Narritjin Maymuru facts for kids

Narritjin Maymuru (who passed away in 1981) was an amazing Yolngu artist and activist. He was famous for his beautiful bark paintings. He started painting in the 1940s, after working as a cook.

After many years of creating art, in 1979, he and his son became special visiting artists at the Australian National University. His daughter, Galuma Maymuru, has also become a well-known Australian artist. Narritjin passed away in 1981. His time in Canberra was even made into a documentary film called Narritjin in Canberra by Ian Dunlop.

Narritjin Maymuru's Art Journey

Narritjin Maymuru's first paintings that we still have today were made in 1946. They were asked for by people studying cultures, like Ronald and Catherine Berndt. He also made many artworks for Charles P. Mountford, who led an American-Australian science trip to Arnhem Land.

In the 1950s, Narritjin mostly made carvings from polished wood. But by the early 1960s, he was seen as one of the most famous Yolngu artists. In 1962, Narritjin Maymuru helped start and paint the important Yirrkala Church Panels. In 1963, he also helped create the Yirrkala Bark Petitions.

Narritjin Maymuru is known as a founder of the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre. This is an art center run by the community in Yirrkala. In the 1960s, Narritjin Maymuru set up his own small art gallery right on the beach. From there, he sold art that is now in many big museums and private collections around the world. This small beach shelter has grown into a successful business owned by the Yolngu people. It now sells and shows art globally.

In 1963, Narritjin Maymuru performed in Sydney and Melbourne with a group of Yolngu dancers. This was part of a tour with the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust. During this tour, Narritjin Maymuru had his own art show in Sydney. Through this show, he met Jim Davidson, an art dealer from Melbourne. Because of this connection, Narritjin's art started to be shown in galleries and museums across Australia and overseas, especially in the United States.

By 1978, Narritjin Maymuru and his son Banapana received a special award called the Creative Arts Fellowship. This was given by the Australian National University in Canberra. Narritjin and Banapana were the first Aboriginal artists to get this award. The award included three months working in the arts department at the university. Narritjin Maymuru would give talks in the history and culture departments.

The time Narritjin Maymuru and Banapana spent on their fellowship became the topic of the film Narritjin in Canberra. This film was directed and narrated by Ian Dunlop. The movie shows their experience at the Australian National University. In one part, Narritjin is seen teaching students in a class. He talks about how bark paintings are made and what their meanings are. Near the end of their fellowship, Narritjin and Banapana had an art show of Manggalili art. The film shows the opening night of their exhibition. The film was first released in 1981 and is forty minutes long.

Narritjin Maymuru is still a very famous artist around the world. His paintings are in galleries and museums everywhere. He saw art as a way to share ideas and knowledge. During his life, he wanted to pass on this knowledge through art. In the 1960s, Narritjin taught his daughters Bumiti and Galuma the madayin miny’tji (sacred clan designs). He encouraged them to paint. He was one of the first male artists to share painting knowledge with his daughters. Narritjin strongly believed that art was important for keeping and sharing the Yolngu culture.

The Yirrkala Church Panels

The Yirrkala Church Panels are two large panels, each about four meters (13 feet) tall. They were painted with natural earth colors called ochre. These panels were made to be placed next to the altar in a new church. Eight artists, including Narritjin Maymuru, painted them. The artists came from the two main groups of Yolngu people, called Yirritja and Dhuwa. These two groups make up everything in Yolngu life. The Yirrkala Church Panels did not show any Christian pictures. Instead, they told stories about how the world was created and the journeys of ancient beings across Yolngu land. They also showed sacred designs.

While the Yirrkala Church Panels were being made, a big mining project was planned on Yirrkala land. The panels were partly created to show the Aboriginal people's strong connection to their land and their ownership of it. The church minister, Reverend Edgar Wells, remembered Narritjin Maymuru suggesting "a painting or something" to fight against the land being taken. Painting the church panels was one of the first important statements about Indigenous land rights in Australia. It showed that Aboriginal people owned their country.

The Yirrkala panels were put aside by the church in 1974. But they were saved by the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre in 1978.

Yirrkala Bark Petitions

Narritjin Maymuru also played an important part in creating the Yirrkala Bark Petitions. In 1963, older Yolngu men wrote out petitions and attached them to pieces of bark. These barks were decorated with madayin miny’tji (sacred clan designs). The petitions were written in both English and the Yolngu language. They were given to the Australian Parliament on August 14, 1963. One of the Bark Petitions was from the Yirritja group, and the other was from the Dhuwa group.

The petitions asked that "before they endure the fate of the other dispossessed Australian Indigenous groups that have had their land and sacred sites destroyed, they request that an enquiry be held with appropriate translators so that they may be heard and consulted about the fate of this special place." These bark petitions were the first time Indigenous people formally claimed their native title rights in Australia. The Australian Parliament did not accept the Yirrkala Bark Petitions at that time.

Even though the Yirrkala Bark Petitions were not accepted right away, the Yolngu people eventually gained legal rights to their land in 1978. This happened under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976.

Where to See Narritjin Maymuru's Art

Narritjin Maymuru’s art is kept in many collections around the world, including:

• Art Gallery of New South Wales
• Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection
• National Gallery of Victoria
• National Gallery of Australia
• National Museum of Australia

Important Art Shows

Narritjin Maymuru's art has been shown in many important exhibitions:

• Arnhem Land Art – David Jones Art Gallery in Sydney, Australia (1949).
• Art of Aboriginal Australia – Toured North America (1974-76).
• Dreamings – New York (1988).
• The Continuing Tradition – National Gallery of Australia (1989).
• Crossroads: Towards a New Reality – Japan (1992).
• Aratjara – Toured Europe (1993-94).
• Three Creative Fellows: Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Narritjin Maymuru – Australian National University (2007).
• Ancestral Modern: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Kaplan & Levi Collection – Seattle Art Museum (May 31 – September 2, 2012).
• Yirrkala Drawings - Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia (December 12, 2013 – February 23, 2014).
• Miwatj – La Trobe Art Institute in Bendigo, Australia (May 29 – July 7, 2018).
• Old Masters; Australia’s Great Bark Artists – National Museum of China in Dongcheng, Beijing, China (July 4 – September 2, 2018).
• Blue Chip XXIII – Niagara Galleries in Melbourne, Australia (March 24 – April 17, 2021).