Goanna Dreaming Paintings

Goannas are large lizards found in all regions of Australia, and feature in Aboriginal paintings from many locations. Goannas are well adapted to the Australian climate and ecology and can survive well in desert conditions by burrowing underground. The largest goannas can move very quickly across land and can swim and climb trees.

Goannas are an important food source for Aboriginal groups, especially in desert areas where larger animals are rare. Desert people are expert trackers and can see the tracks of goannas and recognise how recently the tracks were made. By following tracks and seeing the most recent signs of movements they can track to the underground burrows where they have to dig out the animals. Goannas are respected as a food resource and their existence is written into the Dreamtime stories that account for how the world was created. Goanna Ancestors are part of the Creation mythology of the desert landscape. The Ancestors are said to have turned into the goannas that now populate the deserts and other regions of Australia. Artist Debra Nangala McDonald paints a representation of a Goanna burrow, with sand mounds where the goanna has been digging. The story relates to the Ancestor whose journeys created the sites on her homelands.

More animal art:

• Aboriginal Animal Art

Artists who paint Goanna:

• Debra Nangala McDonald
• Mary McLean
• Doris Gingingara
• Mowanjum Artists Exhibition
• Tangentyere Artists Exhibition