Thommo has painted Yingarna, the ancestor whose journey resulted inthe creation of the bininj or Aboriginal people. Yingarna emerged fromthe Arafura Sea and journeyed inland. She had a large stomach containing many children and wore a headband from which many dilly bags were hung. Each dilly bag was full of yams. She met a spirit man called Wurrakkak who came from the sea in the west. After they parted she left spirit children there. Yingarna travelled to Coopers Creek and then on to the Alligator Rivers. As she travelled she left spirit children in particular places and instructed them to speak specific languages. She planted the yams from her dilly bags and told the spirit children they were good to eat. The spirit children became the bininj that have populated Arnhem Land for thousands of years.

Yingarna kumdolkkang kore kurrulabeh kore Kakbi (north) Kumhreykore manberrk benhkani wurdwurd benehkurrmi kore kunredbedberre.Benwong benyikurrmeng Kunnguya Kunwok dja Kunngeybedberre dja kunred.Kumhwam manberrk bimarnebebmeng Wurrakkaknawu kumdolkkang kurrulabeh yerrih.Benewokdanj bimarneyimengngare ngayikan Nimbuwa wanjh biyikang Nimbuwa dja ngalengmankumwam manih yimowong wanjh balwam Walem djarreh.Bu kumwamkakbibeh benhkurrmi wurdwurd dja manme benbukkani manbumanmak karringun,dja manbu manwarre minj karringunbenmarneyimeng.Manbu clan makka danjbik bu ngarriyime Kunnguya,Kunmokurrkurr,dja Yikurrumu.Yiman konhda kunred kore karrihniKunbarllanjnja (Gunbalanya) kubolkmandjurlngunj Mandurlngunj

This painting needs to be framed or stretched. It’s also being sent direct from the artist at a remote art centre, Injalak Arts, in west Arnhem Land, in the NT desert. Please note there is only one mail plane a week that takes the artwork to Gunbalanya. The tracking information is then received a week later when the mail plane returns so often the paintings are delivered before we receive the tracking information. Please expect a slightly longer wait for this very special artwork to arrive.