Ngalyod Rainbow Serpent
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TitleNgalyod Rainbow Serpent
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ArtistJimmy Njiminjuma
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LocationMumeka, Western Arnhem Land
- Size86cm (L) x 27cm (W)
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PricePrice on application
This work is by Jimmy Njimimjuma (1947-2004) .( older brother of John Mawurndjul )
Jimmy Njiminjuma is one of the most renowned artists from the western Arnhem Land region. For many years he lived with his father, Anchor Kulunba, at Mumeka outstation. Njiminjuma said that his father and his uncle Peter Marralwanga showed him how to paint. In the 1980s Njiminjuma took a strong role in teaching his younger brother John Mawurndjul the art of bark painting. Njiminjuma later established an outstation at Kurrurldul on Mimarlar Creek, a tributary of the Tomkinson River, south of Maningrida. extract from Luke Taylor in ‘ Tradition Today: Indigenous art in Australia “, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2014
Ngalyod is the rainbow serpent is regarded as the most important ancestor spirit in West Arnhem Land and can take on many different manifestations. In the Dreamtime she assumed a range of animal forms including snake, kangaroo and crocodile and at times transformed herself from one to the other, or into a combination of each. It is believed that as a serpent she tunnels underground using barbed extensions from her head and the bony protuberance from her neck as aids. It is believed that Ngalyod dwells in various billabongs in Arnhem Land today, sometimes swallowing bininj (the Kunwinjku term for Aboriginal people) as punishment when they break traditional laws.
Ngalyod also represents the cycle of water: during the wet season, when she is most active, the heavy rainfall floods the low-lying areas, flushing the rivers and replenishing the waterholes. Ngalyod both inhabits these waterways and connects them via underground tunnels.
SOLD
This work is by Jimmy Njimimjuma (1947-2004) .( older brother of John Mawurndjul )
Jimmy Njiminjuma is one of the most renowned artists from the western Arnhem Land region. For many years he lived with his father, Anchor Kulunba, at Mumeka outstation. Njiminjuma said that his father and his uncle Peter Marralwanga showed him how to paint. In the 1980s Njiminjuma took a strong role in teaching his younger brother John Mawurndjul the art of bark painting. Njiminjuma later established an outstation at Kurrurldul on Mimarlar Creek, a tributary of the Tomkinson River, south of Maningrida. extract from Luke Taylor in ‘ Tradition Today: Indigenous art in Australia “, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2014
Ngalyod is the rainbow serpent is regarded as the most important ancestor spirit in West Arnhem Land and can take on many different manifestations. In the Dreamtime she assumed a range of animal forms including snake, kangaroo and crocodile and at times transformed herself from one to the other, or into a combination of each. It is believed that as a serpent she tunnels underground using barbed extensions from her head and the bony protuberance from her neck as aids. It is believed that Ngalyod dwells in various billabongs in Arnhem Land today, sometimes swallowing bininj (the Kunwinjku term for Aboriginal people) as punishment when they break traditional laws.
Ngalyod also represents the cycle of water: during the wet season, when she is most active, the heavy rainfall floods the low-lying areas, flushing the rivers and replenishing the waterholes. Ngalyod both inhabits these waterways and connects them via underground tunnels.
SOLD
