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Bawáliba and Ngalyod (Rainbow Serpent)

‘My Kikka (mother), when she was alive, she would tell me these stories. I was just a  little girl and she would tell us the stories in her language Gurrgoni.

In the camps there were boy and girl Bawáliba, and old Bawáliba too. They loved to dance by the firelight, keeping rhythm with a stick. They had lots of hair, they were really tall and skinny, with spots on their bodies. The Bawáliba lived a long time in peace. They were the only spirits on their country and so they were never disturbed.

One day, a long time ago, the Bawáliba were out hunting, and they saw a large snake- they didn’t know then but she was the Rainbow Serpent. They were really scared, they had never seen that. creature before. She was really beautiful- like a normal king brown snake but with a rainbow from the sky on her back. The rainbow serpent was really hungry, and she could smell the Bawáliba from a long way away.  She was out looking for food.  The Bawáliba tried to stop Ngalyod coming for them but she was just too quick. She snuck up behind the Bawáliba and before they could get away she ate them up. When she was really full and couldn’t eat anymore Bawáliba she changed the rest of  them into stone. Still till this day, the Bawáliba stay on that same country as stones.’

Lucy Yarawanga

This sari was printed in collaboration with Tharangini Studio in India. Over a two year investment, Babbarra designs Lino tiles were made into Wood blocks and later printed using an extract printing method using vegetable inks. This is a one off textile, no two are the same.  

Categories: Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation

Name: Lucy Yarawanga

Language: Gurrgoni, Kuninjku

Community: Maningrida

Biography:

Lucy Yarawanga is a highly skilled and respected textile artist represented by Bábbarra Women’s Centre. Drawing on her deep cultural heritage, Lucy  incorporates ancestral stories into her intricate textile work, creating pieces that reflect the richness of her connection to country and culture.

Belonging to the Gurrgoni language group, one of the least commonly spoken languages in Arnhem Land, Lucy is also a remarkable linguist, fluent in eight additional languages spoken in the Maningrida region. This linguistic diversity reflects her deep ties to the various clans and cultures of her community.

Lucy has become one of the most prominent and productive women artists at Bábbarra Women’s Centre, working in the printing studio daily, where her dedication and creativity consistently shine through in each piece she produces. Her colour palette is rainbow and exploratory like the ngalyod ( rainbow serpent) she reproduces in her textile designs. 

In 2024, Lucy was honored as a finalist in the prestigious Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT). Her submission, a powerful bark painting depicting Bawáliba (stone country mimih), further solidified her reputation as an established artist. 

https://www.magnt.net.au/natsiaa-finalists

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