John Mawurndjul

In this painting, John Mawurndjul has depicted the billabong (a body of water formed by a dead meander of a river) at Milmilngkan where Ngalyod – the rainbow serpent underwater – resides. He depicts the power of the place with cross-hatching – which contains the power of the Mardayin ceremonies. Ngalyod is very important in Kuninjku cosmology and is associated with the creation of all the sacred sites, djang, in Kuninjku clan lands. He is linked with the destructive power of storms and with the abundance of the rainy season, being both a destroyer and a giver of life. Ngalyod’s power controls the fertility of the land and the seasons.