Clan
Gälpu
"This is Garrimala, my ngändi waŋa (my mother’s place). It is a Gälpu clan design. Only dhatam (waterlily) is all I can paint, I’m not allowed to make the deep story miny’tji—that is only for the men. "
– MALALUBA GUMANA
More Info
Garrimala refers to a waterhole close to Malaluba Gumana’s homeland of Gängan. Garrimala is connected to the story of the Serpents Wititj and Djayjuŋ also depicted in the paintings of Mithinarri Gurruwiwi. Wititj lives amongst the waterlilies, causing ripples or rainbows on the surface of the water. Wititj is associated with the beginning of the wet season, when square-shaped clouds begin to form and lightning strikes are common.
– Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection
Additional Information
Decade
2019
Medium
Natural pigments on eucalyptus bark
Dimensions (IN)
84 21/32 x 39 3/8 x 4 23/32
Dimensions (CM)
215 x 100 x 12
Credit
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia.
The 2017-19 Kluge-Ruhe Maḏayin Commission.
Purchased with funds provided by Barbara and John Wilkerson, 2023.
Narrative
Gälpu
The Gälpu clan belongs to the Dhuwa moiety. Major spiritual themes include Wititj and Bol’ŋu....
Location
2010s
The 2010s saw Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka go from strength to strength. At the National Aboriginal and...
About The Artist(s)
Clan
Gälpu
Artist Dates
1952-2020
Alternative Names
Malalupa
Malaluba Gumana
The daughter of Gumuk Gumana and Marratj Gurruwiwi, Malaluba Gumana began painting in 2006, becoming a prolific and successful painter of her mother’s Gälpu clan totems. She is a two-time category winner at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, winning the bark painting prize in 2013 and the Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D Award in 2019.