Aboriginal artists painted giant ancestral beings as colonization arrived, study finds

An expansive Australian rock shelter in Arnhem Land harbors a colossal Rainbow Serpent mural, spanning over 6 meters in length. This finding, reported in a recent study, adds to a growing collection of enormous depictions of powerful ancestral beings painted by Aboriginal artists from the 19th to the 20th centuries. Archaeologist Paul Taçon of Griffith University and his team have noted a trend of artists during this period creating massive images of significant ancestral beings to maintain control over their land, traditions, and community amidst the rapid changes brought by early European colonization.

One of the largest Rainbow Serpents found was at site AW5, where Taçon remarked, "Wow! This is one of the largest Rainbow Serpent paintings I have seen in 40 years of Arnhem Land rock art fieldwork, and look at those teeth and tongue!" The team, collaborating with Amurdak Traditional Owner Charlie Mungulda, has been documenting 165 rock art sites in the Awunbarna region, focusing on works created after European contact.

Notably, they discovered 29 Rainbow Serpent images across 21 sites, the highest concentration of such powerful beings in the region. Other gargantuan creatures, like a crocodile over 2 meters long and a baleen whale, have also been recorded. The study suggests that these large-scale paintings were a strategic response to the upheaval caused by colonization, aiming to reinforce ceremonial traditions, strengthen connections to the land, and ensure social continuity.

The Awunbarna site, as a crossroads for trade and ceremonies, proved ideal for the depiction of these grand creatures, which served as a potent symbol of Aboriginal resilience and cultural preservation.