Baraltja is the home of the Lightning Snake Burrut’tji (also known as Mundukuḻ). It is an important floodplain that drains into Blue Mud Bay. It is considered to belong to the Maḏarrpa clan, but because one source of its waters is the Dhaḻwaŋu clan estates of Gäṉgaṉ, Baraltja is associated with fertility, the mixing of waters, and the special relationship between these two clans.

The flushing of freshwater excites Burrut’tji to stand on its tail and spit lightning to the clouds, communicating with other lightning serpents at Gäṉgäṉ, as well as at the Munyuku estate of Mayawunydji and the Maŋgalili estate of Milŋuya.

This work was painted for Donald Thomson in September 1942, at the base camp of the Northern Territory Special Reconnaissance Unit which was formed to protect the northern coast from Japanese invasion. Mundukuḻ was the most senior Yirritja artist present at the camp. In this work, he recreates the sacred designs painted on the bodies of participants during ceremony. Bands at the top and bottom of the painting indicate where these designs would continue over the shoulders and down the legs of participants.

– Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia