Larrakitj 'Mittji' by Mr. Wanambi
Object No. 2021/59/1
Manymak I think good. Good to show it to all different people around the world about the Eucalypt. It is not only sacred Gaḏayka (Eucalyptus tetradonta - Stringybark). But we can use the bark and ḻarrakitj which old people have given to us for painting. That tree has sacred names: Wanambi, Binykurrngu, Mawulul. It is a person of my clan, the Marrakulu. I am happy that this identity is me. That’s the object and I am the person. The person who belongs to that. When we cut the skin or bark and use it in the Law it can cleanse us. When the skin has been cut from the trunk that is the bone of us, the Waṉambi people. I have left some trees as they are to show the stages of art making from the beginning to the end. And the end product is all there. When the spirit men chop the ancestral tree it fell into the water known as Guḏultja. And there the honey children came. When we see the flowers blossoming we sing dhaŋarra and it reminds us of the spirits of people who have gone and will bloom again. Djoluwa, Gatjinydji, Dhaltangu - Artist Statement - Mr. Wanambi, 2021 Mr. Wanambi is a member of the Marrakulu clan and a senior Yolngu artist with Buku Larrngaay Mulka Art Centre in Yirrkala, in East Arnhem Land. He is renowned for his painted works on bark using natural pigments and his unique larrakitj (traditional memorial poles). Larrakitj are ceremonially used as an ossuary erected as a memorial to the deceased at the conclusion of a funerary ceremony, eventually eroding and returning Yolngu to back Country. Prepared by Nina Earl, Assistant Curator, 2021
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Summary
Object Statement
Larrakitj, 'Mittji', (1 of 12) white clay, natural pigment, acrylic fixative on Gadayka (Darwin Stringybark or Eucalyptus tetradonta), made by Mr. Wanambi, Yirrkala, Northern Territory, Australia, c.2021
Physical Description
Mittji, painted larrakitj, white clay, natural pigment, acrylic fixative on stringybark.
DIMENSIONS
Height
2550 mm
Width
260 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
These larrikitj have been made by Yolngu artist, Mr. Wanambi. There are twelve poles in this collection as the artist explains, “one larrakitj can’t stand by itself; it needs a family”. This family of larrikitj are an example of one of the earliest forms of design in Australia and show the stages of making; the bark is stripped white ochre is painted and a final design applied. The finished larrakitj in this family show Wanambi’s fish designs which follow the natural bumps and hollows of the timber, reflecting the pools and holes in which the fish swam.
HISTORY
Notes
Mr. Wanambi is an artist from north-east Arnhem Land who works primarily using earth pigments on bark and larrakitj (hollow log coffins), as well as making limited edition prints. His father, Mithili Wanambi, died before he was able to learn from him to any great degree. He began painting in 1997 as part of an artistic program called the Saltwater project. His arm of the Marrakulu clan is responsible for saltwater imagery, which had not been painted intensively since his father's death in 1981. His caretakers, or Djunggayi—principally the late Yanggarriny Wunungmurra—transferred their knowledge of these designs to him, so that the title to saltwater could be asserted. Some of these designs were outside even his father's public painting repertoire. Bio supplied by Wanambi’s representative gallery, Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre The Powerhouse acknowledges that a Sorry Name is currently in place for this Artist, as they have since passed away. This name has been provided by the artists community to ensure adherence to their cultural protocols.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Purchased 2021
Acquisition Date
30 June 2021
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