Djarrwark ga Dhalwanu
Date1998
Object number00033797
DCMITypeStill image
NameBark painting
MediumNatural pigments on bark
DimensionsOverall: 1545 × 835 mm, 6.9 kg
Copyright© Gawirrin Gumana
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with the assistance of Stephen Grant of the GrantPirrie Gallery
DescriptionA bark painting by Dr Gawirriṉ Gumana titled 'Djarrwark ga Dhalwaŋu' depicting Walwaltjpa (the creator sisters) in the form of a catfish, Balin the Burramundi (one of the Yirritja creator ancestors) and the lightning snake Mundukal (in dual form).
It shows the interconnection of the saltwater country of the Dhuwa and Yirritja, represented by the sacred clan designs (miny'tji) of the Dhalwaŋu and Djarrwark clans. Gawirriṉ Gumana inherited rights to the land through his naming, mapping and depiction of the coastline. His title on this region stems from his intricate knowledge of the sacred laws, songs, ancestral events and life cycle of the fresh and saltwater.
Dr Gawirriṉ Gumana was a Dhalwaŋu leader whose traditional homeland was Gangan. This painting was used in the federal court hearing relating to Native Title surrounding water of the Blue Mud Bay area. Following the Federal court procedures, in 2008 the High Court of Australia determined throught the handing down of the Blue Mud Bay decision, that Traditional owners had exclusing ownership over almost 90 per cent of the NT coastline.
HistoryIn 1996 an illegal fishing camp was discovered at Garranali, a sacred Aboriginal area in East Arnhem Land. It instigated the local Yolŋu people to begin painting a series of barks that demonstrated the rules, philosophies and stories of their region. The end result was the production of 80 barks portraying the Saltwater Country of East Arnhem Land.
The Yolŋu people are intrinsically linked to the land and the saltwater coastline. In 1963 a Swiss mining company began plans to build a mine in their traditional lands. In opposition the Aboriginal community organised a petition that was signed on bark and sent to Parliament. The Yolŋu went to court to challenge the proposed development of the mining company and Australian Government. Their claims of land ownership were dismissed and the development of the mine continued. This historic event highlighted the issue of Aboriginal land rights to the Australian public.
In 1976 the Aboriginal Land Rights Act was passed in the Northern Territory, now seen as the benchmark in the recognition of Aboriginal land rights. The Yolŋu were decreed the legal owners of northeast Arnhem Land, however their ownership did not extend into the Saltwater coastline. Dr Gawirrin Gumana became a major litigant in the 2005 Federal Court Blue Mud Bay decision that granted inter-tidal rights to traditional owners. Yet it was only in July 2008 have Indigenous rights and use of the Arnhem Land coast been given precedence over commercial interests and fishing. The issue of Aboriginal land rights, customs and laws continues to be contentious in the Australian legal system and wider community.
SignificanceThis bark was painted as part of the Saltwater Project by the Yolŋu people. It was used as evidence in court hearings to argue Indigenous claims to land and sea title in East Arnhem Land. It is representative of the Dhalwaŋu clan in the homeland of Baraltja.
