inscribed (vertically) in fibre-tipped pen on reverse u.l.: 20 (in a circle) inscribed (vertically) in fibre-tipped pen on reverse u.r.: WATJINBURY MARAWILI / NOV '83 / daa. / S.748 / S.748 / TAEEED.
The artists represents Baru, the Ancestral crocodile man who created fire for the first time in Madarrpa country. As the fire started, Baru threw a log into the flames and the fire spread rapidly through the dry bush. In an effort to subdue the blaze Baru picked up the burning log and flung it out to sea, but Baru himself became so badly burnt that he slid into the sea. He found the salt water so soothing to his burns that he transformed himself into a crocodile and stayed there forever. The scars on his back, symbolic of fire are still visible as shown here.
