Barramundi scarf by Annette Lormada
This painting depicts Martuwarra – the expanse of the Fitzroy River that flows down through Noonkanbah where Annette Lormada grew up. The painting tells the story of the barramundi, a species native to the area, who painted themselves up and danced for ceremony. The small concentric circles represent the fishes’ air bubbles, that break on the river’s surface as they dance. Kalpurtu (creator serpent-type being) said to have created the barramundi, lives in the surrounding rockholes.
Lormada and the people of Martuwarra mimic the ceremony of the barramundi, dancing as the fish do, in an increase rite to ensure the abundance of the fish at the site.
Lormada says,
‘We copy it and sing for that story too…Barramundi lives in any water, but in the river it’s good to eat, I love eating barramundi’.