Mäṉa (The shark)
(c. 1984)
Medium
earth pigments on Stringybark (Eucalyptus sp.)
Measurements
120.0 × 42.0 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Presented through The Art Foundation of Victoria by Dr Milton Roxanas, Governor, 1998
© The Estate of Djutadjuta Mununggurr, courtesy of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala
Gallery location
Gallery 2
Ground Level, NGV Australia
About this work
Djutadjuta Mununggurr was the son of the great Djapu clan leader Wonggu, who was a resistance fighter in opposition to settler engagement on Yolŋu lands. Mununggur was married to Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, who he taught to illustrate Djapu designs. Mäṉa, the ancestral shark, once travelled through the coast of the Dhuwa moiety’s Country, marking the land as they moved and imparting cultural narratives to the peoples they came across.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Wandawuy, Northern Territory
Accession Number
1998.150
Department
First Nations Australia
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation