Peter Marralwanga
Master of Ceremonial Design and Kunwinjku Bark Painting
Language Group: Kunwinjku
Clan: Not publicly specified
Country: Marrkolidjban, Western Arnhem Land, NT
Peter Marralwanga was a highly respected ceremonial leader and one of the most influential bark painters to emerge from Western Arnhem Land during the mid-20th century. Born around 1916, Marralwanga spent most of his life at the remote outstation of Marrkolidjban, located in the stone country of Western Arnhem Land. While he moved temporarily to Maningrida in the 1960s to advocate for homeland recognition, he soon returned to country, disillusioned by settlement life and concerned about encroaching mining activities.
His close friendship with legendary bark painter Yirawala proved pivotal. Under Yirawala’s guidance, Marralwanga began painting on bark around 1970, using his deep ceremonial knowledge to support the economic and cultural sustainability of his outstation. These works were initially sold through collectors such as Dorothy Bennett and Jim Davidson and later through Maningrida Arts and Culture.
If you have a bark painting by Peter Marralwanga that you want to know the value of or wish to sell please send me an image and the dimensions.
Style and Subject
Marralwanga’s bark paintings are celebrated for their masterful use of rarrk (crosshatching), which he derived from Mardayin ceremonial designs. While earlier Oenpelli-style paintings often imitated x-ray rock art with minimal decorative infill, Marralwanga introduced sophisticated rarrk patterns into figurative painting. His compositions maintained a clear visual narrative, with rarrk used to highlight movement and spiritual potency rather than dominate the image.
A defining feature of his work is the balance between sacred content and personal interpretation. Marralwanga once described this as “half secret one, half ordinary one,” meaning that his paintings carried both public stories and deeper layers of spiritual meaning only accessible to initiated custodians. He often painted spirit beings such as Luma Luma, Mimih, Namarrkon (Lightning Man), Yingara (Rainbow Serpent), and Yawk Yawk. Each figure is animated with life, often rendered in bold ochre tones with dynamic rarrk designs that reflect both form and power.
Notably, Marralwanga’s depictions are anchored in the figurative tradition. Unlike later artists such as John Mawurndjul, whose rarrk patterns became almost abstract, Marralwanga’s crosshatching always remained subordinate to the figure, amplifying its sacred presence rather than obscuring it.
His subjects also include totemic animals and creator ancestors, including the saltwater crocodile, catfish, and ancestral mermaid-like figures such as Ngalkunburruyayami, whose long hair becomes the weed in waterholes.
Legacy and Influence
Marralwanga’s impact on Kunwinjku painting is immense. He mentored a generation of Arnhem Land artists including his sons Ivan Namirrkki and Samuel Namunjdja, as well as his protégé John Mawurndjul. While his works were rarely seen internationally during his lifetime, they were included in major exhibitions such as Rainbow, Sugarbag and Moon, A Myriad of Dreaming (1989), Aboriginal Art and Spirituality (1991), and Crossing Country (2004) at the Art Gallery of NSW.
His work is held in most major Australian state collections and a number of important private collections with a focus on ceremonial art. Despite being second in fame to Yirawala during his lifetime, Marralwanga is now widely acknowledged for his foundational role in the development of contemporary Kunwinjku painting.
Market and Collecting
Peter Marralwanga’s bark paintings first appeared at auction in 1994. Although none sold that year, his reputation has since strengthened, with a healthy 76% clearance rate across all auction records. His highest recorded price was achieved in 1999 when Untitled (Saltwater Crocodile) (c.1972), measuring 210 x 90 cm, sold for AUD $10,000+ at Sotheby’s.
Although average prices for his works are relatively modest (approx. AUD $5,000 for paintings), they remain highly sought after by institutions and seasoned collectors for their cultural authenticity and ceremonial significance.
While some works have failed to sell—typically due to overestimation—his best paintings continue to command strong results. His striking imagery of rainbow serpents, mimih spirits, and totemic animals ensures that Marralwanga’s art retains its appeal across both ethnographic and fine art collectors.
Peter Marralwanga and the Influence of Yirawala at Marrkolidjban
Peter Marralwanga and David Yirawala both lived at the Marrkolidjban outstation in Western Arnhem Land—a remote cultural centre where ancestral knowledge was passed through generations. Yirawala, already a highly esteemed bark painter, played a formative role in Marralwanga’s development as an artist, encouraging him to begin painting later in life. This mentorship is evident in the stylistic affinities they share: meticulous rarrk (crosshatching), ceremonial iconography, and a profound reverence for spiritual subject matter. Their works, while distinct, reflect a deep kinship in both technique and cultural vision
Kangaroo by
Peter Marralwanga
Kangaroo by
Conclusion
Peter Marralwanga was a truly great painter who lived and died before Aboriginal art gained prominence. In 1981 and 1983 he had solo exhibitions with Mary Macha at Aboriginal Traditional Arts in Perth. At that time he was second only to Yirawala as the most influential Kunwinjku artists of their
All images in this article are for educational purposes only.
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which was not specified by the copyright owner.
Further reading
A Myriad of Dreaming: Twentieth Century Aboriginal Art
Meaning of some Peter Marralwanga Artworks
Ngalyod The Rainbow Serpent
Aboriginal people believe that Ngalyod, the Rainbow Serpent, created many sacred sites in Arnhem Land. Characteristics of Ngalyod vary from group to group and also depend on the site. He can change into a female serpent, and has both, powers of creation and destruction. Ngalyod is most strongly associated with rain, monsoon seasons, and the rainbows that arc across the sky like a giant serpent. He is most active in the wet season. In the dry season, he rests in billabongs and freshwater springs. When he rests he handles the production of water plants such as waterlilies, vines, algae, and cabbage tree palms.
When waterfalls roar down deep gorges, that Ngalyod is calling out. Large holes in stony banks of rivers and cliff faces are his tracks.
The rainbow serpent is deeply respected because it will swallow people who offend him. If Ngalyod swallows people during floods that he has created, he regurgitates them and they transform into new beings through his blood.
Aboriginal people respect sacred sites where the Rainbow Serpent resides. Near these sites, cooking is not allowed. Cooking near the resting place of the great serpent will incur his wrath. Ngalyod can cause sickness, accidents and great floods, which make it easier for him to swallow his victims.
Although Ngalyod is generally feared throughout Stone Country, he is a friend and protector of the tiny Mimi Spirits.
Lumah Lumah
The chronicle of the giant Lumah Lumah is one of the apical creation dramas of Kunwinjku and Kuninjku peoples of western Arnhem Land for it relates to the coming of sacred power, Mardayin, and the establishment of ritual practices. Luma Luma also introduced the ritual paraphernalia and the sacred clan patterns that are painted onto these objects and onto the torsos of the ceremonial participants, as well as onto sheets of bark today.
Luma Luma came to the lands of the Kunwinjku and Kuninjku from far to the east with his two wives 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.
Eventually the ancestors of the 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. Once his task was complete, Luma Luma retreated to the sea from whence he came and transformed himself back into the form of a sea creature
Frequently asked questions about Peter Marralwanga
Who Was Peter Marralwanga?
Peter Marralwanga (1916–1987) was a highly respected Aboriginal bark painter from Western Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. A senior member of the Kardbam clan, he began painting in the early 1970s at the encouragement of renowned artist David Yirawala, with whom he shared a strong cultural and artistic bond at the outstation of Marrkolidjban.
Why Is Peter Marralwanga Important?
Marralwanga is celebrated for his deeply spiritual and ceremonial works, which draw on sacred themes from the Kuninjku language group and ancestral stories (Dreamings) of his country. His paintings often depict Yawkyawk spirits, waterholes, and totemic animals, rendered with intricate rarrk (cross-hatching) and an authoritative command of form. His works are both cultural documents and artistic masterpieces, playing a key role in the recognition of bark painting as fine art.
What Is Peter Marralwanga’s Style?
His style is characterised by:
-
Symmetrical compositions of ancestral figures or animals
-
Fine and deliberate rarrk patterns
-
Earth pigments on eucalyptus bark
-
Influence from ceremonial body painting and rock art traditions
Though influenced by Yirawala, Marralwanga’s hand is unmistakably his own—more gestural and expansive.
Where Can You See His Work?
Peter Marralwanga’s bark paintings are held in major collections including:
-
National Gallery of Australia
-
Art Gallery of New South Wales
-
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection (USA)
-
Numerous private collections internationally
Is Peter Marralwanga’s Work Collectible?
Yes—highly so. Marralwanga’s works are rare and increasingly sought after on the secondary market. They represent a critical bridge between ceremonial knowledge and modern art recognition. Prices have steadily increased over the past two decades, particularly for large-scale barks with strong provenance.