Wuyal
1990
Medium
earth pigments on Kapok (Ceiba sp.)
Measurements
171.0 × 19.7 cm diameter (figure) 1.2 × 23.0 × 25.0 cm (base) 172.2 × 23.0 × 25.0 cm (overall)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Presented by BP Australia Pty Ltd, 2010
© The Estate of Durndiwuy Wanambi, courtesy of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala
Gallery location
Gallery 5
Level 2, NGV Australia
About this work
A Dhuwal-language speaker of the Dhuwa moiety, Durndiwuy Wanambi was the leader of the Marrakulu clan of north-east Arnhem Land. This work centres Wuyal, the ‘sugarbag man’, an important ancestor of the Marrakulu clan. The significant cultural story of Wuyal is focused on men’s business and ceremony. It charts the ancestral being’s travels from the sacred Marrakulu homeland of Gurka’wuy, via Yuḏuyuḏu, Cape Shield, Trial Bay and the Goyder River, to reach the ceremonial ground of Wandjipuy, located near Buffalo Creek and Mount Saunders. On this journey Wuyal shaped the landscape and named sacred sites and animals.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Yirrkala, Northern Territory
Accession Number
2010.143
Department
First Nations Australia
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation