Gordon Barney Gija, b. 1945
Brolga Taking the water away, 2020
ochre and charcoal on canvas
100 x 140 cm
39 3/8 x 55 1/8 in
39 3/8 x 55 1/8 in
MM5154
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Gordon Barney says that the Brolga is taking the water away in a Coolamon from a big dam, as 'he didn't want the water there'. This work relates to the...
Gordon Barney says that the Brolga is taking the water away in a Coolamon from a big dam, as 'he didn't want the water there'. This work relates to the ancient creation story of two ancestral Brolga Women whose favourite food was bush onions. Their husband, the Frill Neck Lizard had hidden water from them. Finding his secret water source, the Brolga sisters scooped the water up in their coolamons and flew the water-filled vessels up into the sky. Their husband gave chase, throwing a spear that hit the coolamons, spilling the water and bringing it back to earth.
