One of Arnhem Land's most famous Aboriginal artists
Djawida Nadjongorle
Date of Birth: 1/1/1943
Region: Gunbalanya (Oenpelli) Western Arnhem Land, NT
Country: Kudjekbinj, Djalbangurr
Language: Kunwinjku Language Group: Mayali
Social Affiliations: Dhuwa moiety, Nakodjok subsection
COLLECTIONS HELD:
Artbank, Sydney.
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth.
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra.
The Holmes a Court Collection, Perth.
The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, U.S.A.
Museum and Art Gallery of N.T.
AWARDS:
1985, First Prize, National Aboriginal Art Award, Northern
Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences, Darwin.
EXHIBITIONS:
1984, The First National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of
the Northern Territory, Darwin
1984, Aboriginal Art, an Exhibition Presented by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Canberra
1985, The Second National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery
of the Northern Territory, Darwin
1986, The Art of the First Australians, Kobe City Museum, Japan
1986, The Third National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery
of the Northern Territory, Darwin
1986, My Country, My Story, My Painting: Recent Paintings by Twelve Arnhem Land
Artists, National Gallery of Australia exhibition at the Drili Hall Gallery. Canberra
1987, Art and Aboriginality, Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth, UK
1988, Dreamings, the art of Aboriginal Australia, The Asia Society Galleries, New York.
1989, A Myriad of Dreaming: Twentieth Century Aboriginal Art, Westpac Gallery,
Melbourne; Design Warehouse Sydney [through Lauraine Diggins Fine Art]
1989, Aboriginal Art: The Continuing Tradition, National Gallery of Australia. Canberra
1990, Balance 1990: views, visions, influences, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.
1990, I'ete Australien a' Montpellier, Musee Fabre Galiery, Montpellier, France.
1990, Spirit in Land, Bark Paintings from Arnhem Land, National Gallery of Victoria
1990, Keepers of the Secrets, Aboriginal Art from Arnhemland, Art Gallery of
Western Australia, Perth
1991, Flash Pictures, National Gallery of Australia
1995, The Twelfth National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery
of the Northern Territory, Darwin.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Caruana, W.,1993, Aboriginal Art, Thames and Hudson, London. (C)
Diggins, L. (ed.), 1989, A Myriad of Dreaming: Twentieth Century Aboriginal Art, exhib.
cat., Malakoff Fine Art Press, North Caulfield, Victoria.
Johnson, V.,1987, Art and Aboriginality, exhib. cat., Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth, UK. O'Ferrall, M.
1990, Keepers of the Secrets, Aboriginal Art from Arnhemland in the Collection of
the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth. (C)
Ryan, J.,1990, Spirit in Land, exhib. cat., National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
Sutton, P. (ed.),1988, Dreamings: the Art of Aboriginal Australia, Viking, Ringwood,
Victoria. (C)
Wallace, D., Desmond, M., Caruana, W.,1991, Flash Pictures, exhib. cat., National
Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
1994, Kunwinjku Art from Injalak 1991-1992, The John W. Kluge Commission, Museum
Arts International Pty. Ltd., North Adelaide.
Cat No. A3012
Size 153 x 102 cm
Natural ochres on Arches Rives paper
NAWURRA,
Ancestral Being of the Stone Country
Nawurra was the first and most powerful Ancestral Being of the Stone Country, which lies between Oenpelli and Maningrida. He was a very tall man who had two wives, and all three could change the shape of their faces into birds, crocodiles or serpents.
Aborigines believe that Nawurra still inhabits the Stone Country, but nowadays nobody can see him. During his wanderings in the Dreamtime he created sacred and secret sites and taught Aboriginal people the laws by which they were to live, and the song cycles to be performed in ceremonies so that young men would learn about their ancient history and religion. He also placed tabus on certain foods, and declared that the best parts of the food were to be given to old initiated men.
Nawurra taught men how to make spears and woomeras for hunting and fish traps from woven cane and vines, while his two wives taught Aboriginal women the art of weaving dilly bags from pandanus leaves These dilly bags were to be used by women when out hunting, suspending the bags from their heads so that their hands would be left free for food gathering or to attend to their children. Nawurra admired these dilly bags so much that he asked his women to make ceremonial ones for the men. They were to be the same shape as the women's hunting bags, but the pandanus was to be dyed with varying colours and have tiny parrakeet feathers of red and green interwoven through the pandanus. In these the men could carry special totems, small weapons, and food for ceremonies. Men's dilly bags were to be worn over their shoulders.
Like all Dreamtime Ancestral Beings, Nawurra could change his shape at will, and the one he most assumed was that of Ngalyod, the all powerful Rainbow Serpent, who created sacred sites and is the controller of the seasons, the Wet and the Dry. He is given great honour in ceremonies so that he will remain happy, because if he considers that any Aborigine is offending against tribal law or disturbs him with loud noises or cooking smells when he is sleeping, he can bring down great floods and then swallow the victim.
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