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education resource No ordinary place: the art of David Malangi a national gallery of australia travelling exhibition

This education resource was generously supported by the Reserve Bank of Australia

No ordinary place: the art of David Malangi features bark paintings, ceremonial objects and sculptures made by David Malangi Daymirringu a senior elder of the Manharrngu clan of central Arnhem Land. This resource has been prepared to assist with the appreciation of works of art in the exhibition and can be adapted to suit different age levels. It can be integrated into both the visual art curriculum and Aboriginal Studies. The resource contains: • Images of works of art from the exhibition No ordinary place: the art of David Malangi and contextual information on the artist and Indigenous culture. • Questions, activities and discussion points for students.

Other resources Further information on the exhibition No ordinary place: the art of David Malangi is available online at nga.gov.au/Malangi, which includes a version of this resource that can be downloaded. Information on David Malangi’s contribution to The Aboriginal Memorial at the National Gallery of Australia can be viewed at nga.gov.au/memorial. A comprehensive overview of the art and life of David Malangi is available in the exhibition’s accompanying publication edited by Susan Jenkins, Curator, Aboriginal Art and Torres Strait GurrmirringuGurrmirringu thethe GreatGreat HunterHunter 19691969 Islander Art at the National Gallery of Australia. Milingimbi, central Arnhem Land, Northern Territory This publication includes essays by Susan Jenkins, natural pigments on eucalyptus bark Purchased 1987 Nigel Lendon, Djon Mundine, Margie West and National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 87.757 members of Malangi’s family and is available at the gallery shop or online at ngashop.com.au A free exhibition trail is available from the front desk of the National Gallery of Australia and touring venues. It is customary in Indigenous communities not to mention the name or reproduce images of, or associated with, the recently deceased. All such mentions and images in this resource have been reproduced with the express permission of the appropriate authorities and family All David Malangi’s work is reproduced with the members, wherever it has been possible to locate them. permission of VISCOPY, Australia Malangi with pipe and preparing hollow log for The Aboriginal Memorial 1987 Photo: © Jon Lewis

The artist: David Malangi Daymirringu

David Malangi (1927–1999) of the Manharrngu people was a loved senior elder and revered bark In Indigenous culture from Australia a person’s painter of central Arnhem Land. He is an important name is not spoken for months or years after artist to Balanda [white people] because as well their death depending on the cultural practices as following the old ways of painting the Ancestral of their clan or language group. During that time stories, he created highly distinctive and visually they are referred to by another name. Malangi’s powerful compositions to represent them. He is best other name is Daymirringu. This extra name is known for his design reproduced on the reverse sometimes used, but he was commonly known side of the Australian one dollar note in 1966 when as David Malangi. Australia converted to decimal currency. The work of David Malangi The main subjects of Malangi’s paintings were the lands for which he was responsible: Mulanga, the David Malangi’s bold style of painting was land on the eastern side of the Glyde River which distinctive. He used thick white lines, large areas of he inherited from his father; Dhämala and Dhäbila black, chocolate brown ochre and generous rärrk. on the western side of the river and the lands The imagery in his paintings was presented through surrounding the Yathalamarra billabong further blocks of solid colour emphasised with strong west which he inherited from his mother. These outlines. He represented parts of the Ancestral lands are approximately 500 kilometres east of stories in areas defi ned by the limbs of trees, river Darwin. tributaries or columns. These stories were sometimes reduced to one essential motif. Find other examples of bark paintings by Arnhem Land artists and compare these with David Malangi’s paintings. How is Malangi’s style different?

➞ MOOROONGA IS ➞ Arafura Sea N MILINGIMBI IS Milingimbi

k Gupa gupa HOWARD IS Dhäbila akila Cree Wurrdigirrmirr Djig Gilimgarri Castlereagh Bay

Burridulpum Buwany Glyde River k Mangbiri mouth Dhipirri BANYAN IS a Cree il Yathalamarra Dhämala Ngurrunyuwa b Wulngir Woralngur Dhä Yathalamarra Bilimarr Mulanga Gapuwiyak ➞ Gatji (Lake Evella) Ngangalala

Wo o len Ramingining Rive r

ARNHEM LAND

Arafura Swamp

Dhuwa moiety Manharrngu country

Yirritja moiety Balmbi country Mirrngatja Indigenous art from Australia has a special place in this country as the art of the fi rst people of this continent. Indigenous culture from Australia has been expressed through art and ceremony for thousands of generations. Bark paintings are just one of the many forms of art produced by Indigenous people from Australia. Bark painting is used in closed and restricted ceremonies to reveal the presence and power of the Ancestral characters and events. They are made in the northern regions of Australia and have also been made in Victoria and Tasmania. The pigments used for the paintings are made from natural minerals called ochres. Crushed charcoal is used to make black paint and clay is used for white. Ochres are ground, mixed with glue (sap or egg was used before commercial glue became available) and water to make paint. The paint is applied with a brush that is sometimes made from human hair tied to a twig. The bark is stripped from the tree in one sheet during the wet season when the sap is rising and the bark is pliant. It is fl attened by being dried out under logs or hot sand, or over hot coals. Today the sale of bark paintings is an important source of income for Australian Indigenous artists from Arnhem Land. Compare Indigenous art of Australia with that of other Indigenous peoples. What do they have in common? Use the web to investigate.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s Malangi used sculpture to represent parts of the Ancestral Story. These sculptures include birds and goannas, who inhabit Dhämala and Dhäbila country. Rärrk is a design made from crisscrossed lines of pigment which form a dense pattern. Rärrk identifi es the land; it can also represent a clan, skin, light and spiritual presence, and energy. MangroveMangrove GoannaGoanna [1960s] The dots on the goanna’s head and tail [Milingimbi],[Milingimbi], centralcentral AArnhemrnhem represent the pattern of its skin. What could the Land,Land, NorthernNorthern TTerritoryerritory rärrk represent? naturalnatural pigmentspigments onon woodwood ArtArt GGalleryallery ofof WesternWestern Australia,Australia, PPertherth 11988/1099988/1099 The country: Mulanga country

David Malangi was born in Mulanga, an area of rocky cliffs, mud fl ats, mangrove-lined tributaries, swamplands and jungle. Here the great Ancestral Hunter, Gurrmirringu — known as the ‘fi rst man’ — wandered, harvesting fruit, seeds and berries, and hunting goanna, kangaroo, birds and fi sh. After a good day’s hunting, Gurrmirringu sat down by a waterhole in the shade of a white berry tree, to rest and cook some of his catch. Lurking in the tree roots was an evil tree spirit in the form of the king brown snake who rose up and bit Gurrmirringu, killing him. The death of Gurrmirringu gave Manharrngu people their fi rst mortuary (funeral) rituals. The mortuary ritual of Gurrmirringu is the main feature of many of Malangi’s paintings about this land. His depiction of the story on bark was reproduced on the reverse of the Australian one dollar note. Subsequently Malangi became known as the ‘dollar note painter’; he was sometimes called ‘Dollar Dave’.

The Reserve Bank of Australia needed images for the new decimal currency introduced CérémonieCérémonie ffunéraireunéraire barkbark paintingpainting in 1966. An image of Malangi’s, featuring Collected by Karel Kupka in 1963 MNAO 64.10.6 Gurrmirringu’s mortuary feast, was chosen for Photo: Musée des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie © Photo: RMN — Arnaudet the reverse side of the one dollar note. Malangi and his community were unaware that his bark painting design was used on the new currency until after it was distributed, and appealed to Malangi had rights as a senior Manharrngu painter the Reserve Bank for appropriate recognition. to paint that part of the Gurrmirringu story which The Bank’s Governor, Dr H. C. Coombs, related to Mulanga country. This painting shows corrected this mistake; Malangi was paid for the Gurrmirringu ‘the fi rst man’ being ceremonially use of the image and presented with a specially prepared for burial. His body has been painted with struck medallion. This was the fi rst recognition rärrk, symbolically connecting him with the land. of copyright for Indigenous artists’ designs in He is surrounded by men performing ceremonial Australia. songs to ensure the Ancestral spirit arrives safely at its fi nal resting place. The men hold clapsticks and didjeridu and are shown sitting with their legs tucked underneath their bodies. Surrounding this immediate group of fi gures are the animals of the story. They represent both Gurrmirringu’s food and the mortuary feast. The white berry tree, which What form does the symbolises the Hunter’s life and death, fl anks the Australian one dollar scene. take today? Why did the change take place? David Malangi used a different grinding stone to Why was an Indigenous prepare each colour. Why would he do this? work of art chosen for ReverseReverse ofof thethe $$11 nnoteote the one dollar note? Photo: Reserve Bank of Australia What colours has Malangi used in his painting? David Malangi began producing the foot paintings in his senior years. The foot belongs to Gurrmirringu the Ancestral Hunter. The Manharrngu clan word for foot (luku) also means footprints, tracks or guides and refers to the Ancestors who led the way for subsequent generations. It also means root of a tree which in this painting connects the people to the Ancestral underworld.

By painting the TheThe snakesnake thatthat bitbit GurrmirringuGurrmirringu 19921992 foot and not the Ramingining, central Arnhem Land, Northern Territory hunter, Malangi natural pigments on eucalyptus bark has created a bold Private collection, Canberra LukuLuku (foot)(foot) 19941994 RRamingining,amingining, visual statement central Arnhem Land, Northern Territory that represents the The Gurrmirringu mortuary scene gave Malangi natural pigments on Gurrmirringu story in more freedom to explore composition because its eucalyptus bark its simplest and most use was not integral to ceremony. In the painting Private collection, Canberra essential form. The snake that bit Gurrmirringu Malangi moved the white berry tree from the sides of the bark to the Design a symbol centre of the composition, dividing the picture into with more than one smaller sections which focus on parts of the story. meaning. The painting sets the scene before the arrival of Gurrmirringu and his subsequent death and funeral. In the white berry tree paintings Malangi also explored the effects of contrasting colour and The Ancestors (fi rst beings) and their stories abstract forms; rows of white berries alternate explain how everything — the land, animals, between yellow and black leaves; fi elds of dots people, law and ritual — came into being and representing the berries fi ll large areas of the continues to exist. Knowledge about Ancestral painting. The contrasting colour and fi elds of berries beings and Ancestral time is revealed through generate a ‘shimmering’ quality similar to that song, story, painting and dance. People gain produced by the use of rärrk. access to this information over a series of rituals With a partner, discuss why David Malangi’s — from the least restricted to the most culturally paintings appear to be fl at (no sense of deep space). sensitive and powerful — allowing them to slowly take on the responsibilities that come with What is abstraction? Can we describe parts of increased customary knowledge. Malangi’s paintings as abstract? Why or why not? Dhämala and Dhäbila country

Dhämala and Dhäbila are diverse natural habitats which include waterways, grasslands and vast muddy plains that are dotted and fringed with mangroves, paperbarks and palm trees. The Djan’kawu Sisters who created and named this country link clans across eastern and central Arnhem Land. They came from the east, travelling west with the sun, plunging their digging sticks into the ground to create and name waterholes, places, people, language, birds and animals. At Dhämala they created Mirrmirrngurr Milminydjarrk; a tiny mangrove-fringed waterhole. The sisters hung their dilly bags in a nearby tree to go in search of shellfi sh. The bags contained the sacred law, held by the women. While they were away the bags (with the law inside) were stolen by the men, and from that time the knowledge and law of ceremony was the domain of men. It was in this area that the Djan’kawu Sisters changed their language to Manharrngu (David Malangi’s language) and gave the Manharrngu people the colour black. Malangi represented the Djan’kawu Sisters’ Story Djan’kawuDjan’kawu waterholeswaterholes 1975–761975–76 Yathalamarra,Yathalamarra, in several series of barks which depict the animals central Arnhem Land, Northern Territory and plants the sisters encountered, created natural pigments on eucalyptus bark and ate on their travels. These paintings of the Gift of Dr Joseph Reser 1990 Djan’kawu were made when David Malangi was a National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 90.1080 senior custodian of the land. The yellow rärrk represents water run-off across the Compare this creation story with those of other mud plains and refers to the cycle of the seasons religions. and also suggests the birthing mat’s weave. Yolngu believe the clan waterhole is the place What do these stories tell us about the roles of men where the souls of the unborn dwell and where, and women in society? upon death, they return. As one of the Manharrngu clan’s most sacred places, rules govern its Milminydjarrk is the sacred waterhole in Dhämala representation. country and is among David Malangi’s most The waterhole design is similar to the design painted important symbols. The radiating design symbolises on the bodies of young men during initiation and is the Djan’kawu Sisters Story, represented through the basis for a sand sculpture used in mortuary rituals. the rays of the sun by which the sisters travelled, the tracks they made between the waterholes and the sites they created. The design also represents the Why is water such a precious resource in Australia? woven conical mat used to give birth to the Dhuwa Explain what is meant by the phrase ‘well of souls’ moiety people and symbolises the procreative in relation to Yolngu beliefs. powers of women. Milminydjarrk is also the word for freshwater spring. Smaller waterholes connect to Most of the followers of the world’s religions believe Milminydjarrk by underground channels. in souls or spirits. Choose three diverse religions and investigate where souls or spirits dwell after death. Malangi at Mirrmirrngurr Milminydjarrk Photo: Nigel Lendon 1993

Australian Indigenous people in Arnhem Land call themselves Yolngu. The Yolngu have a form of social organisation which divides all things into two groups called moieties. The two Yolngu moieties are Dhuwa and Yirritja. David RiverRiver mouthmouth mmapap 19831983 [Yathalamarra],[Yathalamarra], Malangi belongs to the Dhuwa moiety. People central Arnhem Land, Northern Territory of the same moiety cannot marry and certain natural pigments on eucalyptus bark Purchased 1984 Art Gallery of New South Wales, members of moieties must be careful of close Sydney 133.1984 Photo: Brenton McGeachie for AGNSW associations.

In the early 1980s Malangi developed a new way Gurrmirringu’s story, on the eastern side of the to represent his river country. The common feature river, is depicted by a sand bank where he sat, of these map-like paintings is a shaft of black which the food he ate, and his spear and clap sticks. The divides the image into two columns to represent Djan’kawu Sisters story on the western side of the the land on either side of the river. river is depicted by the Milminydjarrk waterhole, the sacred digging sticks and the fi sh and shellfi sh. The trunk and branches used in the white berry tree paintings now becomes the river and its Malangi represents the stories of the Ancestors tributaries in map view. Dividing the bark in this way through the things they used and the land they enabled Malangi to represent in sections, details touched all of which exist today. The symbols and episodes of the Ancestral events that created remind the people that they share the experiences the land. The events are placed according to of the Ancestors. balance rather than correct positioning on a map. Yathalamarra country

Yathalamarra and its surrounds are David Malangi’s mother’s country. Its focal point is a horseshoe- shaped billabong surrounded by trees and grasses and inhabited by freshwater life including waterlilies, waterbirds and catfi sh. Two Ancestral women, Biyay’ngu and Bundul, created part of the country. They had large breasts on their backs as well as their chests and carried twined bags for carrying their vegetable food. At the Yathalamarra billabong the two women used their digging sticks to fi nd waterlily roots, creating part of the billabong with the plunge of their sticks. Biyay’ngu and Bundul taught the Yolngu women how to make the twined bags and how to process the waterlily roots into bush bread. Women gathering lily roots and seeds at Yathalamarra, Malangi spent the last 30 years of his life at July 1937 Photo: D.F. Thomson. Courtesy of Mrs D.M. Thomson, Yathalamarra as the ceremonial caretaker of his Museum Victoria mother’s country and its many ceremonies. Malangi’s Yathalamarra paintings are dedications to his mother’s Yirritja moiety and Balmbi clan land and are distinctive for their wide horizontal format and emphatic use of black. David Malangi, in the billabong at Yathalamarra 1996 What moiety does David Malangi’s mother belong to? Photo: Penny Tweedie Yathalamarra Story 1989 Yathalamarra, central Arnhem Land, Northern Territory natural pigments on eucalyptus bark Acquired 1989 with Mobil Oil Funds. Mobil Yathalamarra collection Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Collection, Darwin ABART-1118 Photo: Gilbert Herrada

The horizontal orientation of the bark enabled List all the things you can identify about the Malangi to depict aspects of the ancestral story billabong creation story in this painting. rhythmically across the picture plane. Using simplifi ed outlines draw all the creatures you Yathalamarra Story focuses on the area of the have found in ponds or swamps. billabong where Biyay’ngu and Bundul reside. Their pool, placed centrally on the bark, is surrounded What beliefs underpin Indigenous art from by waterweed. The column of rärrk surrounding the Australia? pool represents Malangi’s mother’s country. The Graphic symbols are used in bark paintings to ancestral women are shown by their digging sticks illustrate Ancestral events. Create an image using and breasts and signify the creation of this area symbols that encapsulate a culturally important of country. The circular shape, which is based on event. a sand sculpture design, refers to ceremony as do the columns which visually suggest the rhythm of ceremonial songs and dances. Malangi’s extensive use of black is an artistic choice and refers to the water, the creatures that inhabit the water and the place of souls. Principal sponsor

a proud partner of

This exhibition is supported by Visions of Australia, an Australian Government Program supporting touring exhibitions by providing funding assistance for the development and touring of cultural material across Australia.

In association with Bula’bula Arts, Ramingining

(cover) At the Yathalamarra waterhole 1988 Ramingining, central Arnhem Land, Northern Territory natural pigments on eucalyptus bark South Australian Government Grant, 1988 Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 8812P90

The National Gallery of Australia is an Australian Government Agency