Acrylic on paper
Signed on the back.
The nawaran is a rare snake that is only found in the Oenpelli region. Non-indigenous Australians first discovered it in the 1970βs. It is greyish in colour with distinctive marking making it easy to identify. The nawaran is a non-venomous snake that can grow to massive lengths. It is able to dislocate its jaws enabling it to swallow prey much larger than itself.
This story comes from counrty near Markarrlarrl, in Arnhem Land, called Kudjaborrk.
Ngalyangdo (mother) of Bellinj skin and her son of Bangardi skin were in the stone counrty hunting with their two duruk, Nabokarnwowk (male) and Kukalal (female). They came across a nawaran (Oenpelli rock python) and thinking it an ordinary snake killed it and roasted it on the fire and they both ate it. Unknowingly they had just killed a sacred dreaming nawaran. Moments later many nawaran came down from the stone escarpment and attacked and killed the mother and son as punishment for killing the nawaran.