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Bush fire in Caledon Bay

Bush fire in Caledon Bay
 1965

Medium
earth pigments on Stringybark (Eucalyptus sp.)
Measurements
77.7 × 36.3 cm
Place/s of Execution
Yirrkala, Northern Territory
Accession Number
1996.383
Department
First Nations Australia
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Presented through The Art Foundation of Victoria by Dr Milton Roxanas, Governor, 1996
© The Estate of Waitjung, courtesy of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation
Reproduction requests
Gallery location
Not on display
Physical description
The artist depicts Baru, the ancestral crocodile man who succeeded in making fire for the first time in Madarrpa country in the ancestral period. This painting is associated with Gumatj territory of Caledon Bay where fire broke out during an important ceremony in the ancestral period. The fire is represented by the diamond design. Black signifies ashes; yellow the glow of the fire and red the flames.