Gawirrin Gumana Gawirrin Gumana i(A80855 works by) (a.k.a. Jo Gawirrin Gumana)
Born: Established: ca. 1933 ; Died: Ceased: Nov 2016 Arnhem Land, Top End, Northern Territory,
Gender: Male
Heritage: Aboriginal Yolngu ; Aboriginal
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BiographyHistory

Gawirrin Gumana is a talented bark painter whose artwork has been collected internationally since 1966. Gumana is also one of the painters of the Yirrikala Church Panels. The panels inspired the Bark Petition of 1963 that signified to non-Indigenous Australians that Aboriginal claims to the land pre-dated British arrival in 1788. Using his skills as an interpreter, Gumana played a vital role in the 1968 Yirrakala land claim which eventually led to the enactment, by the Commonwealth of Australia, of laws protecting the land rights of Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. He is a theological scholar, a Uniting Church minister, a cultural ambassador and a leader of the Yolngu people in Arnhem Land. In 2002 Gumana won the Telstra National Aboriginal Art Award. In 2007 Gumana was awarded a PHD (honoris causa) by Charles Darwin University.

Most Referenced Works

Personal Awards

2009 winner National Indigenous Arts Awards Red Ochre Award
2003 Order of Australia Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) For service to the community as a cultural ambassador and religious leader promoting understanding, sharing and mutual respect, to the reconciliation process, and to the arts as a significant contributor to Australias indigenous artistic heritage.
Last amended 22 Feb 2017 09:01:06
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