Title
Dhyakiyarr vs The King
2018
Artist




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Details
- Place where the work was made
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Ngukurr
→
South East Arnhem Land
→
Northern Territory
→
Australia
- Cultural origin
- Wagilak, South East Arnhem Land
- Date
- 2018
- Media category
- Sculpture
- Materials used
- synthetic polymer paint on wood
- Dimensions
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dimensions variable
:
a - Tracker, 102 x 26 x 35 cm
b - Chain, 350 cm
c - Police #1, 109 x 24 x 35 cm, 2) 75.0 x 25.0 130.0 cm 3) 84.0 (x2 reins) x 14.0 cm (length of the reigns and width of the horse bit) 4) 86.0 x 13.0 cm (length of strap and width of stirrup)
d - Police #2, 110 x 28 x 36 cm, 2) 81.0 x 22.0 x 128.0 cm 3) 84.0 (x2 reins) x 14.0 cm (length of the reigns and width of the horse bit) 4) 87.0 x 13.0 cm (length of strap and width of stirrup)
e - Ancestor #1, 101 x 20 x 30 cm, 2) 21.0 x 17.0 x 5.0 cm 4) 43.0 x 52.0 cm (fringe), string length 126.0 cm
f - Ancestor #2, 100 x 25 x 30 cm, 2) 19.0 x 14.0 x 5.0 cm 4) 30.0 x 50.0cm (fringe), string length 124.0 cm
g - Ancestor #3, 102 x 34 x 21 cm, 2) 23.0 x 16.0 x 4.0 cm 4) 30.0 x 52.0 cm (fringe), string length 90.0 cm
h - Ancestor #4, 96 x 30 x 21 cm, 2) 19.0 x 14.0 x 5.0 cm 4) 30.0 x 63.0 cm (fringe), string length 180.0 cm
i - Ancestor #5, 2) 22.0 x 19.0 x 4.0 cm 3) 32.0 x 56.0 cm (fringe), string length 240.0 cm
- Credit
- Purchased with funds provided by Vicki Olsson 2019
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- 2.2019.a-i
- Copyright
- © Wally Wilfred
- Artist information
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Wally Wilfred
Works in the collection
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About
The art centre documentation for this work states;
Story of the sculptures as told by artist Wally Wilfred:
“This story is from East Arnhem Land but it is also a story from all over Australia. It is a story about two laws. One law is handed down by ancestors, it is written on the body and it stays the same. The other law is written on paper and it always changes.”As told by Chair of Ngukurr Arts, Walter Kolbong Rogers:
“In 1933, five Japanese trepangers (fishermen) and two white trepangers were speared at Woodah Island in Blue Mud Bay. The fishermen violated territorial rights, threatened local people with guns and raped women. Constable Albert Stuart McColl arrived from Darwin to investigate the killings but he was also speared and killed. Soon after, the accused men – Dhakiyarr a respected leader and three other Balamumu men, were taken in chains through Roper Mission, where Ngukurr is today. The three men were sentenced to twenty years imprisonment but Dhakiyarr was sentenced to death. His case went before the Supreme Court and was eventually dismissed. He was supposed to receive a police escort back to his country but he disappeared and was never found again. It is believed he was murdered.”