377810582335739

Published by CompNet Systems on



Ngalyod

Ngalyod (Rainbow serpent)

Rainbow spirit coming from billabong.

Rainbow serpent dreaming.  Coming from billabong, that place we call billabong where that ngalyod (rainbow serpent) lives.

All that wayuk (waterlily), all them kundalk (grass) and pandanus, making skirt.

That’s the story now. – Jennifer Wurrkidj

 Rainbow serpent, daughter of the Mother One Rainbow Yingarna. The rainbow serpent is a central figure in traditional Bininj religion. She is the creator of places and is active during the wet season and is asssociated with rain and bodies of water. Rainbow serpents live in deep waterholes and rivers. Marrkidjbu are able to discern their presence and control them.’

Source – https://www.njamed.com/

Name: Abigail Gurawiliwili Namundja


Language: Ndjébbana, Kune, Kuninjku


Community: Maningrida


Biography:

Abigail has been an artist with Bábbarra Designs since 2012 and joined the Arts Worker team in 2023. She comes from a strong lineage of talented artists, including her mother, the late Jennifer Wurrkidj, and her grandmother, the late Helen Lanyinwanga. Three generations of women from Abigail’s family have worked together at the Bábbarra Women’s Centre, sharing knowledge and creating new designs. Abigail often prints linocuts from her family’s collection, carrying forward the memory and legacy of the women who came before her.

Abigail's totems are Gungura (spiral wind), Kunwardde (stone country rocks), Yawkyawk (young woman spirit), and Kandji (Jabiru). She also honors her mother's dreaming, Ngalyod (rainbow serpent), in her work. Abigail loves to celebrate the wildflowers of Arnhem Land in her designs.

Abigail’s Lino print fabrics are distinguished by her expert use of color, often incorporating ombré or rainbow effects that enhance the depth and vibrancy of her textile designs.


© the artist / art centre