Images(4)

Yathikpa

Artist Djambawa Marawili AM (1953)

Date1998

Object number00033799

NameBark painting

MediumNatural pigments on bark

DimensionsOverall: 1450 × 570 mm, 1.6 kg

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with the assistance of Stephen Grant of the GrantPirrie Gallery

Collections

Gapu-Monuk ~ Saltwater

Terms

DescriptionPainting on bark by Djambawa Marawili depicting an aerial view of the sacred saltwater of Yathikpa and four icons associated with the Ancestral dugong hunt. These consist of the sacred submerged rock Marrtjala, the swimming dugong, the hunter’s canoe and their floating paddle. The artist has used the miny'tji (sacred clan design) to represent the beach, saltwater, Ancestral fire and people of Yathikpa to express their title to the Saltwater Country in East Arnhem Land.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. 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 traditional Yolŋu of East Arnhem Land. It represents the people belonging to the Yirritja moeity of the Madarrpa clan in the homeland of Baniyala. The paintings are an attempt by the Indiegnous community to educate outsiders about their stories, laws and customs.