Dennis Nona

Kannara is a death adder – snake. There’s a customary belief when you kill the snake or you see it dead – mostly on the island, on Badu. The elder people will take it down to the beach and bury it horizontally across the beach, or parallel, that way. It is the customary belief that it will grow the beach longer or in language it’s called, Surum – to make the sandbank bigger on the island to prevent erosion. That practice was kind of a protection or belief that the snake would protect the sand from eroding and it would attract more sand on to the beach which makes the beach bigger and longer. That particular snake is buried everywhere on the island but mainly on the beach. Kannara is the death adder, the poisonous one.

Snake motif in sunset background over surf
Relief printed vinylcut, carved in 2019, blend rolled, yellow, orange, green, blue, printed in one run of 5 prints, and another subsequent run of 10 prints, with blue-highlight mica dust added.
Printed by Editions Tremblay NFP October & November 2024