Tears
The Djulpan story is about seven sisters who went out in their canoe called Djulpan. During the harvest season following the Wet they go hunting and always come back with different types of food: turtles, fish and freshwater snakes, and also bush foods like
yams and berries. They can be seen in the sky of a night in April. Seven stars that come out together. Known in English as the Plaiedes.
The stars come in season when the food and berries come out, the stars will travel through the sky during that month until the season is over and they don’t come out until the next season. If someone burns the country before they have returned home to cook
their food they will get sad and cry tears of rain called Gurmilili.
Yunupingu’s father told her about these seven sisters in a canoe, and the three Dhuwa moiety brothers who came behind them, following them (Orion’s belt). This constellation appears low in the Western sky in April and is in the shape of a canoe with a hunter
standing up aiming a spear. They travel west. There are special stars in the sky which Yolngu call wishing stars. They give Yolngu bush tucker; they multiply the foods in the sea – that’s why Yolngu are happy to see them. That’s what Yunupingu’s father told her.
- Etching and Screenprint on Hahnemuhle paper
- Paper Size: 85.2 x 68.8cm; Image Size: 65.5 x 50.4 cm
- Cat No. 4840-24
Father was Mungurrawuy Yunupiŋu. Among his other children are former Northern Land Council chairman Galarrwuy, Yothu Yindi lead singer Mandawuy, and 2004 Telstra Aboriginal Art Award first prize winner Gulumbu. Other sisters to win major art awards are Nyapanyapa and Djerrkŋu.
Djakaŋu was married to well known yiḏaki (didjeridu) maker Baḏikupa Gurruwiwi (dec). She had three children, two sons and a daughter. Sadly her daughter died leaving Djakangu's granddaughter in her care. Her mother from the Marrakulu clan was Bunay Wanambi, who was a cow herder for the mission at Yirrkala. As a child and with her father and family she went to the Yirrkala Mission School, taught by Mr Ron Croxford. Bunay's other children in order were Nyapanyapa, Barrupu and Djakaŋu. As the other two became well known artists Djakaŋu only made occasional prints with the Yirrkala Print Space or sold small barks or canvases privately to the Nhulunbuy residents often going from shop to shop.
After her sister Barrupu died in 2012 Djakaŋu took on the role of companion and later carer for her eldest sister Nyapanyapa. This continued until Nyapanyapa's death in 2021. Around 2011 she was a participant in the major print project The Seven Sisters with the abovementioned sisters as well as Ranydjupi, Dela and Dhopiya.
It was only after her sister's death in 2021 that Djakaŋu began to paint at Buku-Larrŋgay on a daily basis and quickly developed themes which evolved to become extremely interesting. The Gurmalili (Djulpan's tears) and Ŋerrk (Cockatoo) motifs on larger barks were almost instantly appreciated by viewers. All of her work shown at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair in 2022 sold out and she was invited to exhibit with Alcaston Gallery who had previously represented her sisters Gulumbu, Barrupu and Djerrkŋu. Following this her work was selected for Taranathi Indigenous Art Festival at the Art Gallery of South Australia in 2023 where her largest painting of that period was the featured work of the exhibition.
Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre is the Indigenous community controlled art centre of Northeast Arnhem Land. Located in Yirrkala, a small Aboriginal community on the northeastern tip of the Top End of the Northern Territory, approximately 700km east of Darwin. The primarily Yolŋu (Aboriginal) staff of around twenty services Yirrkala and the approximately twenty-five homeland centres in the radius of 200km.
Today Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre now consists of two divisions; the Yirrkala Art Centre which represents Yolŋu artists exhibiting and selling contemporary art and The Mulka Project which acts as a digital production studio and archiving centre incorporating the museum.
Here at Laundry Gallery we always endeavour to get your stunning purchases to you as quickly and safely as possible! With that in mind, please note:
1. Monday is the day we do our shipping/postage each week unless Express Shipping is requested at the time of purchase. If for some reason there is a delay and your item isn’t able to be shipped the Monday after you purchased it we will be in touch.
2. All artworks shipped from Laundry Gallery are insured and require a signature on delivery. A tracking number is be provided as part of our shipping process to the contact details you provide.
3. Whilst we use Australia Post services where possible, for large, heavy or high value artworks we use a third party courier service. We will advise you of this at the time of purchase, or get in touch as soon as possible if on reflection using a courier seems more appropriate for your artwork. Once we have organised a quote it will be the courier who gets in touch to organise delivery times closer to the date, but we are always here to support you throughout the process!
4. If the artwork you have purchased is part of a current or future Laundry Gallery exhibition, we will need to wait until after the exhibition period has ended before we can send the artwork to you.
5. International Customers are currently unable to make a purchase online however we do ship worldwide. Please contact us for an invoice and to arrange a shipping quote.
Visiting Darwin or a local? Local pick up available during normal opening hours.
We are a very small team and shipping from Darwin can take some time. Thanks for your patience!