This artwork depicts a Kangaroo and Goanna which are still today an traditional food source for Aboriginal people in central Australia. Goanna fat is particularly valued as a medicine and is used in ceremonies.

In central Australia, the Goanna is a totemic spirit. Aboriginal artists who paint Goanna is often to honour their ancestral spirit. The hand print can be often seen in caves and rock walls, (hand sprayed with ochre against the rock wall) leaving a stencil which could still be recognised many years later. The main function of the stencils was to record people's presence and association with a site or to identify a particular painting.

If you would like to know more about Kangaroo and Goanna and the relationship with Aboriginal Art and culture, please read the following articles:

• Aboriginal Food
• Aboriginal Goanna Painting
• Aboriginal Symbols and their Meanings