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Biography:
View
Don
Tjungurrayi
Curriculum Vitae
page 406 Australian
Encyclopedia 2004 Aboriginal Artists dictionary of biographies.
Don
Tjungurrayi was born in Yupurirri, then went to Yuendumu school und
worked later as a drover and boundary rider. He has painted since the
end of the 70´s and won the Alice Springs Art Prize in 1986. His
artworks are to be found in collections in the USA and Australia.
AWARDS:
1986 Alice Springs Prize
COLLECTIONS:
Don
Tjungurrayi work is represented in important
private and corporate collections in
Australia
and
international collections including
The Holmes a Court
Collection;
The
Kerry Stokes Collection, Australia;
Wollongong City Art Gallery;
The Victorian Art Centre, Melbourne;
Ebes Collection; Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs; Museum and
Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin;
Holmes
a Court collection, Perth;
Art Gallery of Western
Australia Perth;
Art Gallery of South
Australia Adelaide;
Art Galley Northern Territory Darwin;
Broken Hill Art Gallery; Art Bank Sydney; National Art Gallery Queensland, Museum
Queensland.
Unlike
the Western world the Aboriginal people inherit stories called
“dreaming”. Each story may include songs, ceremonial dances and rituals
creating unique beliefs that the Aboriginal people live by. All stories
and beliefs are related to the land and thus the land is great
importance to them. The land is the keeper of the stories and must be
kept safe for all time so that the stories, which are told in paintings,
can be preserved.In modern dot representation is the sacred aspect of
painting is not always completely revealed but the meaning, transmitted
through symbols remains, and can be understood.
Dreamtime
They believe that the Universe was created by spirits (mystical beings)
setting the blueprint for all time the way human may govern their
conduct. The spirits gathered their food, dug for water, performing
ceremonies as the Aboriginal do it today but the landscape stay
unchanged. During the Creation Time spirits shaped all the landscape;
hills and water holes and given humans all the sacred laws. That time
was known as “Dreamtime” and it came to the end and their ancestor
changed into landscape, they turn into a rock or mountain range, an
isolated hill, river or even trees arose to mark the place. They look
upon these spirits creators as ancestors. Aboriginal believe in an
existing connection to their ancestor spirit and to the land. They are
spiritual biological beings appreciative of the fragility of the nature
and making an effort to live in harmony with the environment. Since
every Aboriginal descent of the mythical beings of the “Dreamtime” each
person is linked by myth and tribal relationship with the landscape, the
rocks and watercourses, and everything else in his tribal country.
Philosophy of life
The
philosophy of life, known as Dreamtime (Tjurrkurpa) is based on
tradition conceived by totemic ancestors. Men and women believe to be
direct descendants in spirit of “mythical architects” who created the
land and different totems; kangaroo, Emu, turkey, lizards and the land
in which they live. They feel special affinity with their related totem
animal species. It is
believed that sacred ceremonies have to be re-enacted on a regular basis
to maintain the animal species and ensure survival of the humans.
Each
family owns a special area of land and must protect sacred sites
representing their personal totems Dreamtime spirits. People travel long
distances from all directions to participate in the initiation
ceremonies and to educate the young. The journey could last days or
several months and women hunt and collect food during the voyage.
Aboriginal Secret language
A
concentric circle represents a waterhole or a meeting place.
An oval shape symbolize a coolamon which is a wooden bowl used to carry food, water and
even babies.
Didgeridoo
originated from a northern part of Australia and it is a musical
instrument producing profound and remarkable rhythmic sound. It is made
from a hollow small tree or a branch of a tree eaten out by termites.
Music sticks comprise of a pair wooden sticks and used in
ceremonies as a common drumming instrument to keep the rhythm of the
song and dance and to accompany the didgeridoo.
Boomerang are made of mulga-wood and often used by men as a music
drumming instrument for ceremonies, there are some variation in length
and thickness. Returning boomerangs are mainly found in lake and swamp
areas used traditionally by men to scare birds from water ways into
pre-nests.
Digging
sticks
are simple hardwood sticks with sharpen and fired harden point mainly
used by women for digging water, lizards, rabbits, witchetty grubs and
edible roots. |
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