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Milminyina was born in 1960 at Wirrwawuy, the northernmost point of the Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory. She is the daughter of Gumatj woman Rrirraliny Yunupiŋu and Gunguyuma Dhamarrandji. Her märi’s (mother’s mother) clan is Rirratjiŋu, the landowners of Yirrkala, who share many sacred designs with the Djambarrpuyŋu clan, which Milminyina also belongs to.
Until recently, the main theme Dhamarrandji painted was the crescent shapes of Rulyapa, the saltwater country estates shared by these two groups. She was taught to paint and weave by her mother, having grown up watching her work. As a young woman, Dhamarrandji sold paintings on canvas and assisted with painting yiḏaki. In the 1990s, she attended workshops at Wollongong University on printing and etching.
After relocating to her märi’s land and on to Gälaru, Dhamarrandji expanded her practice and began working on bark paintings and Larrakitj (memorial poles) at Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka, the art centre in Yirrkala. In this context, she has started to explore the songlines connected to Dhambadiŋ (Death Adders) on Bremer Island. In 2024, she was selected as a finalist in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards and was awarded Highly Commended for her bark painting.
Established in 2021, the National Emerging Art Prize was created to provide an annual, highly visible national platform to identify, promote and support the most promising emerging visual and ceramic artists in Australia.
