Wandjina and Ungud ( cloud and rain spirits and totem)
Leah UMBAGAI: artist
The Wandjina is the creator spirit that belongs to us (the Wororra, Ngarinyin and Wunumbul people). He is the one that created everything, he also gave us our culture, law and songs and even the dreaming of each child before they are born. The Ungud Snake story is about two young boys who didn’t listen to their elders or believe in them. There is a big waterhole an in it lies a large Ungud Snake. The old people told the kids not to go near that waterhole, but these boys thought the elders were tricking them so they wanted to find out for themselves. So they went to the waterhole and built a hideout from branches with small holes so that they can see ( just in case the elders told the truth) they looked at the billabong and it was calm. They banged two sƟcks together to make clapping noise and then they saw all the lilypads starting to move apart on the water and large logs came up from out of the water, then came bubbles and after a huge head coming out of the water to have a look around for who had been making all the noise. He hadn’t seen anyone so he went back down and the lilypads went flat and the water went calm. Those two boys ran back to the camp and told the elders that they were right , there was a snake and the elders told them that they should have listened in the first place. The Ungud Snake also was the chosen animal in helping with the creation of mother earth, creating rivers, gorges, stream's and helped with the formation of the earth. Still today it lives in these dark deep water hole's in our country which doesn't want to be disturbed.
Title
Wandjina and Ungud ( cloud and rain spirits and totem)
Artist/Maker and role
Leah UMBAGAI: artist
Date
2020
Medium
acrylic on canvas
Measurements
61.0 x 61.5 cm
Credit line
Purchased through The Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation: COVID-19 Arts Stimulus Package, 2020
© Leah Umbagai / Copyright Agency Ltd
The State Art Collection, The Art Gallery of Western Australia
Accession number
2020/0334