1 AM 407/02
Bob Namundja Saratoga, Barramund1, File Snake & Eggs 2000
Ochres on Arches Paper 1/4 sheet 76 x 51cm $960
The artist has painted several edible fish and reptiles found in billabongs and water courses throughout Arnhem
Land. Namarnkol or barramundi, the renowned game fish of the “Top End” of Australia. They grow to
extraordinary sizes and are excellent eating. The namarnkol can be found in saltwater as well as freshwater
billabongs and rivers. In the background are freshwater lilies which are edible for humans and fish. These fish have
significance as food and as totems and are most easily caught after the end of the monsoon (March -April) until
the humid build-up season (October). Namardakka or nail fish. Namarrdakka frequent the freshwater billabongs
and flood plains of the Top End. They are a supplementary food source for the Aboriginal people. File snake or
Kedjebe. Kedjebe are a large passive snake with a rough skin like a file and are enjoyed as a food source and
collected when the flood plains start to dry up. In this painting kedjebes are represented with eggs.