Mawalan Marika facts for kids

Mawalan Marika (born around 1908, died 1967) was an important Aboriginal Australian artist. He was a leader of the Rirratjingu clan, part of the Yolngu people from north-east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. Mawalan Marika is famous for his beautiful bark paintings, carvings, and for working to protect the rights of his people. He is sometimes called Mawalan 1 Marika to tell him apart from another artist with the same name.

Mawalan Marika's Life Story

Mawalan Marika was born in a place called Yirrkala around 1908. His name comes from the mawalan, which is a special digging stick. This digging stick is part of the creation story of his clan, the Rirratjingu. His clan belongs to the Dhuwa moiety, which is one of two main groups in Arnhem Land. Think of a moiety as a big family group that helps organize society and ceremonies.

Mawalan was a very important person for many researchers who study human societies and cultures, called anthropologists. He worked with people like Charles P. Mountford and Ronald Berndt. He was also a strong leader for his community.

Standing Up for Land Rights

Mawalan and his four brothers played a big part in a major event in Australian history. In 1963, they led other clans in presenting the Yirrkala bark petitions to the Australian Government. These petitions were special documents painted on bark. They asked the government to recognize the Yolngu people's traditional ownership of their land.

This action helped lead to the Gove land rights case in 1971. This case was a very important legal battle for Aboriginal land rights in Australia. It showed how much Mawalan and his family cared about their land and culture.

Sharing Culture Through Art

Mawalan Marika was one of the first artists to break from old traditions. He taught his daughters how to paint the sacred madayin clan designs. Usually, only men were taught these designs. By teaching his daughters, he helped make sure this important cultural knowledge would continue.

He also believed it was important to share Yolngu culture with all Australians. In 1935, he helped set up a Methodist mission at Yirrkala. He encouraged the mission to help sell bark paintings. This helped Yolngu artists earn money and share their amazing art with more people.

Mawalan Marika's Art Career

Mawalan Marika created more than 40 artworks. Many of these are now in museums and private collections around the world. In the 1950s, he helped create a way for artists at the Yirrkala mission to sell their bark paintings. He also worked on the Yirrkala Church Panels in 1963. These were large, important artworks for the local church.

Stories in His Paintings

Mawalan often painted the Djang'kawu sisters. These sisters are believed to be the creator beings for the Dhuwa moiety. The Marika family sees themselves as direct descendants of these important figures. Mawalan painted a whole series of works showing the journey of the Djang'kawu sisters across the land. A collection of his bark paintings called Djan'kawu story (1959) is kept at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Besides his paintings, Mawalan Marika was also a very skilled carver and sculptor. His sculptures are painted with clan designs and often decorated with feathers or human hair.

Mawalan's Unique Style

His art style is special to the Dhuwa moiety. It often uses many dots, diagonal lines, and geometric shapes like diamonds. Mawalan was known for using a style where he painted stories in different sections or panels on the bark. He also used dotting techniques and more figures in his art, moving away from some older styles.

A striking feature of many of his paintings is the strong use of yellow ochre. This bright yellow color appears a lot in both his paintings and sculptures. Many of his artworks tell stories about the sacred traditions and ceremonies of his clan.

Art Collections Featuring Mawalan Marika

You can find Mawalan Marika's artworks in these important collections:

• Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
• National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
• National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

Important Art Exhibitions

Mawalan Marika's art has been shown in many significant exhibitions, including:

• Old Masters Exhibition - National Gallery of Australia
• The Art of Arnhem Land - Perth, 1957
• Dreamings - New York, 1988
• Aratjara - Europe, 1993–94
• Yalangbara: Art of the Djang'kawu - National Museum of Australia, 2010–11