In this work, Manydjarri has painted imagery from his Märi (mother’s mother’s clan) – the Djambarrpuyŋu. This painting refers to the spearing of the ancestral shark Bulmanydji by a Yirritja spirit man. The bottom and top halves of the painting show the shark before and after he is speared. The artist called the top image of Bulmanydji “the ghost” and the bottom image “wounded.” The shark is wearing the Yirritja barbed spears and producing the Dhuwa spears Dhämarrarr, which are traditionally made from stingray barbs. They represent the teeth of Mäna (shark). The ancestral shark is set against Djambarrpuyŋu clan designs and saltwater patterns.

– Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre