Dolly Nampijinpa Daniels
| Dolly Nampijinpa Daniels | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1936 Warlukurlangu, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Died | November 2004 Yeundumu, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Nationality | Indigenous Australian |
| Known for | Artwork on Acrylic Canvas |
| Notable work | The Magic Fire at Warlukurlangu (A Dreaming Narrative) |
| Style | Ancestral Design depicting Aboriginal Dreamtime |
Dolly Nampijinpa Daniels (1936 - 2004) was an Australian Aboriginal ritual leader, Warlipiri speaker, renowned artist, and land -rights advocate for the Warlipiri people of the Northern Territory.
Dolly Nampijinpa Daniels was born in 1936 at Warlukurlangu, north-west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. She was born in the Australian bush and maintained a spiritual connection to her homeland throughout her life. The meaning of home for Daniels encompassed both the geographical and social landscapes of her home country.
Daniels lived for many years as a traditional nomad, hunting with her family, before moving with her husband to Mt. Doreen station after the death of her father and then onto Yuendumu, an area approximately 300 km north-west of Alice Springs. Alongside a number of Warlipiri people, she was forcibly removed from these lands by authorities and trucked to Lajamanu, another government settlement, but eventually made the journey back to Yuendumu where they settled.
Daniels was an active member in the Yuendumu community, a proud Warlipiri speaker and was recognised as ‘boss’ for the women’s ceremonies in her area. She was once described by Galarrwuy Yunupingu as a person “that doesn’t talk much, but had a strong presence and knows who she is and what she’s doing”. Whilst Daniels was a traditional Warlpiri woman, she also showed an early interest in promoting Warlpiri culture beyond the confines of the settlement . Through marriage and family ties Daniels was able to gain fluency in languages and rituals beyond Yuendumu. She went on to use this extensive knowledge to not only educate the Warlipiri, but numerous non-Aboriginal researchers as well, helping several people in the process.
Daniels began painting in the 1980s with the anthropologist Francoise Dussart. She began by painting ancestral designs on acrylic canvas in a style that has become known as Aboriginal ‘dot’ painting. Her paintings adhere very strongly to traditional templates for painting, but creativity can be seen in the handling of the painting, arrangement of the motifs and size and placement of the dots. Her work is made most distinguishable due to their bright colours and intricate patterns. Her works celebrate Australian Aboriginal Dreaming and culture and thoroughly invoked the Warlipiri concepts of ‘country’, ‘home’ and ‘camp’ in her work. She painted both her own and her father’s dreamings and states “it is our story - Aboriginal people’s story”.
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