Kieren Karritpul – Malarrgu – Long-neck Turtle 2026

• Size: 40.5 x 51 cm
• Medium: Acrylic on pre-stretched canvas

Long-neck turtle

Malarrgu – the Daly River long neck turtle is the Northern Long Neck or Snake Neck turtle (Chelondina rugosa), a species found in the slow-moving freshwaters and billabongs of northern Australia, including the Daly River. It has a long, thick neck, a broad head, and a dark carapace with a yellow or cream underside. It’s an ambush predator that hides in rocks, logs, or mud, feeding on fish, amphibians and invertebrates. Females lay eggs in a submerged burrow, and development begins as the water level drops. They are highly sought after game in the region. They are traditionally cooked whole and in the shell, upside down on hot coals, but can also be skinned and roasted or fried. The meat is considered oily and can be prepared simply or enhanced with ingredients like corned beef fat to make it salty.

Early in the dry season the Long-necked turtles dig themselves into the mud to hibernate. This is the season when we go hunting for them. We burn the flood plains so we can clear the land to see the surface, then we go hunting. Traditionally we use a digging stick but today we usually use a crowbar. Sometimes we see mud marks in the shape of a soft serve ice cream with a small peak, that shows us where there is a breathing hole for a turtle. We hit the ground with the crowbar to see if there is something underneath. There is a sound/feel when the end of the bar hits the shell of a sleeping turtle. Then we dig. We love eating turtle – white meat, yellow fat, delicious!

Artist Bio – Kieren Karritpul

Kieren Karritpul is an outstanding and award winning artist who has work has been featured in solo exhibitions with Nomad (Darwin) and Tolarno Galleries (Melbourne) and group exhibitions around the world. His most recent solo exhibition was YERR WURRKEME MARRGU in May 2025 at Tolarno. See the exhibition here.

• Born 1994, lives and works in Nauiyu, Daly River, Northern Territory, Australia
• Traditional Country: Malfiyin
• Language: Ngen’gi wumirri