Jamu (Camp dog)
2001
Medium
earth pigments on Paperbark (Melaleuca sp.) and pandanus (Pandanus sp.), feathers, glass
Measurements
28.9 × 82.6 × 37.7 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Presented through the NGV Foundation in memory of Axel Poignant by an anonymous donor, 2001
© Lena Yarinkura/Licensed by Copyright Agency, Australia
Gallery location
Gallery 6
Level 2, NGV Australia
About this work
‘I make a lot of dogs, because the dog is my Dreaming. It’s important for me. A long time ago, there was a big dog. This dog had a lot of power. He could change the shape of the Country. One day this dog was looking for water, he had been running and running and was very thirsty. He ran up a hill on my Country at Buluhkarduru and went into the jungle there, looking for water. He started to dig, but found nothing. He kept digging and digging until he disappeared. Today, you can see the hole he made. It’s still there. We know that dog is still there too. He watches over my Country. He’ll bite you if you’re not careful. We call that hill Gordeme, which means Dog Dreaming.’
– Lena Yarinkura