Rainbow Serpent's antilopine kangaroo
John Mawurndjul
Kuninjku (Eastern Kunwinjku) people
born Mumeka, near Mann River, Northern Territory 1952
Rainbow Serpent's antilopine kangaroo 1991
Mumeka, Northern Territory
natural earth pigments and binder on eucalyptus bark, braced with wood and natural fibre string
Purchased 1991 1991.874
The Rainbow Serpent, also known by Kuninjku as Ngalyod, is a revered powerful Ancestor creator being who creates the monsoonal rains and afterwards appears as a rainbow in the sky. It lives underground and in waterholes. When waterlilies grow at certain sites the Rainbow Serpent is believed to live there. The serpent is able to shape-shift and shows different animal heads, such as a kangaroo head, on the sinuous long coiled snake-like body.
John Mawurndjul is recognised as a master of the meticulous cross-hatching technique called rarrk. He uses the concentrated lines to create a shimmering effect across the surface of Ngalyod's body, expressing the powerful energy of the serpent.
Rainbow Serpent's antilopine kangaroo
John Mawurndjul
Kuninjku (Eastern Kunwinjku) people
born Mumeka, near Mann River, Northern Territory 1952
Rainbow Serpent's antilopine kangaroo 1991
Mumeka, Northern Territory
natural earth pigments and binder on eucalyptus bark, braced with wood and natural fibre string
Purchased 1991 1991.874
The Rainbow Serpent, also known by Kuninjku as Ngalyod, is a revered powerful Ancestor creator being who creates the monsoonal rains and afterwards appears as a rainbow in the sky. It lives underground and in waterholes. When waterlilies grow at certain sites the Rainbow Serpent is believed to live there. The serpent is able to shape-shift and shows different animal heads, such as a kangaroo head, on the sinuous long coiled snake-like body.
John Mawurndjul is recognised as a master of the meticulous cross-hatching technique called rarrk. He uses the concentrated lines to create a shimmering effect across the surface of Ngalyod's body, expressing the powerful energy of the serpent.