Fig. 52. Ochre drawing and tree-carving of man with shield, Humbert River (× 1/10).
In the first instance, an “Arrera Knaninja” or Kangaroo Tjuringa, the meat and the fat of the animal are represented by the two series of concentric circles in the centre, whereas its sinew is indicated by the horizontal lines connecting the circles. The numerous U groups on both sides of the central figures stand for a great number of kangaroo, each of which is sitting or lying on the ground ([Fig. 49]).
PLATE XLV
1. Cave drawings, Forrest River, north-western Australia.
2. Decorating the body with pipe-clay, Humbert River, Northern Territory.
The second example is from the “Yeapatja” or Caterpillar Tjuringa. The large “circle-within-circle” groups in the centre are generally recognized to be the bushes upon which the caterpillars were born, while the U groups with smaller concentric circles in their centres are intended for caterpillars attached to smaller plants upon which they are feeding ([Fig. 50]).
Fig. 53. Human chain-pattern.