Mawalan Marika was born in 1908 in Yirrkala. His clan falls under the Dhuwamoiety, one of the two moieties found in Arnhem Land. In addition to being an important asset to many anthropologists including Charles P. Mountford and Ronald Berndt, he was one of the most prominent political activists of his time. Marika was a signatory of the Yirrkala bark petitions sent to the Australian government in 1963. Ever the rebel, Marika was one of the first artists to break from tradition and teach his daughters how to paint the sacred madayin clan designs. Mawalan advocated for the teaching of Yolŋu culture to the general Australian population and negotiated the foundation of a Methodist mission at Yirrkala in 1935. One way he tried to encourage this transmission of knowledge was the establishment of commercial production of bark paintings through the mission.
Career
Marika painted over 40 works, many of which can be found in art collections of museums or private collectors. In the 1950s, he helped to create a commercial bark painting environment at the Yirrkala mission and collaborated in the creation of the Yirrkala Church Panels. One of Marika's figurative traits is that he often paints the Djang'kawu sisters, who are said to be the creator beings of the Dhuwa moiety. This is important to note because the Marika family see themselves as direct descendants of the Djang'kawu. Mawalan created an entire series of paintings detailing the journey on the Djang'kawu sisters into country. As well as being known for his bark paintings, Marika had a high level of skill in carving and sculpture. His sculptures are cleanly painted with clan designs and finished with feathers, human hair, or other such natural attachments. His style is characteristic of the Dhuwa moiety, featuring lots of dots, diagonal lines, and geometric/diamond shapes. One of the innovations for which Marika is credited is the use of episodic or panel style bark paintings and breaking away from the use of rarrk by using dotting techniques and more figural elements. A notable trait of many of his paintings is the striking use of yellow ochre, which features heavily in all his works, be they sculptural or painted. Many of his works, like most Arnhem Land painters, deal with subjects relating to the sacred stories and ceremonies of the clan.
