Wenten Rubuntja
Encyclopedia
W. Rubuntja was an Australian artist and Aboriginal rights activist. He belonged to the Arrernte
indigenous people of Central Australia
. His works were painted in acrylic or watercolours and influenced by themes from Dreamtime myths. His paintings are to be found in Australia's Parliament House
, Canberra
and many other public and private collections.
W. Rubuntja died from advanced kidney failure in Alice Springs Hospital on 3 July, 2005. His family have asked that, in accordance with Aboriginal Australian practices concerning respect for the dead, he should be referred to only as W. Rubuntja (or W. or Rubuntja, depending on context) for the time being, and that any pictures of him be withdrawn from display for the next 12 months.
For W., both the "Aranda Watercolour" style of art developed by Albert Namatjira
(which has come to be known as the Hermannsburg School
), and the "dot paintings" popularised by the artists of Papunya (Papunya Tula
) reflected traditional values and themes, despite differences in technique:
"Doesn't matter what sort of painting we do in this country, it still belongs to the people, all the people. This is worship, work, culture. It's all Dreaming. There are two ways of painting. Both ways are important, because that's culture." – (The Weekend Australian Magazine, April, 2002)
W. was a man of great generosity in both his personal and political life. He “brought up” generations of young non-indigenous workers engaged by the various central Australian organisations, teaching them about matters such as appropriate etiquette, traditional law, and the economics and politics of daily Aboriginal life. It was commonplace, too, for him to return from a distant meeting to spend many hours solving the problems of a local community member, finding money for food, tracking down a missing relative or fixing a dispute that to anyone else seemed intractable. He did such things daily, while providing the primary support, financial and otherwise, for a personal household that often numbered thirty or forty people.
W. developed a highly refined view of reconciliation. The belief that the Aboriginal and the non-Aboriginal communities have 'to interpret each other' recurs throughout his life’s work. His ability to integrate Indigenous and non-Indigenous concepts was truly remarkable. He recognised the importance of working out a process through which people could live harmoniously together, and saw this as only possible if each “side” gave equal recognition to the importance of the Law of the other:
“We can’t fall in the power to the other Law. They can’t change our Law, our side, and we can’t change their side, or we will break our Law again, and they’ll break their law…… The Dreaming is really all over Australia. We must teach the whitefellas.”
For W. it was only through real respect for both one's own and the other’s Law and knowledge that reconciliation could be achieved. It was only when the complex interplay of practical and symbolic justice was understood that real progress would be made. Neither practical solutions nor rhetorical recognition were sufficient alone. He expressed such things (and many others) with great humour and wonderful use of metaphor.
W. was a key figure in the land rights
movement, the protection of Aboriginal sacred sites in the Northern Territory
and organised the formation of key Aboriginal organisations in Alice Springs over the past 30 years.
His autobiography: The Town Grew Up Dancing: The Life and Art of W...... Rubuntja was published in 2002.
Arrernte people
The Arrernte people , known in English as the Aranda or Arunta, are those Indigenous Australians who are the original custodians of Arrernte lands in the central area of Australia around Mparntwe or Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. The Arrernte tribe has lived there for more than 20,000 years...
indigenous people of Central Australia
Central Australia
Central Australia/Alice Springs Region is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory. The term Central Australia is used to describe an area centred on Alice Springs in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Centralia; likewise the people of the area are sometimes called Centralians...
. His works were painted in acrylic or watercolours and influenced by themes from Dreamtime myths. His paintings are to be found in Australia's Parliament House
Parliament House, Canberra
Parliament House is the meeting facility of the Parliament of Australia located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. The building was designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects and opened on 1988 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
and many other public and private collections.
W. Rubuntja died from advanced kidney failure in Alice Springs Hospital on 3 July, 2005. His family have asked that, in accordance with Aboriginal Australian practices concerning respect for the dead, he should be referred to only as W. Rubuntja (or W. or Rubuntja, depending on context) for the time being, and that any pictures of him be withdrawn from display for the next 12 months.
For W., both the "Aranda Watercolour" style of art developed by Albert Namatjira
Albert Namatjira
Albert Namatjira , born Elea Namatjira, was an Australian artist. He was a Western Arrernte man, an Indigenous Australian of the Western MacDonnell Ranges area...
(which has come to be known as the Hermannsburg School
Hermannsburg School
The Hermannsburg School is an art movement, or art style, which began at the Hermannsburg Mission in the 1930s. The most well known artist of the style is Albert Namatjira...
), and the "dot paintings" popularised by the artists of Papunya (Papunya Tula
Papunya Tula
Papunya Tula, or Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, is an artist cooperative formed in 1972 that is owned and operated by Aboriginal people from the Western Desert of Australia. The group is known for its innovative work with the Western Desert Art Movement, popularly referred to as "dot painting"...
) reflected traditional values and themes, despite differences in technique:
"Doesn't matter what sort of painting we do in this country, it still belongs to the people, all the people. This is worship, work, culture. It's all Dreaming. There are two ways of painting. Both ways are important, because that's culture." – (The Weekend Australian Magazine, April, 2002)
W. was a man of great generosity in both his personal and political life. He “brought up” generations of young non-indigenous workers engaged by the various central Australian organisations, teaching them about matters such as appropriate etiquette, traditional law, and the economics and politics of daily Aboriginal life. It was commonplace, too, for him to return from a distant meeting to spend many hours solving the problems of a local community member, finding money for food, tracking down a missing relative or fixing a dispute that to anyone else seemed intractable. He did such things daily, while providing the primary support, financial and otherwise, for a personal household that often numbered thirty or forty people.
W. developed a highly refined view of reconciliation. The belief that the Aboriginal and the non-Aboriginal communities have 'to interpret each other' recurs throughout his life’s work. His ability to integrate Indigenous and non-Indigenous concepts was truly remarkable. He recognised the importance of working out a process through which people could live harmoniously together, and saw this as only possible if each “side” gave equal recognition to the importance of the Law of the other:
“We can’t fall in the power to the other Law. They can’t change our Law, our side, and we can’t change their side, or we will break our Law again, and they’ll break their law…… The Dreaming is really all over Australia. We must teach the whitefellas.”
For W. it was only through real respect for both one's own and the other’s Law and knowledge that reconciliation could be achieved. It was only when the complex interplay of practical and symbolic justice was understood that real progress would be made. Neither practical solutions nor rhetorical recognition were sufficient alone. He expressed such things (and many others) with great humour and wonderful use of metaphor.
W. was a key figure in the land rights
Native title
Native title is the Australian version of the common law doctrine of aboriginal title.Native title is "the recognition by Australian law that some Indigenous people have rights and interests to their land that come from their traditional laws and customs"...
movement, the protection of Aboriginal sacred sites in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
and organised the formation of key Aboriginal organisations in Alice Springs over the past 30 years.
His autobiography: The Town Grew Up Dancing: The Life and Art of W...... Rubuntja was published in 2002.