Dennis NONA

Zurathau Dhogai , 2008

Art : Aboriginal
Origine : Ile de Badu
Dimensions : 40 x 80 cm
Medium : Laser Cut Skatedeck
Price : Epuisé / Sold Out
N° : SDDN21
ed./10 This legend originated from Badu Island situated in the Torres Straits. There are two islands off Badu Island called Zurath Island and Math Island. On Zurath Island there lived a dogai (witch) and on Math Island there were people living there. One delightful day Gabu Kai Kai rowed his canoe to Zurath, where the Dogai (witch) was. When he arrived in Zurath, he saw an enormous tree with ripe haubau (fruit). The next day, early in the morning he decided to take another trip to Zurath again to gather more haubau (fruit). When he arrived there he decided to climb up the haubau tree with his basket. Suddenly he heard a footstep and it was the Dogai. The dogai glanced under the tree, for the haubau, but only saw footprints that remained in the sand. Gabu Kai heard the Dogai saying: "Who stole my haubau?" Gabu Kai stood silently among the branches. The dogai looked up and finally saw the thief, with a basket full of haubau-al. Then the Dogai said to Bau Kai Kai" "What are you doing with my haubau? To pay me back you have to throw me down one haubau." The Dogai took one step and ate the haubau and said: "I want another one." So he threw another down to the Dogai. The Dogai took two steps and ate the haubau. The Dogai wanted another and another one until he threw the last haubau as far away as he could and the Dogai ran after the haubau. While she ran after the last haubau, Gabu Kai Kai quickly jumped down the tree and sprinted to his canoe and rowed fast back to Math Island. The Dogai swam after him but was too slow and returned back to Zurath Island. Gabu Kai Kai arrived back home and told his people about the Dogai. So they all decided to make a plan to kill the Dogai and go to Zurath Island the next day. That afternoon they prepared all their weapons for the next morning. Early in the morning they rowed their canoes furiously. When they arrived they went up to the big caves and finally saw the Dogai sleeping in one of the caves. One of the warriors threw his pear at the Dogai and speared her left arm. She jumped up and ran out of the cave. They chased her and she tried to bury herself in the ground but the ground was too hard. She decided to run down to the beach where the sand was soft and buried herself. They quickly chased her and cut off her right arm and breasts. Gabu Kai Kai and the warriors rowed back to Math Island and were overjoyed with their performance. The old people told them to throw the breasts and the arm in the sea, but the young boy said: "No, we'll tie them on the tree and practice spearing them for the afternoon. Later that afternoon one of the boys took the breasts out into the sea but left the arm on the tree. That evening the Dogai came while everybody was asleep, searching for her arms and breasts. As she searched among the trees she chanted over and over again: "Come to me my arm" and finally she found her arm on the tree. She snatched her arm off the tree and placed it back on her shoulder. The booming noise as she placed her arm made the villagers awaken, but, she couldn't find her breasts and swam back home to Zurath Island. The next day the old man asked the young boy if he threw the left arm in the sea. He said "No, only the breasts." The old man said: "That is why there was a big noise last night. The Dogai came back to take her arm." Today you can see her breasts which turned into a rock between Zurath and Math Islands. The laser cut image on the Skateboard is a reproduction of the artist's original linocut.