Description
This painting is shared by both Djamburrpuyŋu and Wanybarrŋa clans and is associated with Garraṯa and Djawaḻ’ŋur, both places in the Buckingham Bay region, and is part of the king brown manikay (ceremonial song and dance). The artist Dhawulunbulun has rightful ownership this miny’tji (clan design).
It shows three Dhambaṉiny (death adders) and their different homes. The three black forms at the top of the painting show the home of the snakes in the shape they appear from the side. These are made in the hard mud above the shoreline of the beach.
The artist explains how dhambaṉiny “sometimes lie on the sand and you don’t see it. They bite, they’re poisonous, they are really fast ones too”. The dots in the background of the painting show the sand or small rocks.
The black form in the middle of the painting shows an anthill which is another home for dhambaṉiny, usually at the edge of the mangrove or mud areas. The artist and his brother Meurrupu explain how sometimes he is getting hungry and he goes in there to get poison from the ants to use.
In the Yolŋu gurruṯu (kinship) system, dhambaṉiny are the father for Ḏärrpa (king brown snake). At the bottom of the painting you can see two yothu (children) for the dhambaṉiny, as well as two guḏutjurrk (skinks). The tree on the left of the painting is Munuymunuy (Paperbark tree).
