SKU: 10118
Acrylic on linen
40 x 125 cm
2006

The painting tells of a cockatoo that was preparing some kangaroo meat for storage until she had laid her eggs. A curious black crow was jealously watching the proceedings and decided to steal a portion of the meat. Both birds fought for some time, creating large holes in the landscape. Eventually the crow hit the cockatoo with a rock, injuring her badly. An eagle which witnessed the terrible fight decided to help the cockatoo, so she told the crow she wanted to make love to him.

While the crow waited in anticipation, the eagle struck him with hot spinifex wax, scalding his genitals. Shamed and in pain, the crow slowly flew away. Tjapaltjarri explained that this was how his Dreaming site came to exist. The cockatoo is portrayed as a white rock while the white stones around the site are the it‘s white feathers, which, in his paintings, are described by white dots. The eagle is represented by a hill that overlooks and protects the cockatoo. The roundels or concentric circles in the paintings are both the holes made in the landscape during the Dreamtime tussle, and also specific freshwater rock holes used for generations by Tjapaltjarri‘s family.