Description
This painting tells the story of Boḏuk, a bush cockroach, who was an artist, painter, and leader in ceremony at Gaḻkubirri. Boḏuk made use of the colours yellow, red and white found at Gaḻkubirri, and used the waterhole to wash his brushes after painting. Boḏuk was the first one to paint the bodies of other animals, which were previously only black. He got the colours and first painted Ḻapakarra, the spotted tree goanna, and then second Yegali, the marbled gecko. Also painted in colour are Dhapalany or Dhawurrmumuk (poisonous caterpillar).
Boḏuk asked to be painted too, and Ḻapakarra painted him. But when Boḏuk used the reflection of the waterhole to look, he saw only two red dots on his back. He became upset. He thought it was unfair that he painted all the others with colour and miny’tji (designs), and he had only two small dots. Even the yams were colourful. In his anger, Boḏuk urinated in the waterhole of the other animals, salting and spoiling their water.
All the while, Waṉ’kurra, the greater brown bandicoot, and guide for Gaḻkubirri was listening and watching, hiding in the bushes. Before Boḏuk had urinated, he got some water and put it on the ground. He dug a small hole at the side of a tree and hid it. You can see him hiding and protecting the freshwater in the bottom left-hand corner of the painting. Today at Gaḻkubirri there is still one salty waterhole and one fresh waterhole. There are also colours which are shown at the bottom centre of the painting. Honey and eggs can be found in the sand, which are both represented by the dots in the background of the painting.
Gaḻkubirri (Banyan Island), is a small island south-east of Milingimbi at the mouth of the Woden River. This story belongs to the artists mother’s dreaming and the Gamaḻaŋga clan, for which Djipurrtjun is djuŋgaya (ritual custodian), giving him the responsibility to manage and hold the design and story. Djipurrtjun remembers hearing the story from his mother as a young boy, and asking for it many times more recently from his mari (maternal grandmother) artist Susan Balbuŋa, and her husband, who told it really well.
Reflecting on the story of Boḏuk, Djipurrtjun says “he’s an artist like me”.
