39 AM 908/03
Mathew Tjampitjinpa Palmer Carpet Snake 2003
Acrylic on linen 406 x 914mm $950
Mathew depicts his grandfather's story, the Carpet Snake Dreaming. The men perform ceremonies at Arnapipe
(Yamba Station), North of Alice Springs in honour of the Carpet Snake ancestors. The corroboree men adorn their
bodies with Wamulu, a pulp created from a small herbaceous plant which is mixed with various ochres and
plastered on their skin. The Wamulu is represented here by the background design. In this painting Mathew has
depicted the Carpet Snake ancestor leaving the eggs laid in Arnapipe and on it's journey to Hermannsberg.