Tarnanthi - Djakaŋu Yunupiŋu scarf

100% wool scarf

Exclusive to AGSA

About Djakaŋu Yunupiŋu

Djakaŋu (Dorothy) Yunupiŋu is a Yolŋu elder who is following in the footsteps of her sisters, renowned artists Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu, Djerrkŋu Yunupiŋu, Barrupu Yunupiŋu, Gulumbu Yunupiŋu and Gaymala Yunupiŋu. Djakaŋu Yunupiŋu began painting at Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka art centre in Yirrkala in 2021 at the age of seventy-two, after caring for her late sister Nyapanyapa for many years.

Her body of work titled Tears of the Djulpan includes dynamic paintings on bark and larrakitj (memorial poles). They tell the Yolŋu story of the Seven Sisters, a story passed down from her father Muŋgurrawuy Yunupiŋu. The Seven Sisters, known as Djulpan, appear as a star cluster that becomes visible in April during harvest season. Lying low in the western sky above Arnhem Land, this time of the year is also known for its unseasonal rain, referred to as Gurmalili, and is understood to be the tears of the sisters. These stories play out across the surface of the bark, where the artist has used fine rarrk (cross-hatching) and a stark monochrome palette of earth pigments to depict the Djulpan amid the formation of seasonal weather patterns.

Measurements: 125cm x 64cm