Week 7

Mimi Spirits; in rock art




The Mimi Spirits have said to have taught Aboriginal people living on the land how to hunt kangaroo, how to prepare the meat and how to use fire.
They are depicated as being very tall and very thin figures, which are in danger of breaking from the winds as they are so thin. This means that they dwell in caves and rock holes, this may be the reason why many of the earlier paintings which were found, were in the caves.
After sometime though, the Aborginial people of northen Australia began to paint them on bark, in rich earthy tones.


John Mawurndjul



'I always think of new ways to paint, always look for something different. My work is changing.' From interview with Apolline Kohen 2003

 Yawk Yawk
meaning young girl's spirit.

John Mawurndjul is one of the most experimental bark painters in Arnhem Land. Mawurndjul grew up in his country near Mumeka on the Mann River. He lived for a considerable time in the newly established Aboriginal town of Maningrida in the 1960s, but returned to Mumeka from 1972. Today he moves regularly between Maningrida and his outstation at Milmilngkan, south of Maningrida. He was taught to paint by his father, Anchor Kulunba, his brother Jimmy Njiminjuma and his uncle Peter Marralwanga. Mawurndjul's early work of the late 1970s reveals his meticulous attention to detail and very fine rarrk (crosshatching) technique. - Art Gallery NSW.

He has created works that comprise crosshatching with circles representing waterholes enmeshed in the grid. These paintings relate to Mardayin body paintings, and focus attention on the abstract representation of features of the associated landscape.

Bula Bula Arts

This is a place where there are 16 different clans who speak in 14 different languages, and was the film sight of the movie 10 canoes.

This is a map of the top end land.

This is the type of tree the people use to create woven objects. Whether they be baskets, carry bags or bowls.
They cut off the hanging parts of the tree (Pandanus) and then boil it in water with roots and other things that colour the straw-like substance. Then it is laid out in the sun for a number of hours till it's completely dried then it's ready to be used for weaving.

 And the finished product is achieved;


 End