England Bangala, Rainbow Serpents (1988).

Follow the ‘Tracks of the Serpent’

The snake is a common figure in Aboriginal mythology, widespread across Australia. Narratives involving snakes range from the highly complex and secret to more basic, public stories. The Kluge-Ruhe Australian Art exhibit, “Tracks of the Serpent: The Image of the Snake in Australian Aboriginal Art,” on display through Nov. 24, examines the ways in which snakes are depicted as ancestral beings and other figures.

The first images of the Rainbow Serpent, the most prominent ancestral creature, were found on rock and are estimated to be 6,000 years old. Today, snakes are still a frequent subject of paintings. The snake is the central figure in stories of creation, kinship, territory, marriage and authority. Snakes also are associated with fertility, rain, waterholes, lightning and other elements in the natural world.

The Kluge-Ruhe Collection, located at 400 Peter Jefferson Place, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. This Saturday, Nov. 10, children, ages 7 to 12, are invited to visit the collection and make rainbow serpent etchings, starting at noon. Call 244-0234 for information.