of these objects are considered sacred and can only be accessed and made by a select group  of men.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":9" />  What limits how public the display of these objects can be is the ceremonial context not the design itself.<ref name=":2" /> The process behind making the wood-cravings is lengthy, a lot of detail goes into the [[totem]]ic painting as the specific pattern and colours used is what symbolises the connection with the ancestral being.<ref name=":0" /> These painted designs can be used and adapted to other media, such as bark painting, [[sand sculpture]], [[body painting]], etc.<ref name=":2" /> Because the story varies among clans depending on their geographical origin, the design used also changes to fit their interpretation.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":2" />

=== Sacred sites ===
Some of the locations mentioned in the story are considered ceremonial grounds while others have become [[Aboriginal sacred site|sacred sites]] that cannot be visited.<ref name=":5" /> For example, the Mirrimina waterhole, which is where the sisters last camped before being swallowed by the serpent, can only be visited by elder clansmen.<ref name=":7" /> The Liaalaomir, Gunabibi and Ulmark dancing grounds, which according to the story were made by the impact of Yurlunggur falling sick to the ground after swallowing the sisters and their babies, are considered sacred territory where ceremonies are held.<ref name=":3" />