Aboriginal Bark Art - Yiritja Moietie - Arnhem Land Australia - Circa 1960
This fabulous Vintage Aboriginal Bark Art measures over 30" x 15" and is signed to back "Yangaring" of YIRRKALA, GAN GAN ( EASTERN ARNHEM LAND.) We have been unable to find any more information on this artist...possibly no longer living. The piece depicts KINGFISH which are the Power Totem of the YIRITJA People and the TURTLE is the Creator of Storms whilst the ZIGZAG Lines are sacred designs for Storms and Stormclouds....the Crosshatching represents WATER. This is all outlined on the old typewritten paper attached to the back of the bark frame. All Yolngu people in north eastern Arnhem Land belong to one of two basic divisions, or moieties, called Dhuwa and Yirritja. Children belong to the same moiety as their father; their mother belongs to the other moiety. Everything in the Yolngu universe – Spirit Beings, plant and animal species, clan groups, areas of land and water are either Dhuwa or Yirritja. The Djang'kawu Sisters, the morning star, the water goanna, the stringybark tree, and the land in and around Yirrkala are Dhuwa, while such things as the evening star, stingray, cycad palm, and members of the Mangalili clan are all Yirritja. Within each moiety, people belong to smaller groups called clans, each having its own language. Children belong to their father’s clan (and moiety), while their mother belongs to another clan (of the other moiety). In the Gove Penninsula and the surrounding area, most Yolngu belong to one of sixteen clans, of which eight are Dhuwa and eight are Yirritja. Clan members own areas of land and waters in common. The relationship is, however, much more complex than just ‘owning’, or even ‘caring for’, the land. Yolngu often say that they ‘come from’ the land, or that they ‘are the land’ – a difficult concept for non-Aboriginal people to grasp. How can it be explained? The land and waters of each clan were bestowed on the forebears of living clan members long ago in Wangarr Time, which Yolngu may refer to in English as ‘Creation Time’; or sometimes they just say long ago. Some follow the common Australian English practice of using the terms ‘Dreamtime’ or ‘Dreaming’. One person explained it as ‘sacred time shining, long time ago’. A clan’s land and waters were bestowed on it by one or a particular set of the many sacred and powerful Wangarr Beings who travelled across the landscape during this time of creation.
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