Bobby Barrdjaray Nganjmirra:
Master Storyteller of Kunwinjku Bark Painting
Language Group: Kunwinjku
Moiety: Yirridjdja
Country: Malworn, between the Goomadeer and Liverpool Rivers, Western Arnhem Land, NT
(c.1915–1992)
Bobby Barrdjaray Nganjmirra is widely recognised as one of the foundational figures in the Kunwinjku bark painting tradition. Born circa 1915 on his ancestral land at Malworn—a sacred site between the Goomadeer and Liverpool Rivers—Nganjmirra belonged to the Djalama clan and was custodian of the Yawk Yawk Dreaming. His life and art were deeply rooted in traditional law, ceremony, and a profound understanding of Country.
Though his formal schooling was brief—spending time at Gunbalanya and Goulburn Island in the 1930s—his ceremonial education was extensive. As a senior lawman, he held encyclopaedic knowledge of the Dreamings of his Yirridjdja moiety and neighbouring clans, earning high regard across West Arnhem Land. By the 1970s, Bobby Nganjmirra had emerged as a preeminent bark painter, respected both for his cultural authority and his unique artistic voice.
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Style and Subject
Nganjmirra’s paintings are unmistakable for their emotive power and narrative complexity. Whether painted in natural ochres on eucalyptus bark or in acrylics on paper, his works convey a deep storytelling impulse. Figures—both human and ancestral—twist, gesture, and overlap with expressive dynamism. Mouths grimace, eyes bulge, and limbs bend at unexpected angles, imbuing his scenes with theatrical life.
His early works bear the hallmarks of rock art influence: white silhouettes and red hatching. Over time, he adopted rarrk (cross-hatching) techniques associated with Mardayin ceremonial designs, adding a spiritual resonance to his figurative compositions. His subjects included Luma Luma the hunter, the Yawk Yawk sisters Marrayka and Likanaya, the Rainbow Serpent Yingara, and Baby Dreaming from Kudjekbinj—all central narratives of the Kunwinjku cosmology.
Importantly, Nganjmirra’s paintings were not simply decorative—they were acts of cultural preservation. His prioritisation of narrative sometimes lent a “naïve” quality to his draftsmanship, but this was intentional: story and spiritual truth always took precedence over strict formalism.
His paintings of animals are superficially similar to Lofty Bardayal Nadjamerrek and Dick Murrumurru but do not show quite the same sense of refinement.
Influence and Career Highlights
Bobby Nganjmirra was a key figure in the transition from rock to bark painting as a primary mode of ceremonial storytelling in West Arnhem Land. He helped lead this shift with authority and innovation. In 1975, he was appointed to the Aboriginal Arts Board, formalising his influence on the national stage.
In the final years of his life, he was commissioned to produce large-scale works in ochre and acrylic on paper for the John W. Kluge Collection (1991–92), working from the newly formed Injalak Arts centre in Gunbalanya. His contributions helped lay the foundation for the contemporary Kunwinjku painting movement, and his stylistic legacy continues through the prolific Nganjmirra artistic lineage—most notably his brothers Jimmy and Peter Nganjmirra, and their descendants.
Institutional Collections
Bobby Nganjmirra’s works are held in Australia’s most important public collections, a testament to his enduring cultural and artistic significance:
- National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
- Holmes à Court Collection, Perth
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
- Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
- The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, USA
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
- Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
- Artbank, Sydney.
- Market and Legacy
While Bobby Nganjmirra’s work is not as frequently seen on the secondary market as some of his contemporaries, demand remains strong for his most expressive and story-rich paintings. His figurative compositions—marked by emotive expression, grouped narratives, and ceremonial symbolism—are especially sought after by seasoned collectors of Aboriginal bark art. His approach fused traditional storytelling with bold visual invention, and his legacy endures through both his family and his influence on the next generation of Injalak artists.
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Luma Luma
Luma Luma came to the lands of the Kunwinjku and Kuninjku from far to the east. Luma Luma carried with him a stone axe, a spear and a power bag (a woven dilly bag containing sacred objects). Wherever he travelled, Luma Luma claimed the country and established the laws which governed the first peoples. He taught people to perform sacred rituals and showed them the sacred objects that were the source of his power.
Luma Luma instilled fear in the first peoples, as his absolute authority was coupled with a degree of greed which was to be his downfall. Whatever foods his wives collected and cooked, he would declare to be taboo, thus they were prohibited from eating these. He would do the same with the game caught by the men. And while the men were away on their hunting expeditions, he would sleep with their wives. While Lumah Lumah prospered, the others starved. Some of the husbands sought retribution but were no match for Luma Luma.
The ancestors of Kunwinjku and Kuninjku decided to take their revenge on the giant. They laid a trap and the giant was engulfed by fire. As he burned, the clansmen peppered his body with spears. Yet Luma Luma begged to be spared so that he could show the men how to draw the sacred rarrk or ancestral clan cross-hatched designs by cutting them into his flesh.
Namanjwarre the Crocodile
Namanjwarre, the saltwater crocodile, Corcodylus porosus. The crocodile totem Namanjwarre is a Yiridja moiety totem.
The estuarine crocodile or Namanjwarre is the protector of the sacred objects of the Mardayin ceremony. The Mardayin ceremony is an important rite of passage for Kuninjku language speakers of Western Arnhem Land. Namanjwarre would devour anyone who transgressed from the correct ceremonial protocol.
The upper Liverpool River and Maragalidban Creek areas had lots of these crocodiles. Crocodiles are rarely killed for food but their eggs are sought after during the wet season when the females are nesting. A major crocodile sacred site exists near the outstation of Kurrindin, in the Liverpool River District.
The treatment of the infill of Namanjwarre is the same used on Mardayin ceremonial objects. Mardayin objects decorated with the same bright patterns of crosshatching and dotted lines. Mardayin objects are secret and sacred. The use of the same design within the crocodile, thus, shows the interconnection of the crocodile and the Mardayin ceremony.
Namanjwarre is an important totem and is danced in the sacred and secret ritual of the Mardayin ceremony.
Yawk Yawk
In the sacred pantheon of Western Arnhem Land, few figures are as revered or visually arresting as the Yawkyawk—spirit beings whose presence haunts the deep freshwater waterholes of the stone country. Known by their traditional name Ngalkunburriyaymi in the Kunwinjku language, these freshwater mermaids embody the mystery of life’s origins, the vitality of water, and the generative power of the land itself.
Half-human, half-fish, Yawkyawk are feminine ancestral spirits often depicted with flowing hair made from Lillies, waterweed, or spiritual energy, and the sinuous tails of aquatic creatures. They are guardians of water sources and totemic icons of fertility, both human and ecological. These dieties are shapeshifters and can appear as frogs or even the waterhole itself with only the Lilly hair appearing above the waters surface. Their Dreaming stories are intertwined with the Rainbow serpent and depiction vary by clan a but share common themes of transformation Moral law, and creation.
Frequently asked questions about Bobby Ngainjmirra
Who was Bobby Ngainjmirra?
Bobby Barrdjaray Ngainjmirra (c.1915–1991) was a senior Kunwinjku artist from Western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. Renowned for his masterful bark paintings, he was one of the most important artists of the second half of the 20th century to emerge from Oenpelli (now Gunbalanya). Ngainjmirra was both a respected ceremonial leader and a prolific painter, known for his deep knowledge of ancestral stories and precise use of rarrk (crosshatching) technique.
What style of art did Bobby Ngainjmirra create?
Ngainjmirra worked primarily in the traditional Kunwinjku bark painting style, using natural ochres on stringybark. His works often depict ancestral spirits, totemic animals (such as kangaroos, barramundi, and dugongs), and mythological beings like Namarrkon (the Lightning Man) or Yawk Yawk mermaids. His use of fine white rarrk and elegant composition reflect ceremonial designs passed down through generations.
Why is Bobby Ngainjmirra important in Aboriginal art history?
Ngainjmirra helped define the classical Oenpelli bark painting style and was a key figure in preserving and transmitting sacred stories. His influence continues through his descendants and his paintings, which are held in major institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, and international collections. His works have appeared in significant exhibitions such as Dreamings: The Art of Aboriginal Australia.
What is the value of a Bobby Ngainjmirra bark painting?
Prices vary based on size, subject, and provenance. Original bark paintings by Bobby Ngainjmirra have sold at auction for between AUD $2,000 and $20,000. Works depicting mythological figures or featuring detailed rarrk tend to command higher prices.
Where can I buy or view Bobby Ngainjmirra’s paintings?
His works can be viewed in Australian public institutions and occasionally come to market via leading auction houses such as Sotheby’s, Deutscher and Hackett, and Bonhams. Online galleries specializing in Aboriginal bark painting may also offer his work.