From Biranybirany

Artist Miṉiyawany Yunupiŋu (1947-2008)

Date1998

Object number00033802

NameBark painting

MediumNatural pigments on bark

DimensionsOverall: 1810 × 1050 mm, 7.9 kg

ClassificationsArt

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

Collections

Gapu-Monuk ~ Saltwater

Terms

DescriptionThis bark painting depicts the saltwater of Caledon Bay where it meets the freshwater of Biranybirany in East Arnhem Land. It portrays a number of ancestral animals that are fundamental to the Indigenous community. Four Djunungayanu (dugong) are feeding on sea grass and the Malara (manta ray) is shown with Guwarrtji, the Hawkesbill turtle. At the centre of the painting is a depiction of Bäru, the ancestral crocodile in its nest. While nine stingrays are shown in underwater wells with the scared storm cloud Wanupini gathering on the horizon.HistoryIn 1996 an illegal fishing camp was discovered at Garranali, a sacred Aboriginal area in East Arnhem Land. The sacred area is home to the ancestral crocodile Bäru and found among the litter of the illegal camp was the severed head of a crocodile. 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 is indicative of the people belonging to the Yirritja moiety of the Gumatj clan in the homeland of Biranybirany. It is one of 80 barks painted for the Saltwater Project by the Yolŋu people in an attempt to express their land ownership, rights and laws.