Warnampi Talpu Talpu

The name Warnampi Tarlpu Tarlpu translates as ‘the Water Serpents who ate the Tarlpu Tarlpu bird’ and they are the Sacred Dreamtime beings at Patjarr, in the Gibson Desert. The Tarlpu Tarlpu Bird Men are associated with the Tingarri Dreaming that surrounds the area. In this painting they are seen in two places where men are assembled for ceremonies; women were not allowed to attend these ceremonies, as they were restricted to men alone. Instead the women were sent out to gather food while the ceremonies took place. The concentric circles set apart from the ceremonial grounds associated with the water snakes indicate women and children who have left to prepare food. The wild food in the landscape can be seen as many areas of bright colour around the central ceremonial area, showing a rich and fertile world. The painting shows a perception of a universe in which there was no separation between sacred things and the things of daily life.