WYNAN NGARRANGKARNI, 2002
MADIGAN THOMAS
natural earth pigments and synthetic binder on canvas
80.0 x 100.0 cm
inscribed verso: artist's name, size and Warmun Art Centre cat. WAC 012/02
Warmun Art Centre, Turkey Creek
Short Street Gallery, Broome, acquired 2003 (cat. #1506)
The K.D.H. Ainsworth Collection, Queensland
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Short Street Gallery which states: 'This country is near Pelican Hole on Bedford Downs. In the Ngarrangkarni (dreaming) two women met here for wynan (trade). The trade would occur between Gija people and woorla people from country to the north. There were two main trade routes across the Warman region, from the north through to the west and from the south to the north.
The lines throughout the painting are the roads travelled to meet up for wynan. Both the Gija and the Woorla women placed the gifts between them. The Woorla women traded jauli (carved pearl shells which were worn on men's hair belts). The Gija women were trading jimbala (spearheads) made out of yalga (whte stones), red ochre and millingnyin (hooked spears).'