Milminyina Dhamarrandji

Dhambaḏiny, 2024

EARTH PIGMENTS ON STRINGYBARK
86 × 67 cm
This artwork bears Djambarrpuyŋu clan design that refers to Dhambaliya, an island off the coast of the Nhulunbuy township also known as Bremer Island. Dhambaliya is divided into two clan areas, Ruwak for the Djambarrpuyŋu and Rirratjiŋu clans, to which the artist belongs to, and Gutjaŋan for the Warramirri clan. Within the Ruwak area is the ringitj (sacred ceremonial ground) referred to by the ‘deep’ Djambarrpuyŋu name of Ŋurruyurrdjurr. During ceremony, the men dance in this area with long spears made from mangrove shoots that grow on the island. These spears are named Dhumudal (Djambarrpuyŋu) and Warrarri (Rirratjiŋu). The ceremony refers to Darrpa (the King Brown snake), Wuwarku (Taipan) and Dhambainy (Death Adder).

 After the ceremony these bäpi (snakes) move towards the coast, to a point called Rirrawutha, where they ‘wash’ their teeth in the water, symbolic of a spiritual cleansing. Rirrawutha can been seen from Wirrwawuy, the birthplace of the artist, as upstanding rocks on the Western side of Dhambaliya. These rocks symbolise the snakes. Milminyina notes that the miny’tji (sacred clan design) is similar to the beautiful camouflage of the actual Death Adder. A sacred site in the Djamburrpuyŋu area of the island is dedicated to the serpent Dhambainy. The epic song poetry of this place focuses upon the natural spring there, and the creation of a ceremonial sand sculpture. The arm of the Djambarrpuyŋu clan living in this area is small in number, and Dhamarrandji is the senior custodian of this songline. In 2013 she presided over a ceremony to ensure the renewal of the Law. This involved four days of manikay (sacred song) and buŋgul (ceremonial dance) by over 50 clanspeople of all ages. During the ceremony the songmen sang 110 separate songs related to this place in six sessions over the four days. The families cleansed the sacred spring to a depth of 150 cm, renewing the fresh water supply. They tended to old grave sites and sang into existence a thirty-metre sand sculpture, emphasising its outline with a continuous border of white coral from the nearby beach.  Art means a lot from a Yolŋu perspective. When you look at art, every line and the design on it means something to you. It’s from your heritage, your Yolŋu backbone, and it’s your identity as well. It is also connected to the songline and the land.” Milminyina Dhamarrandji

Milminyina was born in 1960 at Wirrwawuy, at 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 yiaki. In the 1990’s 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 begun working on bark paintings and Larrakitj (memorial poles) at Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka, the art centre in Yirrkala. In this context she has begun 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.

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