After-the-Birth-No. A.13
No. A13
Artist: Gali Yalkarriwuy Gurruwiwi
Senior Mala Leader
Clan: Galpu
Moiety : Dhuwa
Homeland: Naypi-ia
Born: 1948
Title: AFTER THE BIRTH “DJANG’KAWU SISTERS 1990
Size: 1220 x 1220
Canvas / Acrylic / Traditional
This painting shows the time after the birth of the great ancestral “Djng’ Kawu Sisters travelling from sunup to sundown by canoe across the sea with their sacred dillybags, walking and digging sticks, naming things as they go. Creatures of the sea and the land. The walking sticks being the larger of the two, decorated with long tassels and feathers from the white cockatoo. Alongside the dolphin swims as if showing the way.
The great sacred hill, black square centre of painting, is of stone in the Galpu” area showing the sunlight glitter, cluster of small dots centre of painting, both at sunup and the warm glow of sundown. Suns rays indicated by lines forming triangle into centre of painting, the morning rays top of painting is whiter and the afternoon bottom of painting warmer. The goanna, also one of the artist totems, lives here on the rock.
This painting was very important to Gali emotionally taking a lot for him to paint, a very significant time in his and all Yongul culture.