1942, Djimbaryun Nurruwutthun, Sacred Fern Story -- American University Museum (Washington) (special exhibition)
From the museum label: Djimbarryun Nurruwutthun was the leader of the Munyuku clan and was closely connected to Wongu Munungurr through his mother. This painting was painted for Donald Thomson in September 1942, at the base camp of the Northern Territory Special Reconnaissance Unit which was formed to protect the northern coast from Japanese invasion. It was one of several works (such as Mundukul Marawili's Mundukul ga Yirwarra Dhäwu | Ancestral Snake and Fish Trap Story, also in this exhibition) in which the artists recreated the sacred designs painted on the bodies of participants during ceremony. Bands at the top and bottom of the painting indicate where these designs would continue over the shoulders and down the legs of participants.
1942, Djimbaryun Nurruwutthun, Sacred Fern Story -- American University Museum (Washington) (special exhibition)
From the museum label: Djimbarryun Nurruwutthun was the leader of the Munyuku clan and was closely connected to Wongu Munungurr through his mother. This painting was painted for Donald Thomson in September 1942, at the base camp of the Northern Territory Special Reconnaissance Unit which was formed to protect the northern coast from Japanese invasion. It was one of several works (such as Mundukul Marawili's Mundukul ga Yirwarra Dhäwu | Ancestral Snake and Fish Trap Story, also in this exhibition) in which the artists recreated the sacred designs painted on the bodies of participants during ceremony. Bands at the top and bottom of the painting indicate where these designs would continue over the shoulders and down the legs of participants.