Warrnyu (Flying fox)

George Milpurrurru was a prominent bark painter from central Arnhem Land whose work is held in major public collections around Australia. His success, however, had a downside: twice he was involved in major legal cases following the illegal use of his designs. He was also a sculptor and a traditional healer and ceremonial leader of the Ganalbingu people.

Ganalbingu land lies in the vast wooded Arafura Swamp, an area that is home to abundant wildlife, including large numbers of flying foxes. Their profusion is evident in Warrnyu (Flying fox), which shows them roosting in trees they later fled. According to Ganalbingu tradition, the warrnyu once lived like men in a sacred cave, but were frightened away by an ancestral dog being. Initiation ceremonies are held today because the warrnyu people first performed them. Flying foxes were of great significance to the artist – they were his ‘totem’ and he called them ‘my father’.

Barry Patton, Tarnanthi Writer & Researcher