DONNY WOOLAGOODJA et. al.

Painted at Mowanjum in 2007

This unusual and culturally important work was painted by senior artists,Donny Woolagoodja and Gudu Mungulu, assisted by Gabriella Dolby, Leah Umbagai, Mildred Mungulu and Margaret Mungulu, artists from the Mowanjum Community, near Derby in the Kimberley region of North West Australia

At a meeting in February 2006, Mowanjum artists decided that they would self publish their commemorative 50th Anniversary Community History book. Rather than seeking funding from a government body, they decided that they would raise the money themselves with a painting that could represent the peoples of Mowanjum

Mowanjum Aboriginal Community was created in 1956 when Ngarinyin, Worrorra and Wunambal people were relocated away from their homelands in the north west Kimberley, to a reserve 10 kilometres from the town of Derby

Mowanjum peoples share their beliefs about the magnificent Wanjinas who created mountains and rivers and other features of their homeland and then left their paintings during the Dreamtime at rock shelters throughout Worrorra, Ngarinyin and Wunambal lands

The Wanjina is highly revered by the people because it gave the law, culture and language. Every person has an Ungud spirit created by the Wanjinas that is an animal or a plant. When someone dies they go back to being that animal and back to the Wanjina spirits. Today each and every individual has their own animal that belongs to them

Over the past several years, there has been an outpouring of artistic creativity at Mowanjum, as people have turned their talents to painting Wanjinas on paper and canvas. Wanjinas and their expression as art received global attention when a giant mural of the Worrora Wanjina Namarali, designed by Donny Woolagoodja, was featured in the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games

This work depicts the three main Wanjinas, Namarali, Wannalirri, and Rimmijmuddu pertaining to the three language groups of the Mowanjum people, Worrora, Ngarinyin, and Wunambul. The belief in Wanjina as the supreme creator is unique to these three language groups. Also included are all Ungud animals and representations of Wodoi and Jungun, the nightjar birds which denote the Wunan marriage moieties. Several other important law aspects are also included, including Dumbi [Owl] and Jilinya [Female Spirit], and Ngallagunda, [Snake dreaming]

The artists continue to use the restrained palette of traditional ochre colours, and follow the forms of sacred ancestral paintings in rock shelters richly scattered throughout the North Kimberley. This painting is a cultural map of the major belief systems of the Mowanjum peoples