This painting illustrates a butterfly, Bonba, which is a part of much bigger stories, the Morning Star, and Bralku, the Dhuwa moiety land of the dead
This motif reflect the artists ancestral inheritance and their dreaming and are referred to as totems.
Name: Selena Munguluma
Language: Ganalbingu
Community: Ramingining
Biography:
Selena Munguluma Malibirr is an early career artist who began painting professionally in 2021. Her style has been shaped by her family, many of whom range from early career to prolific exhibiting artists. Among them is her father, esteemed Yolŋu artist Bobby Bunungurr, and grandmother, Dorothy Djukulul, who was one of the first recognised female artists in Ramingining.
Selena was taught by her father and paints their shared totems. This includes Ganalbingu Banda (long neck turtle), Gumang (magpie geese), Minmin (sulphur-crested cockatoo), Yalman (waterlily), Warrnyu (flying fox), Lidji Lidji (finch), Karr (spider), and others.
“I paint my totem, it’s the same as my dad. It represents my clan, and it belongs to my country, Nyalyindi. When I was a kid, I would see my dad painting, so I know how to paint. But it all belongs to my country and my song lines.”
Selena has kids and is looking forward to teaching them how to paint when they get older.
“I have to tell the story, I also dance, that’s how I share my story.”
Good bush food story This is a story of the artists dreaming and his family. A freshwater story of looking for food, you can see the long-neck turtles and file snakes in the water. It Read more…
Evonne’s Buliya (catfish) dhawu (story) In this painting, Evonne has painted her Mari (mothers, mother) dreaming of Buliya (catfish). This is a freshwater story from Ganalbingu country in the Arafura Wetlands. Evonne’s Mari taught Evonne’s Read more…
Baru Dhawu (Crocodile Story) Baru (the crocodile man), was from the Gumatj clan. People usually call him Gurdu Gurdu or Baru which means crocodile. He lived his life at a place called Yirrkala. Living near Read more…