30 DN095
Dennis Nona Kubuwai
Etching Paper: 1000mm x 700mm SOLD
This work explains the moon’s connection to weather in the Western Torres Strait islands. A white halo around
the moon is calm weather (Muturu) signals there will be rain in a few days time. A halo during heavy wind
indicates that rain will fall sooner (Ariel Goiga). The colour of the moon also predicts weather change. In this
work, because the moon is at its brightest, the weather remains calm.

Frog (Katubae) and cockroach (Zirue) also indicate change. On Badu Island, frogs are symbols of rain; and
when the cockroach begins to fly in swarms, the wind will pick up in a few days time. When they fly again, the
wind is bound to drop, and around this time the moon’s halo will disappear.

The symbols around the while halo are also engraved onto paddles and used in rain ceremony, although some
have been developed into a new iconography associated with weather change. The blue rim reflects the deep
ocean around Badu Island in an area called Dgnorr.