Lot 96

The Artist
Jirrawun Arts, Western Australia
William Mora Galleries, Melbourne (stamp verso)
Private collection, Melbourne

Gidja Country: The Black fella Way, William Mora Galleries, Melbourne, 1998

© Churchill Cann/Copyright Agency 2024

The small black circle marks the spot where a comet fell many years ago.
Around this, the red area around represents the ground burnt by the comet's fallout.
A magic man and friend of Churchill's father, Old Redleg, lived in the hole. Anyone visiting the area or any animals nearby had to remain quiet and cause no trouble; if they disturbed Old Redleg he'd cripple them. The right side of the picture depicts two mustering camps, Half Moon Plain and Half Moon Junction. Gum Creek runs across these and below two ridges (red areas) into the Ord River. The black ochre denotes black soil under which limestone deposits are usually found.