CHARLES BOYUN (born 1930)
CENTRAL ARNHEM LAND (founded 1900)

Description / Expertise

Boyun’s clan, The Manharrnggu, is one of the clans belonging to The Dhuwa moiety and the totemic subjects shown in this painting also belong to that moiety.These totemic subjects are found in a closely defined area near the mouth of the Glyde River. This painting shows the poisonous snake known as Dharapa caused the death of the ancestral hunter Gurumarringu, while he was sitting at his campfire eating a meal after a days hunting. Two examples of the Dharapa are shown, with the plant known as Rirrjanu, which grows prolifically on the site where the hunter was bitten.
The date of his death is not known.