Kieran Japangardi Michaels, Lappi Lappi Jukurrpa, 91x91cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Kieran Japangardi Michaels
• Community - Nyirripi
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation
• Catalogue number - 98/24ny
• Materials - Acrylic on linen
• Size(cm) - H91 W91 D2
• Postage variants - This work is posted rolled for safe shipping
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

The subject of this work is Lappi Lappi, a rock hole near Lake Hazlett, about 90 km northwest of Lake Mackay in Western Australia. The country belongs to Nampijinpa/Jampijinpa and Nangala/Jangala skin groups. Located in a sheltered basin, the rock hole at Lappi Lappi is a permanent source of water, and is surrounded by country rich in bush tucker. In the time of the Jukurrpa (Dreamtime) many mothers with young children would gather there because it was a safe place to stay. The rock hole at Lappi Lappi is home to a ‘warnayarra’, a rainbow serpent that travels underground between various rock holes. One day, women were gathered at the rock hole with their children, singing and dancing. When the ‘warnayarra’ heard the sound of voices, it travelled silently towards them, under the water. When it reached the edge of the rock hole, it rose out of the water and ate them all.

Kieran has started painting in 2019; originally from Derby in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, he paints Lappi Lappi Jukurrpa after his grandmother, the late Mary-Anne Nampijinpa Michaels.