Wurdyaw Djang

The painting depicts a Dreaming story related to a place in Kudjekbinj country, which is the artist's mother's country east of Gunbalanya (Oenpelli) in western Arnhem Land. The name of the Dreaming or Djang is wurdyaw or baby. An old woman lives in a large paperbark tree at Kujekbinj and is responsible for fertility. She is pregnant all the time. She carries a special kundjabarrk (dilly bag) that contains the items necessary for fertility and childbirth. Women who wish to conceive visit the tree. The people are in the waterhole at Kudjekbinj, surrounded by pandanus plants depicted by the six protrusions at the top. To the left is the creek that feeds the waterhole © Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory