David Malangi

David Malangi (* 1927, † June 27, 1998 in Mulanga the Goyder River ) was a painter of the Aborigines, a member of the Aboriginal tribe of the Yolngu, who lived most of his life in the village Yathalamara in the Northern Territory in Australia. Very well known, he was the fact that the Australian Reserve Bank reprinted ( Central Bank) without his knowledge or permission of his dreamtime images in 1966 on the new Australian one - dollar bill.

Life

He was an elder of the Manarrngu clan and he sat down in Goyder River for the preservation of holy sites of ancestral spirits Aboriginal Djankawau and Gunmirringu one. In 1996 he was nominated an honorary Doctor of Laws by the Australian National University for his significant work and service to the society.

Work

He began to learn the body painting for ceremonies of his clan under the guidance of his father and his uncle as a boy. He painted the story of the ancestral spirits as Gurrumurringu and Djangkawu - siblings. When he painted, he sang the stories of the totems Eagle, Crow, Snake and Lizard ( Goanna ).

David Malangis work was well known and popular in the 1960s. His style was simple; as the color he used mainly red ocher, sometimes on a black background, as was customary in Arnhem Land. In addition, his paintings are mostly provided with vertical lines and circular patterns. His work has been exhibited in Australia and overseas in New York and Tahiti. On the São Paulo Biennial in 1983, he represented Australia.

In addition, he has participated in numerous workshops in Ramingining, including in the production of the memorial consists of 200 hollow log - grave times the occasion of the 200th anniversary of British colonization of Australia and in memory of those Aborigines who the event of conflict with settlers died, were created by 43 artists from Ramingining and surrounding communities. Malangi created ten of memorials.

One -dollar bill

As in Australia, the decimal system was introduced in 1966, continued the Australian Reserve Bank painted the story of Gunmirringu, a birch bark paintings of Malangi, to the new one - dollar bill. Malangi knew nothing about it and was given the mission station of Milingimbi aware of them. Coombs, president of the National Bank, traveled from Sydney to Darwin, and handed him a plunger, 1,000 Australian dollars and equipment for fishing. In order for a copyright for Aboriginal art was first recognized.