Milky Way Dreaming

The content of the painting is the Dreaming of the Milky Way and motifs related to this tradition. At the Time of Creation, two Ancestors - Japaljarri and Jungurrayi - traveled from the north to a place called Janjirlypiri on a long journey. They carried the stars with them and as they traveled, they created the Milky Way. Special places were created thanks to those Ancestors who found themselves on Earth as shooting stars. The ancestors also carried ritual witi poles and performed initiation rites for young men along the way. They taught the law and commanded the people not to forget the teachings they had received. Then some of them descended underground, and others returned to the Milky Way

Paddy Sims Japaljarri (1917 - 2010) presented this story using the traditional iconography of the Warlpiri people. The concentric circles represent the ceremony sites and other important locations in the land where this Dreaming took place. The white circles symbolise the stars of the Milky Way. The long wooden witi ceremonial poles are shown as straight lines in the center and on either side of the image. The wavy lines represent Ngalyipi, the so-called snake vine (Tinospora smilacina), used to bind the shins of dancing initiates.

The artists is an Elder, respected for his traditional knowledge and artistic work. He signs his paintings with a cross. 

His works are in the most prestigious Australian and foreign collections.