AM 412/02 Bob Namundja Barramundi, Nailfish & Rainbow Serpent 2001
Ochres on Arches Paper Mid 610 x 415mm 1706A-0 SOLD
The artist has painted a 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. 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). Ngalyod or Rainbow Serpent is a most important ancestor spirit in western Arnhem Land. It is believed that as a serpent she tunnels underground using barbed extensions from her head and the bony protuberance from her neck as aids. She is generally feared as she may swallow Aboriginals who break traditional laws. Ngalyod can assume several forms, including snake, kangaroo and crocodile and at times transformed herself from one to the other. 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.