item details
NameThe legend of the Djang’kawu
ProductionMilirrpum Marika; artist; 1976; Australia
Classificationpaintings, bark paintings
Materialsbark, red ocher, pigment, yellow ocher
Materials Summarynatural pigments on eucalyptus bark
DimensionsOverall: 635mm (width), 1295mm (length), 5mm (depth)
Registration NumberFE006910
Credit lineGift of the Australian Government, 1976
Overview
The artist Milirrpum Marika described the Djang’kawu as ‘a very important narrative [creation story] … Our Djang’kawu … this is ours only. The base, foundation, culture … of the Dhuwa moiety [group] and its various songs.’
Marika was born into a well-known family of artists – four brothers led by the eldest, Mawalan I. Mawalan helped raise Mutitjpuy Mununggurr and taught him how to paint. The Marika family were not just artists but passionate activists and key players in historic land-rights cases.