Wati Ngintaka Jukurrpa – Perentie Lizard Man Creation Story

Size: 209cm x 126cm

Orientation: Landscape

The Artist: Megan Umuka Lyons

The Story: Wati Ngintaka Jukurrpa – This is the Perentie Lizard Man creation story. Wati Ngintaka (Lizard Man) heard the clapping sound of a grinding stone – a traditional tool used to grind seeds and roots for food and medicines. He wanted the stone so he went traveling looking for it. He came to a camp where they gave him seed cake, it was dry and he did not like it. Then one lady gave him delicious food and he knew that it had been made using the special grinding stone. When everyone went hunting the next day, Wati Ngintaka wrapped the grinding stone up in his tail and left. He knew that the people would track him, so he called for a younger lizard to help him to dust away the tracks he made in the sand. Along his journey, he dug up tjanmatjas (bush onions), creating large boulders and created other landforms which are now known as the Musgrave and Mann Ranges, in the northwest corner of South Australia. The grinding stone, tracks and landforms are depicted in the painting.