Deutscher and Hackett

Maningrida Arts and Culture, Maningrida, Northern Territory (cat. 4231-08)
Private collection, Sydney

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Maningrida Arts and Culture which states in part:
'The female water spirits Yawkyawk or Ngalkunburriyaymi are perhaps the most enigmatic of mythological themes. Sometimes compared to the European notion of mermaids, they exist as spiritual beings living in freshwater streams and rock pools, particularly those in the stone country. The spirit Yawkyawk is usually described and depicted with the tail of a fish. Thus the Kuninjku people sometimes call them ngalberddjenj which literally means 'the young woman who has a tail like a fish'. They have long hair, which is associated with trailing blooms of green algae (called man-bak in Kinunjku). At times they leave their aquatic homes to walk about on dry land, particularly at night.'