Gurruṯu-mirri Gamanuŋgu (Kinship Family Tree)
$850.00
In this unique piece, the artist George Milaypuma has drawn on his personal identity formed through gurruṯu (kinship) to paint a visual depiction of his family tree, with family members represented by the totems of their clans.
Orthodox Yolŋu designs are legal depictions of collective clan group identities that follow time-honoured blueprints. This obliges the painter to include certain obligatory aesthetic elements in order to stay true to the place and song of the story that is encoded in the clan design. Sometimes paintings can celebrate connections between clans, especially those in the important Yothu-Yindi (mother-child) or maṟi-gutharra (grandmother-grandchild) relationships.
This painting utilises these orthodox designs from the artists own clan, but arranges them in unique and personal ways that would only have meaning to him and his siblings [who share the same lineage]. In this instance he has shown his clan, his mother clan and his grandmother clan arranged according to his personal relations, as opposed to broader collective inter-clan relations.
The artists Gupapuyŋu clan totems are represented by the fine-lined maburi brinymal (catfish bones); accompanied below by the two local species of catfish and their rock home (in yellow, middle); and finally the Gupapuyŋu clan hammerhead shark, Garraŋunuŋ.
The artists mother is represented by two yaḻurr, the Mälarra clan seasnake, shown here in yellow with black dots.
The artist’s grandmother, the Walamaŋu clan from Milingimbi island, is shown at the top by the black sawfish and the two sea cucumbers, dharripa’.
Much like genealogists use trees to depict western ideas of bloodline and connections, Milaypuma his called upon his own Yolŋu visual cannon to show his personal family connections.
Story by George Milaypuma, recorded and written by Max Moon, Aug 2023
Available
All Domestic Shipping is included within the costs of works. We will begin packing artworks the week of August 25th, when the studio re-opens. Please allow 1-3 weeks for delivery depending on the scale of the work and final destination. Please check your spam folder for tracking messages.
