The antiquity of the Wandjina painting tradition is still uncertain. As the historical account above and studies of the successive layers on the painted rock surfaces indicate, some Wandjina have been repainted or retouched over many generations. Technical examinations carried out on cross-sections of rock crusts have found evidence for upwards of 40 distinct paint layers within a single painting.^[28] If, however, Wandjina were retouched annually to ensure the coming of the wet season rains, it would take only a few generations to accumulate this number of paint layers. Interestingly, Watchman’s^[29] research on the cross-sections demonstrated that multiple painting episodes were evidenced in some cross-sections but not in others, and supported Clarke’s^[30] suggestion that the degree of repainting could have been motivated by the significance of the underlying image.^[31]

A recent dating program on the pigment taken from ‘classic’ Wandjina indicates that the tradition might be no more than 1500 years old.^[32] Crawford^[33] documented the regional variability in ‘archaic’ Wandjina painted beneath the more recent forms and argued for a trend towards increasing homogeneity over time. Further recording of the range of variability and dating of ‘archaic’ forms is needed to gain a better understanding of the origins of the Wandjina tradition.