Dennis Nona

Zugu Zug is a cameo from the epic tale visualised by the artist in his earlier 2.6 metre handcoloured linocut titled Dogai Zug.

The story is about a dispute between the villagers of Kulbaikulbai and a witch or Dogai that lived on Zurath. Both Kulbaikulbai and Zurath are small islands close to the artist’s island of Badu. A man called Gabu Kai Kai was involved in an altercation with the Dogai and summonsed his fellow islanders to seek revenge. They paddled their canoe to Zurath and confronted the Dogai and cut off her right arm and breasts. The breasts were thrown into the sea and the arm was taken back to Kulbaikulbai where the young boys tied it to a tree and used it as a target for spearing practice.

That night the Dhogai came looking for her appendages. She was unable to find her breasts, however she found her arm and chanted, ‘Come to me my arm’. She removed her arm from the tree and reattached it to her body. Zuga Zug refers to the chant made by the Dhogai.

The Dogai’s breasts can be seen today as rocky outcrops in the sea between Zurath and Kulbaikulbai just south of Badu.