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Mother and Child Wandjinas

Mother and child Wandjinas. Wanalirri or Wandjina are ancestral spirits who created country, people and animals in the North West Kimberley before turning themselves into rock paintings. They are sometimes called “lightning man” or “rain maker” and every year they replenish water holes, creeks and rivers by making the wet season. The Wandjina can be vengeful if people break the law, by making savage storms and cyclones. The predominant white colouring and shape of the Wandjina’s body represents water and clouds. The red pigment area on the chest is the “Tili” (heart) of the Wandjina and represents the “human” part of the Wandjina.