Images(3)

Rätjuk (Barramundi)

Date2018

Object number00055924

NameFish carving

MediumEarth pigment on wood

DimensionsOverall: 175 × 700 × 75 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection

Collections

Terms

DescriptionThis is Balin (Lates calcarifer) by Guykuḏa Munuŋgurr. Or more properly Rätjuk which is the name for young male Barramundi found in freshwater before they change sex to female and swim out to the ocean. Balin is the public name used by the Yolŋu for the fish Barramundi. It has other deeper names - sacred of a secret nature because of reference to the enigmatic nature of a Yirritja Creator Ancestor and the ability for the fish to be androgynous, going upstream, from salt to fresh to spawn and changing its sex. Yolŋu often depict Balin in their art as a companion to other ancestral beings. Balin is strongly associated with Baraltja and Dhalinybuy. Gany'tjurr the Reef heron is a companion. It is the archetypal male Yirritja moiety hunter with stealth and grace. This work is a decorative piece. HistoryThis work is a decorative piece. It is made from renewable wood which is usually harvested from the tree in the dry season. Preferred woods are Maiwan (Hibiscus Tiliaceus), Gunhirr (Blind-Your-Eye-Mangrove), Wuduku (mangrove wood), Barrata (Kapok). The first activity is to enter the monsoon vine thicket and cut the wood and carry it back to the vehicle. Often a long hike through prickly vines and scrub. The wood is skinned and left to dry for a short period. It is then shaped by knife or axe. After the surface is sanded smooth a layer of red paint is usually the first to go down. The paints used are earth pigments. The red (Meku), yellow (Gaqgul) and black (Gurrqan) are provided by rubbing rocks of these colours against a grinding stone and then adding water and PVA glue in small quantities. A new batch of paint is prepared or renewed every few minutes as it dries or is used up. After an outline of the composition is laid down the Marwat or crosshatching commences. This is applied using a brush made of a few strands of straight human hair usually from a young woman or girl. The artist charges the Marwat (brush) with the paint and then paints away from themselves in a straight line. Each stroke requires a fresh infusion of pigment. The last layer to be applied is almost always the white clay (Gapan) which is made from kaolin harvested from special sites. This also has water and glue added after being crushed into a fine powder. An alternative to painting the cross hatching is to use a razor to incise fine lines and reveal the light coloured wood underneath. Most works are made in the Homelands as a means of obtaining extra income to defray the huge expenses of travel and freight residents suffer from. SignificanceGuykuḏa Munuŋgurr is the only full time artist at his Homeland of Garrthalala (Caledon Bay).

He has distinguished himself as a completely innovative sculptor who pioneers new materials and techniques.
One of the themes that he has pursued is the natural representation of animal species without reference to their sacred identity. This is one such work.

However for stricter adherents of Yolŋu law the naturalistic representation of totemic species is a sacrilege. Despite his protestations of innocence in representing figurative sculpture of crocodiles (which are related to his mother's clans respectively) he was counselled away from this approach. In Yolŋu law Rangga or sacred objects are never revealed and their shape can only be guessed at. It is assumed that it was the similarity of these manifestations of totems with such raqga which caused elders to veto his naturalistic representations of species. He specifically disavows any sacredness for these works. They are 'just art' or 'just for fun'.

An area where he has been able to play with form and not attract negative attention is in his representations of fish. This work is part of a series begun in 2018. As a Homeland resident living on the coast of a vibrant sea estate which includes estuaries and coral reefs, big rivers and ocean he feeds himself and his family with his knowledge of the land. This familiarity allows him to shape these sculptures from memory not from images or life.