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Ungud (Snake)

The Ungud Snake story is about two young boys who didn’t listen to their elders or believe in them. There is a big waterhole an in it lies a large Ungud Snake. The old people told the kids not to go near that waterhole, but these boys thought the elders were tricking them so they wanted to find out for themselves. So they went to the waterhole and built a hideout from branches with small holes so that they can see ( just in case the elders told the truth) they looked at the billabong and it was calm. They banged two sticks together to make clapping noise and then they saw all the lilypads starting to move apart on the water and large logs came up from out of the water, then came bubbles and after a huge head coming out of the water to have a look around for who had been making all the noise. He hadn’t seen annone so he went back down and the lilypads went flat and the water went calm. Those two boys ran back to the camp and told the elders that they were right , there was a snake and the elders told them that they should have listened in the first place. The Ungud Snake also was the chosen animal in helping with the creation of mother earth, creating rivers, gorges, stream’s and helped with the formation of the earth. Still today it lives in these dark deep water hole’s in our country which doesn’t want to be disturbed.

 

Name: Sarah Bin Hitam


Language: Bardi, Miriwoong, Ngarinyin



Biography:

Sarah grew up down the Gibb river road at Mt Elizabeth Station. She was raised by step parents Matthew Martin, an well respected elder  in the Kimberley's,an important Junba singer who has an important cultural role up and down the Kimberley's  and Margaret Mungulu, an important painter of Mowanjum Arts. Sarah Bin Hitam started work in the art gallery at Mowanjum Art and Culture Centre in mid 2013.  She spent time with her gudja (grandmother - Gabriella Dolby) and Bubba (Grandfather - Gordon Barunga) and Mugga (great grandmother - Pudja Barunga) - each a respected artists - and learned here her painting practice.

In 2014 Sarah was very proud to contribute to the catalogue, and accompany her Bubba to the open event of 'In the Saddle on the Wall' - a nationally touring exhibition developed by the KAA in collaboration with ABC Open.

 She returned to the art centre in 2024 Sarah as an artist an arts worker, receiving more training.

She participated in several workshops - ceramics, Fashion and Design workshop and print making.

Sarah has three children and she teaches them their culture and how to express this through painting and Junba.


© the artist / art centre