Gali Yalkarriwuy Gurruwiwi facts for kids

Gali Yalkarriwuy Gurruwiwi (born 1942, died 2020) was a famous Aboriginal Australian artist. He came from Elcho Island (Galiwin'ku), which is off the coast of Northeast Arnhem Land. Gali was a leader of the Yolngu Mala people and represented the Gälpu clan. He was also an important member of the Galiwin'ku Uniting Church. He was best known for his special artworks called Morning Star poles. These poles have been shown in big art shows around the world, even in London and the United States! Gali was unique because he mixed traditional Yolngu beliefs with Christian ideas in his art.

Gali's Life Story

Gali Yalkarriwuy Gurruwiwi was born in 1942 on Milingimbi Island. His family had moved there during World War II. After the war, Gali and his family moved to a new church mission on Elcho Island.

Gali's father, Gapuka, was the last person in his clan who knew the deep stories of the Morning Star, or Banumbirr, tradition. In the late 1950s, the Yolngu people on Elcho Island felt that the church missionaries were not respecting their traditional culture. After many talks, some Yolngu leaders decided to share some of their sacred objects and designs. They wanted to show that their traditional beliefs made sense and could fit with Christian ideas.

Later, Gapuka made a Morning Star pole without human bone or hair. This meant it was not sacred or complete. He gave it as a gift to help the missionaries understand Yolngu culture better.

From a young age, Gali learned the important meanings of the Banumbirr from his father. Growing up at the church mission, Gali also learned a lot about Christianity. He went to church regularly. Like his father, Gali believed that the old Ancestral laws and Christian stories worked well together. He saw them as helping each other. Gali said he had a special moment as a young boy when he learned that Jesus is compared to the morning star in the Bible. This helped him see that Yolngu and Christian beliefs could be connected. He felt it showed that the Banumbirr tradition was important for everyone.

Gali passed away in 2020.

His Art Career

After learning the Banumbirr tradition from his father, Gali made many Morning Star poles. He sold and showed these poles in exhibitions. As a Galpu clan leader and a senior ritual specialist, Gali had a special role in his community. He was responsible for teaching parts of the Morning Star tradition to his family. He also worked to keep the Yolngu culture alive.

In 2011, Gali won the Wandjuk Marika 3D Memorial Award. This was at the 28th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards. He was a finalist in these important awards eight times (1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2009, and 2011).

In 2015, Gali was in the national news. He traveled 3000 kilometers to perform a traditional dance called Lunggurrma. He danced with his granddaughter Sasha at her Year 10 graduation. Gali's wife, Jane Garrutju, said her husband was "very strong in teaching his grandchildren to hold on to their values, to be able to balance Western culture and our culture." In recent years, Gali created and showed Morning Star poles with his son, Trevor Barrarra Gurruwiwi.

The Morning Star Poles

Banumbirr is the Yolngu name for the Morning Star. This star often appears in Yolngu art from the Dhuwa moiety. In Yolngu tradition, an old woman hides the Morning Star in a woven bag during the day. At dawn, the star travels across the sky above Arnhem Land. It announces that a new day is coming. The bright light of Banumbirr guided the Djang'kawu Sisters. These two ancestral beings traveled from east to west across Arnhem Land. They helped shape the world. The spirits who dance for the Morning Star sing songs. These songs connect the clans who know and care for the Banumbirr tradition.

Morning Star poles are made for ceremonial dances and rituals. They are built to move with the dancer. They also show the bigger story of the ceremony. The Morning Star dance is often used in Yolngu funeral ceremonies. It helps guide the spirit to rest.

The Galpu Morning Star poles that Gali made are long, thin wooden poles. They have clan designs painted on them using natural ochre colors. Bark fiber strings with feather tassels hang down from the pole. These represent the different clans who are guardians of the Banumbirr tradition. The very top of the pole has a tuft of feathers. These feathers represent the Morning Star itself. Traditional Banumbirr poles include human bone and hair. However, the poles Gali made for art shows and sale do not. This means they are not complete or sacred.

Gali connected the Morning Star pole to Christian beliefs. He said the backbone of the pole points towards God. He also said the feathers reflect the Star of David. Gali's personal Christian faith was not always obvious in his poles or dancing. However, Gali believed that God speaks through the sacred ancestral designs. He said he felt the spiritual presence of Jesus when he created his Morning Star poles.

Art Collections

Gali's artworks are held in many important art collections, including:

• Art Gallery of New South Wales
• Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College
• Monash University Museum of Art
• Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
• Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
• National Gallery of Australia
• National Gallery of Victoria

Major Exhibitions

Gali's work has been shown in many significant art exhibitions around the world. Some of these include:

• 1996-2003: The Native Born: Objects and Representations from Ramingining, Arnhem Land. This exhibition traveled to the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney, the Sprengel Museum in Germany, and the Asia Society Museum in New York, among other places.
• 2009: Floating Life: Contemporary Aboriginal Fibre Art. Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, QLD.
• 2012-2013: Crossing Cultures: The Owen and Wagner Collection of Contemporary Aboriginal Australian Art. This show was at the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, and the Toledo Museum of Art.