The Ochre Dancing Feet

How can we, like Jupurrurla, recognize when our desires lead us astray from our values, and seek guidance from our communities and environment to restore balance and harmony in our lives?

This tale is a transliteration of the fairy tale "The Red Shoes," reimagined in the Warlpiri culture of Australia's Tanami Desert. Jupurrurla, an orphaned girl raised by the wise elder Nampijinpa, succumbs to vanity when she trades a cherished keepsake for a pair of alluring ochre-painted spinifex sandals offered by a mysterious wandering spirit during preparations for a corroboree. Defying warnings, she wears them to dance, drawing admiration, but the cursed sandals soon bind her feet, forcing her into an uncontrollable, exhausting dance across the harsh desert landscape. Despite attempts to remove them and seek help, she suffers greatly until, in desperation, she humbly confesses her pride and begs forgiveness from the Ancestors at the sacred waterhole. The Goanna Ancestor guides her repentance, the curse lifts, yet her weakened body leads her to offer final humility to the community; ultimately, her spirit ascends to join the Dreamtime in the stars, leaving a enduring Warlpiri warning against chasing superficial beauty over the land's sacred, humble truths.

English Folk Song: The Ochre Dancing Feet

Lyrics (Based on the Warlpiri Story):

(Verse 1)
In the Tanami’s glow, where the spinifex burns,
Jupurrurla danced as the starlight returns.
A wind spirit came, with her eyes sharp and sly,
Gave ochrered sandals ‘neath the desert’s wide sky.

(Chorus)
Oh, the ochredancing feet, spinning wild and bright,
Caught in a curse ‘neath the Tanami’s light.
With a humble heart, she found freedom’s sweet call,
Bound to the land where the Ancestors call.

(Verse 2)
At the corroboree’s fire, her steps stole the night,
Sandals aglow like the stars’ fiery flight.
But they danced her away, through the dunes’ endless maze,
Till her weary heart cried in the desert’s harsh blaze.

(Chorus)
Oh, the ochredancing feet, spinning wild and bright,
Caught in a curse ‘neath the Tanami’s light.
With a humble heart, she found freedom’s sweet call,
Bound to the land where the Ancestors call.

(Verse 3)
The Emu’s soft tracks led her soul to a spring,
Washed the ochre’s red curse, let her spirit take wing.
She danced for her kin, with the land in her stride,
Her steps now the heartbeat of the desert’s true pride.

(Chorus)
Oh, the ochredancing feet, spinning wild and bright,
Caught in a curse ‘neath the Tanami’s light.
With a humble heart, she found freedom’s sweet call,
Bound to the land where the Ancestors call.

(Bridge)
No pride can outshine what the desert holds dear,
Her lesson was sung where the stars linger near.
Jupurrurla taught, by the fire’s warm gleam,
Grace lives in harmony with the Dreamtime’s dream.

(Chorus)
Oh, the ochredancing feet, spinning wild and bright,
Caught in a curse ‘neath the Tanami’s light.
With a humble heart, she found freedom’s sweet call,
Bound to the land where the Ancestors call.

(Outro)
Sing by the fire, where the desert stars soar,
Of Jupurrurla’s dance and the truths that she bore.
For a heart tied to country, with steps pure and free,
Weaves the land’s own song for eternity.

Point Summary of The Red Shoes (Hans Christian Andersen, 1845)

Setting: A village where Karen, a poor orphaned girl, lives.
Protagonist’s Desire: Karen is adopted by a kind old woman and becomes obsessed with a pair of beautiful red shoes, symbolizing vanity and pride.
Acquisition: She deceitfully obtains the red shoes, wearing them to church despite their inappropriateness for solemn occasions.
Curse: The shoes, imbued with a magical curse, force Karen to dance uncontrollably whenever she wears them, unable to stop.
Consequences: Her vanity leads to suffering as the shoes dance her away from home, through fields and forests, causing exhaustion and despair.
Failed Attempts: Karen tries to remove the shoes but cannot; even cutting them off fails as her feet continue dancing, haunted by the shoes.
Repentance: In desperation, Karen seeks divine forgiveness, praying for redemption from her prideful ways.
Redemption: An angel grants her mercy, her heart is purified, and her soul ascends to heaven, freed from the cursed shoes.
Moral: The story warns against vanity, pride, and prioritizing superficial desires over humility and spiritual values.

Challenges in Adapting the Story to a Warlpiri Context:

1. European Village and Christianity : The original’s church and moral judgment are foreign to Warlpiri’s desert culture and spirituality. The story was set in a camp with a corroboree, and the moral focused on harmony with the land, replacing Christian guilt with Warlpiri values of balance and respect for country.

2. Red Shoes as Vanity : The shoes’ European fashion context doesn’t fit Warlpiri traditions, where adornments like ochre carry spiritual significance. The red shoes were reimagined as ochrepainted sandals, tied to ceremonial dance, making vanity a spiritual rather than material flaw.

3. Punitive Tone : The original’s gruesome punishment (amputation and death) clashes with Warlpiri storytelling’s emphasis on restoration. The curse was broken through the Emu Ancestor’s guidance and a waterhole’s cleansing, aligning with Warlpiri nonviolent resolutions.

4. Individual Focus : The girl’s solitary struggle contrasts with Warlpiri communal values. Jupurrurla’s journey was supported by the Emu Ancestor and her camp, emphasizing collective harmony and shared lessons.