5 AM 5843/08
Shorty Jangala Robertson Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming) 2007
Acrylic on linen 1070 x 610mm $3300
The site depicted in this painting is Puyurru, west of Yuendumu. In the usually dry creek beds are water
soakages or naturally occurring wells. Two Jangala men, rainmakers, sang the rain, unleashing a giant storm. It
travelled across the country, with the lightning striking the land. This storm met up with another storm from
Wapurtali, to the west, was picked up by a ‘Kirrkarlanji’ (brown falcon [Falco berigora]) and carried further west
until it dropped the storm at Purlungyanu, where it created a giant soakage. At Puyurru the bird dug up a giant
snake, ‘Warnayarra’ (the ‘Rainbow Serpent’) and the snake carried water to create the large lake, Jillyiumpa,
close to an outstation belonging to Shorty's family. In this painting Shorty has used straight lines to represent
the Ngawarra (flood waters) running through the landscape. The small circles are Mulju (water soakages) and
the bars joining the long lines represent Mangkurdu (clouds).