Ngamarrany Ngarrangkarni (Two Serpent Dreaming) 2002

Ngamarrany Ngarrangkarni translates as ‘Two Serpent Dreaming’, a Dreaming associated with Country of which Mark Nodea’s father is custodian. It tells of the Walmajarri tribe who were performing traditional corroboree and practising culture in the desert, including days and nights of singing and dancing. The desert serpent was upset by this, so crept up on two tribal men and ate them. These two men were from the riverside, and so the riverside people began singing evil songs for the river serpent to come up to fight the desert serpent. Both snakes fought all day and night and their fighting created two billabongs that can still be seen today, represented in Nodea’s artwork by the large oval shapes in the top section of the painting.