Dymphna Kerinauia

Dymphna Kerinauia: Biography

Dymphna Kerinauia is a strong cultural woman from the Tamulampi region of Melville Island, part of the Tiwi Islands on the northern tip of Australia. Born in the bush at Paru, Melville Island, on the Apsley Strait opposite the mission on Bathurst Island, she is connected to a lineage of distinguished Tiwi artists. Her mother was the sister of the late highly acclaimed Tiwi artist Kitty Kantilla (c. 1928 - 2003). In Tiwi culture, the daughter of a sibling is also considered to be one’s own daughter.

Dymphna moved to Milikapiti, also known as Snake Bay, as a young girl, where she married and raised her family. Milikapiti is a village on the northern coast of Melville Island, established in 1941 as a permanent Aboriginal settlement by the Native Affairs Branch of the Northern Territory Administration.

Belonging to a large family of artists, Dymphna's skin group is Anjiluwi (Rain), and her dance is Tartuwali (Shark). She began painting at Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association in 2000, greatly influenced by an elderly woman who would sit in the same spot in the painting workshop every day. Reflecting on her learning process, Dymphna shared:

“When I was little, I learned from the old lady when she was staying at Paru (a small community on Melville Island). She told me things, like how she made pukumani poles for men and women. She made a dot then a line. She wanted me to learn too. The old lady used a stick, but I now use a brush.”

Her talent was recognized and encouraged by the art coordinator, leading her to develop her own unique style as a painter and printmaker.

Tiwi: Painting with Ochre

Ochre, collected from the land, is central to Tiwi art. Arrikirninga (yellow ochre) comes from the mainland and is dug up from the earth. When heated on a campfire, yellow ochre transforms into yaringa (red ochre). Kirijipuni (white ochre) is sourced from cliff faces on the coast, and some artists still use charcoal for black.

Ochre paintings originate from Tiwi ceremonies, where ochre-painted jilamara (design) is used for body painting to protect from mapurtiti (spirits of the dead). Each artist has their own style and design, used in both art and ceremony. The kayimwagakimi, also known as pwoja, is a traditional Tiwi painting ‘comb’ made from ironwood and unique to the Tiwi. This special tool for dot painting reflects the distinctive Tiwi style.

Traditional Tiwi Culture

In traditional Tiwi culture, the Pukumani (funeral) ceremony holds special significance. Mourners are decorated with natural ochres to disguise themselves from the spirit of the deceased, and song and dance are performed to honor the dead. Yirrinkiripwoja (body paint) inspires many contemporary Tiwi designs, and the performance of the pukumani ritual helps to reinvigorate the imagery. The term Pwoja, also refers to ‘best’.

Sources:

• Jilamara Arts and Crafts
• Nomad Art
• Basil Hall Editions