The lace-like patterns of Muluymuluy Wirrpanda’s paintings weave over their bark surface in drifts of soft pink, brown and monochrome ochres as they relate the stories of two important plants for her North-East Arnhem Land people - the Buḻwutja (water yam) and Gunga (pandanus). Born in 1959, Muluymuluy Wirrpanda is a sister of the leading artist the late Mulkun Wirrpanda.
A dedicated environmental worker with the Yirralka Rangers, Muluymuluy first exhibited in 2018, and worked alongside her sister to document in art the botanical characteristics, traditional usage and creation stories of the unique, often threatened, plants of their region, so that younger generations could learn of their history and health-giving properties. Wirrpanda's meticulously detailed bark paintings document two essential plants from her homelands - BuIwutja (water yam) and Gunga (pandanus). Since first exhibiting in 2018, Wirrpanda has dedicated her practice to recording the traditional usages and creation stories of her region's unique and often threatened plants.Muluymuluy Wirrpanda - a history
As occupants of the Southern range of the Yolŋu nation Muluymuluy’s Dhuḏi Djapu clan was more severely affected by the chaos and violence of the frontier wars at the beginning of the last century than others. The killing of Constable McColl at Woodah Island by Dhakiyarr in 1934 was a major inflection point. Dhakiyarr’s incarceration, acquittal by the High Court and subsequent “disappearance” allegedly at the hands of the police tore apart the small family. (See 2025 ABC report here)
Accordingly, Muluymuluy was born at Ngukurr (Roper River). Hundreds of kilometres south of her country in the settled zone. In this place filled with refugees from the chaos and violence of a colonial conflict people did not speak their own language but a Kriol that allowed for mutual communication.
Even to this day there are members of the Dhudi Djapu clan spread across Arnhem Land and unable to speak their language in places like Bulman and Numbulwar. Muluymuluy was fortunate though.
She was the young wife of Wakuthi Marawili and in the 1970s he launched an audacious plan to return his family to their homeland at Yilpara. He established a homeland there in the place he had grown up before the coming of the armed intruders.
Wakuthi lived to be one of the oldest men in Arnhem land. He was known as Banbay - "Blind one" because of his poor eyesight. He passed away in 2005.
His sons Djambawa and Nuwandjali have a large role in the day-to-day management of the large Maḏarrpa clan homeland, Yilpara. Muluymuluy has worked with them in her art as well as under Wakuthi’s direction to produce important Maḏarrpa clan paintings.
After Wakuthi's passing she moved to care for Dr. Gawirriṉ Gumana AO at Gäṉgan until his death. She kept close company with her sister Mulkuṉ and was influenced to adopt botanic themes during the collaboration between Mulkuṉ and John Wolselely.
Muluymuluy is a matriarch for her family and is constantly moving from ceremony to ceremony to participate in the Yolŋu spiritual cycle. She supports her family through her art.
Will Stubbs
Co-ordinator, Buku-Larrnggay Mulka _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________