Desmond Impu Tjapaltjarri

This important story was passed on to Desmond by his grandfather, the late Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri before he passed away in 2008. It is Desmond’s own interpretation of the Cockatoo Dreaming story. In the painting Desmond depicts a cockatoo that is saving some kangaroo meat for its unhatched young, when a crow begins fighting with the cockatoo for the meat. The fighting continues for quite some time, eventually leaving large holes on the grounds surface (which are depicted by the 3 roundels). During the scuffle the crow wounds the cockatoo after hitting it with a rock. Nearby a female eagle sees what is happening and feels the need to help the cockatoo, so she gives the crow the impression she wants to make love with him, at which time the crow diverts his attention away from the fighting the cockatoo to this more attractive offer. While the crow is distracted and under the impression the eagle will follow up on her offer, the eagle throws red-hot spinifex wax at him which badly scalds his genitals. The crow flies away in pain.