Gabriel Maralngurra

The artist has painted Mimih spirits hunting. According to the Kunwinjku people of West Arnhem Land, Mimihs were the original spirit beings and taught Aboriginal people many of the skills they needed to survive in the bush along with ceremonies, dance and song. These spirits continue to live in rocks, trees and caves but are rarely seen by humans. They are frequently depicted in the rock art of Arnhem Land as small, dynamic figures, often shown with a range of hunting tools such as mankole (spears), borndok (spear throwers), djerrh (dilly bags), karramalk (hafted stone axes) and kundjakkorl (fire sticks). Also often depicted are some of the spoils of the day – kangaroo, file snake, long yams, cheeky yams, and bush potato.