Mick Jawalji was born at Yulumbu around 1920, just before the establishment of Tablelands Station. He is the senior traditional owner of the Bang.gurr region in western Gija country.
Jawalji grew up on Tablelands Station where he learnt the skills for the stock work that would take up much of his working life across the Kimberley region. While living and working in his country Jawalji gained direct knowledge of key places and their associated stories, along with the meanings of the rock paintings that lie throughout this area. Each wet season he and his people would meet to practice law, often walking vast distances before returning to station work at the onset of the dry. During these years Jawalji also learnt Andayin law and culture from his stepfather and mother. He now speaks for Andayin country following the passing of the traditional owner for that area.
Jawalji began painting in Imintji, a community 220 km east of Derby, around 2001, and joined the Warmun Art Centre in the following year. His work has been exhibited in a number of solo exhibitions, including at William Mora Galleries, Melbourne, and Raft Artspace, Darwin. The National Gallery of Victoria purchased three major works from his first solo exhibition in Melbourne, Dawyan dawyan (This one, this one), at William Mora Galleries in 2005, and featured these paintings in the group exhibition Landmarks in 2006.
- Writers:
- Sprague, Quentin
The Ian Potter Museum of Art, The University of Melbourne
- Date written:
- 2011
- Last updated:
- 2012
