The wild plum tree at Djarrakpi
(c. 1969)
Medium
earth pigments on Stringybark (Eucalyptus sp.)
Measurements
26.9 × 59.2 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Jim and Rene Davidson, 1980
© The Estate of Narritjin Maymuru, courtesy of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala
Gallery location
Gallery 2
Ground Level, NGV Australia
About this work
Narritjin Maymuru was born around 1916. He was the leader of the Manggalili clan of the Yirritja moiety and an outstanding cultural leader and spokesman for his people. With the growing colonial presence in North-East Arnhem Land, Narritjin saw artistic practice as essential to preserving Manggalili culture and law, and thus advocating for social justice. This yearning culminated in his pivotal role in the painting of the significant Yirrkala Bark Petitions presented to the Federal House of Representatives in 1963. Despite earning acclaim as an artist in the 1960s while living in Garramilla/Darwin, rampant missionisation and government interventionism prevented Narritjin from conducting entrepreneurial activities.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Yirrkala, Northern Territory
Accession Number
O.20-1980
Department
First Nations Australia
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation