Dolly Nampijinpa Daniels

Last updated

Dolly Nampijinpa Daniels
Born1936
Warlukurlangu, Northern Territory, Australia
DiedNovember 2004
Yeundumu, Northern Territory, Australia
NationalityIndigenous Australian
Known forArtwork on Acrylic Canvas
Notable work
The Magic Fire at Warlukurlangu (A Dreaming Narrative)
StyleAncestral Design depicting Aboriginal Dreamtime

Dolly Nampijinpa Daniels (1936 - 2004) was an Australian Aboriginal ritual leader, Warlipiri speaker, renowned artist, and land -rights advocate for the Warlipiri people of the Northern Territory. [1]

Contents

Early life

Dolly Nampijinpa Daniels was born in 1936 [1] at Warlukurlangu, north-west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. She was born in the Australian bush and maintained a spiritual connection to her homeland throughout her life. [2] The meaning of home for Daniels encompassed both the geographical and social landscapes of her home country. [3]

Daniels lived for many years as a traditional nomad, hunting with her family, before moving with her husband to Mt. Doreen station after the death of her father and then onto Yuendumu, an area approximately 300 km north-west of Alice Springs. Alongside a number of Warlipiri people, she was forcibly removed from these lands by authorities and trucked to Lajamanu, another government settlement, but eventually made the journey back to Yuendumu where they settled. [2]

Personal life

Daniels was an active member in the Yuendumu community, a proud Warlipiri speaker [4] and was recognised as ‘boss’ for the women’s ceremonies in her area. [5] She was once described by Galarrwuy Yunupingu as a person “that doesn’t talk much, but had a strong presence and knows who she is and what she’s doing”. [3] Whilst Daniels was a traditional Warlpiri woman, she also showed an early interest in promoting Warlpiri culture beyond the confines of the settlement . Through marriage and family ties Daniels was able to gain fluency in languages and rituals beyond Yuendumu. She went on to use this extensive knowledge to not only educate the Warlipiri, but numerous non-Aboriginal researchers as well, helping several people in the process. [1]

Art

Daniels began painting in the 1980s with the anthropologist Francoise Dussart. [2] She began by painting ancestral designs on acrylic canvas in a style that has become known as Aboriginal ‘dot’ painting. [3] [6] Her paintings adhere very strongly to traditional templates for painting, but creativity can be seen in the handling of the painting, arrangement of the motifs and size and placement of the dots. [7] Her work is made most distinguishable due to their bright colours and intricate patterns. Her works celebrate Australian Aboriginal Dreaming and culture and thoroughly invoked the Warlipiri concepts of ‘country’, ‘home’ and ‘camp’ in her work. She painted both her own and her father’s dreamings and states “it is our story - Aboriginal people’s story”. [5] She was part of the South Australian Museum’s Yuendumu. [8]

In her mission to promote Warlpiri culture, Daniels helped found and subsequently chair the Warlukurlangu Artists Association and Art Centre , [9] which continues to thrive as one of the longest running and most successful Aboriginal-owned art centres in Central Australia. [10]

Exhibitions

Daniels’ first exhibited her work in 1985 at the Araluen Arts Centre in Alice Springs. It was from here that she gained world-renowned acclaim. Her major exhibitions and collaborations are listed below : [4] [10]


A selection of her work is permanently on exhibition in the National Gallery Of Victoria , AM Gallery, Warlukurlangu Arts Centre and the National Museum of African and Oceanic Art, Paris. [12]

Influences

One of the major influences on Daniels’ art has been collaborator, Anne Mosey, also a renowned artist. The pair first met in Central Australia in 1989 and exchanged ideas on modes of representing country and the cultural meaning behind such practices. They have collaborated on several internationally recognised projects, whilst still remaining faithful to their own cultures. [3] Daniels’ family have also had an influential role in her life, particularly her younger sister Evelyn who often painted with Daniels before her death. [13]

Land Rights Activism

Daniels was also a proud land rights activist who was particularly interested in the rights of Indigenous Australian people and their lands. She fought strongly for the rights of Aboriginals to have access to their land in order to live a traditional and sustainable way of life. [14] In her work she maintained strong ties to the Central Land Council and was a key participant in the famous land claims of 1976 and 1984, which returned large tracts of the Central Australian desert back to the Warlpiri people. [1]

Daniels and her team lodged a complaint in December 2000 regarding the area around New Haven Pastoral Station in the case "Nelson v Northern Territory of Australia FCA 1343". In December 2010 it was decided by the federal court that the request would be accepted in the form of a free agreement, as outlined by the team, the area held importance to the Jipalpa- Wintijaru, Pikilyi, Yarripilngu, Karrinyarra and Winparrku landholding groups, to which Daniels had ties to. [14]

Publications and Community Service

Daniels wrote a dreaming narrative, titled “The Magic Fire of Warlukurlangu”, which was published by Kingswood Working Title Press in 2003. The book was aimed towards primary school aged children and retells a traditional tale of Daniels' Dreaming area. This book has been used to educate non-Indigenous children of the Dreamings and their significance. [15]

In her service to the community, Daniels was a loyal member of the Yuendumu night patrol, as locals were concerned about the way in which Aboriginal issues become processed through bureaucracies. [3]

Death

Dolly Nampijinpa Daniels died of cancer in November 2004 surrounded by her kin. [1]

Related Research Articles

Warlpiri people Indigenous Australian people

The Warlpiri, sometimes referred to as Yapa, are a group of Aboriginal Australians defined by their Warlpiri language, although not all still speak it. There are 5,000–6,000 Warlpiri, living mostly in a few towns and settlements scattered through their traditional land in the Northern Territory, north and west of Alice Springs. About 3,000 still speak the Warlpiri language. The word "Warlpiri" has also been romanised as Walpiri, Walbiri, Elpira, Ilpara, and Wailbri.

Dorothy Napangardi was a Warlpiri speaking contemporary Indigenous Australian artist born in the Tanami Desert and who worked in Alice Springs.

Yuendumu Town in the Northern Territory, Australia

Yuendumu is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. It ranks as one of the larger remote communities in central Australia and has a thriving community of Aboriginal artists. Yuendumu lies 293 km northwest of Alice Springs on the Tanami Road, and is a community largely made up of the Warlpiri and Anmatyerr Aboriginal people, with a population of 759 at the 2016 Australian census. Yuendumu is located within the Yuendumu Aboriginal Lands Trust area on traditional Anmatyerr land and includes numerous outstations.

Paddy Japaljarri Stewart was an Australian Aboriginal artist from Mungapunju, south of Yuendumu. He was chairman of the Warlukurlangu Artists Committee. Stewart was one of the artists who contributed to the Honey Ant Dreaming mural on the Papunya school wall in 1971 - the very genesis of the modern Aboriginal art movement.

Judy Napangardi Watson was an Indigenous Australian, senior female painter from the Yuendumu community in the Northern Territory, Australia. Well known for the distinctive style of painting that she developed alongside her sister Maggie Watson who taught her painting skills, she was a significant contributor to contemporary Indigenous Australian art.

Susie Bootja Bootja Napaltjarri was an Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. Born south-west of Balgo, Western Australia, in the 1950s Susie Bootja Bootja married artist Mick Gill Tjakamarra, with whom she had a son, Matthew Gill Tjupurrula.

Peggy Rockman Napaljarri is a Warlpiri-speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. Born on what is now Tanami Downs pastoral station in the Northern Territory, she learned English when working as a child with a white mining family; Peggy Rockman and her family were subsequently relocated by government authorities to Lajamanu, a new community west of Tennant Creek. Peggy Rockman is one of the traditional owners of Tanami Downs.

Takariya Napaltjarri is an Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. She has painted with Papunya Tula artists' cooperative. First exhibited in 1996, her work is held in the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Eileen Napaltjarri is a Pintupi-speaking indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. Eileen Napaltjarri, also known as Anyima Napaltjarri or Nanyuma Napaltjarri, began painting for Papunya Tula artists' cooperative in 1996. She was named as one of Australian Art Collector magazine's 50 Most Collectible artists in 2008; her works are held by the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Louisa Lawson Napaljarri (Pupiya) was a Warlpiri-speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. Louisa commenced painting at Lajamanu, Northern Territory in 1986. Her work is held by the National Gallery of Victoria.

Lucy Napaljarri Kennedy is a Walpiri and Anmatyerre-speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. One of the first Indigenous women artists to paint in acrylics, her work has been exhibited at major galleries around Australia, and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1994 for services to the Yuendumu community.

Helen Nelson Napaljarri, also known as Helen White Napajarri or Helen Spencer Napaljarri, is a Walpiri-speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. A literacy worker in Yuendumu, Northern Territory, Helen began painting with Warlukurlangu Artists in the 1980s. Her paintings are held by the Art Gallery of South Australia and South Australian Museum. She has contributed to several bilingual language books in Walpiri and English.

Linda Yunkata Syddick Napaltjarri is a Pintupi- and Pitjantjatjara- speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. Her father was killed when she was young; her mother later married Shorty Lungkarta Tjungarrayi, an artist whose work was a significant influence on Linda Syddick's painting.

Kitty Pultara Napaljarri is an Anmatyerre-speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. Born at Napperby Station east of Yuendumu, Northern Territory, she worked on the station and first learned to paint there around 1986. Her work is held in the collections of the Art Gallery of South Australia and South Australian Museum.

Sheila Brown Napaljarri was a Warlpiri-speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. A contributor to major collaborative paintings by Indigenous communities, her works are also held by the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the South Australian Museum.

Topsy Gibson Napaltjarri, also known as Tjayika or Tjanika, is a Pintupi-speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region.

Ada Andy Napaltjarri is a Warlpiri– and Luritja–speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. Ada was born near Haasts Bluff, Northern Territory, and has lived in several Northern Territory communities. She began painting in the early 1980s at Alice Springs and probably played a role in the development of interest in painting in the communities in which she has lived.

Mona Rockman Napaljarri is a Warlpiri-speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. Her paintings and pottery are held in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.

Norah Nelson Napaljarri is a Warlpiri-speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. Norah Nelson began painting in 1986 and has exhibited her works both in Australia and other countries. Her paintings and pottery are held in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.

Napaljarri or Napaltjarri is one of sixteen skin names used amongst Indigenous Australian people of Australia's Western Desert, including the Pintupi and Warlpiri. It is one of the eight female skin names. Skin names are often treated by Western cultures as equivalent to a surname; as a result the name is familiar to many as that of prominent Indigenous figures, such as artists Tjunkiya Napaltjarri, her sister Wintjiya Napaltjarri, and Linda Syddick Napaltjarri.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Dussart, Francoise (30 November 2004). "An educator, artist and reformer". Sydney Morning Herald Newspaper Article. Retrieved 1 November 2015– via Australia / New Zealand Points of View Reference Centre (EBSCO).
  2. 1 2 3 "Biographies of Yuendumu Desert Artists - Page 1 of 2 - Aboriginal Art Online". www.aboriginalartonline.com. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bourke, Colin; Green, Erica; Vaarzon-Morel, Petronella; Giles, Kerry (1994). ngurra (camp/home/country). South Australia: University Of South Australia Art Museum. pp. 10, 11, 17, 23, 27, 28, 30. ISBN   0-86803-081-3.
  4. 1 2 "Daniels, Dolly Nampijinpa (1931-) - People and organisations - Trove". nla.gov.au. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  5. 1 2 Bimberg, Margo; Kreczmanski, Janusz B. (2004). Aboriginal Artists Dictionary of Biographies: Western Desert, Central Desert and Kimberley Region. Australia: J.B. Pub. ISBN   9781876622473.
  6. ↑ Newstead, Adrian (2014). The Dealer Is The Devil. NSW: Brandl & Schlesinger. ISBN   9781921556432.
  7. ↑ "Warlukurlangu - Artists of Yuendumu". warlu.com. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  8. ↑ "Daniels, Dolly Nampijinpa (1931-) - People and organisations". Trove. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  9. ↑ McCulloch, Alan,Susan and Emily (2004). The New McCulloch's Encyclopedia of Australian Art. Victoria: The Miegunyah Press. p. 174. ISBN   0-522-85317-X.
  10. 1 2 "Dolly Nampijinpa Daniels biography at Design and Art Australia Online". www.daao.org.au. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  11. ↑ Sutton Gallery (11 April 2015). "Top Heavy Exhibition Flyer".
  12. ↑ Kleinert, Sylvia; Neale, Margo (2000). The Oxford Companion To Aboriginal Art and Culture. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. p. 569. ISBN   0-19-550649-9.
  13. ↑ "EVELYN NAMPIJINPA DANIELS | Dolly Nampijinpa Daniels | Buy aboriginal art| Buy indigenous art". Hand Made Crafts. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  14. 1 2 "ATNS - Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements project". www.atns.net.au. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  15. ↑ Granites Nampijinpa, Dolly Daniels (2003). Nicholls, Christine (ed.). The Magic Fire at Warlukurlangu. Working Title Press: Working Title Press. ISBN   978-1-876288-35-8.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.