Long Jack Phillipus Tjakamarra, 1975
During the Dreaming, a group of ancestral men camped at Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay) and lit a fire to flush out kangaroos. The fire quickly got out of control but posed no threat in this area of sparse vegetation.
The background of the painting shows the burnt patches from the nyaru (bushfire). Some distance from the main camp (the main circular shape in the painting) another group of men were making kurlarta (spears) by straightening shafts over a fire. The spears are represented by the lines that radiate from the main camp.
Discussion questions
A 'U' shape often represents people.
How many pairs of men can you find sitting around fires making spears?
Can you find the long straight spears?
What animals do you think may have been hunted using the spears?