DECEASED - May 2012 Gulumbu, the youngest sister of Galarrwuy (former Northern Land Council Chair and Australian of the Year) and Mandawuy Yunupiu (lead singer of Yothu Yindi and former Australian of the Year), lived as a child at Yirrkala and went to school in the old Mission house.
She married Yirrkala Church Panel artist Mutitjpuy Munugurr and had four children, including Milkayu Munugurr, original yitaki (didjeridu) player for the band Yothu Yindi.
Her father is the senior Gumatj man Mungurrawuy, married to Makurru, who comes from the Gälpu clan. She is an artist who works in many different media including weaving pandanus mats and baskets, painting on barks and Yitaki, collecting shells to make jewellery, strings for armbands and for head-bands.
She also studied as a Health worker through Miwatj Health.
She has great knowledge of bush medicine and plant uses.
She was one of the four translators of the Bible into Gumatj over 26 years.
She works closely with Galarrwuy Yunupingu at the Garma Festival, working to educate non-indigenous people about Yolu life. In 2000 her work was represented at World Expo in Hanover, Germany with an installation of many small barks depicting the seven sisters constellation.
She has also branched out into screenprints, having works featured in Darwin at the Northern Territory University gallery, Alcaston Gallery in Melbourne, and at the 2004 Garma Festival Gapa] Gallery, where her print sold out in the first day. Following her First Prize in the Telstra Award 2004, her first solo show (a sell-out) and her invitation to be one of the eight indigenous artists to participate in the prestigious Quai de Branli Project in Paris, her work has become highly sought after.
Subsequent exhibitions through her few representative galleries have all sold out.
Her work is always more in demand than supply will satisfy. In 2006 she was named Deadly Visual Artist of the Year.
In 2008 she was commissioned to provide a public artwork for the newly built Hedley Bull Centre for World Politics at ANU.
She has established a Traditional Healing Centre in North East Arnhemland which runs healing workshops.
Her personal life has been marred by tragedy with her only son and a daughter dying in 2007 and another daughter wheelchair bound by an accident.
But throughout these trials her open hearted compassion for others in distress has been her dominant trait.
Whenever someone is in their last days it is common to see her comforting them to the end..
DECEASED - May 2012 Gulumbu, the youngest sister of Galarrwuy (former Northern Land Council Chair and Australian of the Year) and Mandawuy Yunupiu (lead singer of Yothu Yindi and former Australian of the Year), lived as a child at Yirrkala and went to school in the old Mission house.
She married Yirrkala Church Panel artist Mutitjpuy Munugurr and had four children, including Milkayu Munugurr, original yitaki (didjeridu) player for the band Yothu Yindi.
Her father is the senior Gumatj man Mungurrawuy, married to Makurru, who comes from the Gälpu clan. She is an artist who works in many different media including weaving pandanus mats and baskets, painting on barks and Yitaki, collecting shells to make jewellery, strings for armbands and for head-bands.
She also studied as a Health worker through Miwatj Health.
She has great knowledge of bush medicine and plant uses.
She was one of the four translators of the Bible into Gumatj over 26 years.
She works closely with Galarrwuy Yunupingu at the Garma Festival, working to educate non-indigenous people about Yolu life. In 2000 her work was represented at World Expo in Hanover, Germany with an installation of many small barks depicting the seven sisters constellation.
She has also branched out into screenprints, having works featured in Darwin at the Northern Territory University gallery, Alcaston Gallery in Melbourne, and at the 2004 Garma Festival Gapa] Gallery, where her print sold out in the first day. Following her First Prize in the Telstra Award 2004, her first solo show (a sell-out) and her invitation to be one of the eight indigenous artists to participate in the prestigious Quai de Branli Project in Paris, her work has become highly sought after.
Subsequent exhibitions through her few representative galleries have all sold out.
Her work is always more in demand than supply will satisfy. In 2006 she was named Deadly Visual Artist of the Year.
In 2008 she was commissioned to provide a public artwork for the newly built Hedley Bull Centre for World Politics at ANU.
She has established a Traditional Healing Centre in North East Arnhemland which runs healing workshops.
Her personal life has been marred by tragedy with her only son and a daughter dying in 2007 and another daughter wheelchair bound by an accident.
But throughout these trials her open hearted compassion for others in distress has been her dominant trait.
Whenever someone is in their last days it is common to see her comforting them to the end..