We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Art Gallery of NSW stands.

Title

Untitled

circa 1930s

Artist

attrib. Woŋgu Munuŋgurr

Australia

1884 – 1958

Language group: Djapu, Arnhem region

  • Details

    Other Title
    Untitled (Fishing Scene / Saltwater Story / Maccassan Story)
    Place where the work was made
    Yirrkala North-east Arnhem Land Northern Territory Australia
    Date
    circa 1930s
    Media category
    Bark painting
    Materials used
    natural pigments on bark
    Dimensions
    69.5 x 72.0 cm bark (irreg.); 74.0 x 71.6 cm board
    Signature & date

    Not signed. Not dated.

    Credit
    Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation Purchase 1997
    Location
    Not on display
    Accession number
    357.1997
    Copyright
    © Estate of Wonggu Mununggurr courtesy Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Arts

    Reproduction requests

    Artist information
    attrib. Woŋgu Munuŋgurr

    Works in the collection

    1

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  • About

    Mäw' Munuŋgurr's life spanned a crucial era in the history of the Yolŋu people of north-east Arnhem Land. He was one of the older sons of Woŋgu Munuŋgurr (c.1880-1959), the famous Djapu clan leader who led resistance to incursions on his land before the establishment of the Methodist Yirrkala Mission in 1935. Mäw' was imprisoned for a year in Fannie Bay Gaol in Darwin following a skirmish at Caledon Bay in 1933 in which the crew of a Japanese pearling boat were killed. During World War II he was a member of Donald Thomson's Aboriginal observer force, patrolling the shores of Arnhem Land looking for any signs of Japanese invasion. Woŋgu, in collaboration with his older sons including Mäw', painted for Thomson an enormous bark painting of the main settlement site, 'Wandawuy: Wet season painting', 1942, now in the Melbourne Museum.

    After the war, Mäw' settled at Yirrkala, making frequent visits to his Country around Caledon Bay and Trial Bay. He was a prolific painter, producing works for anthropologists Ronald and Catherine Berndt in 1946 and 1947, and for Charles Mountford's American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land in 1948. Mäw' produced bark paintings throughout his life, and during his final years he worked intensely to help his clan establish Wandawuy. Painting for sale was only a minor part of his artistic output. Mäw' was a great singer, dancer and ceremonial leader, and was frequently called upon to produce paintings of his own clan and his mother's clan in ceremonies. He was a leader of the spectacular 'Dhanbul (Morning Star)' exchange ceremony which he depicts in 'Banumbirr (Morning Star ceremony)', 1948, and 'The Morning Star ceremony', c.1960 – and took it to Groote Eylandt and Numbulwarr.

    Mäw's style of painting is often reserved. Many of his early paintings comprise multiple figurative representations of fish and animals, with broad areas of crosshatching in a single colour. These paintings were in continuity with some of the earlier Yolŋu barks representing daily scenes that were among the first produced for the Rev. Wilbur Chaseling, who established Yirrkala Mission. Towards the end of his life, Mäw's paintings emphasised the story of Mana, the Djapu shark, and the shark itself often provided the dominant image. He also continued to create the paintings of his mother's clan, the Munyuku, and related Yirritja moiety clans.

    Howard Morphy in 'Tradition today: Indigenous art in Australia', Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2004

    © Art Gallery of New South Wales

  • Places

    Where the work was made

    Yirrkala

  • Exhibition history

    Shown in 1 exhibition

    • One sun, one moon, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 03 Jul 2007–02 Dec 2007

  • Bibliography

    Referenced in 5 publications