Artist: Lena Nyadbi
Title: Jimbala and Lilmin
Size: 120 x 90 cm
Date: 2004
Language Group: Gija
Description: Spear-heads and diamonds creation story are central to Lena Nyadbi's work. Jimbala (Spearhead) Country is Lena's father's country. It lies north of Warmun, towards Doon Doon Station. This is sharp, stony country. People used to wrap their feet in paperbark or calico when hunting kangaroos in the hills, to stop the sharp stones from cutting their feet.
Jimbala (spearheads) were traditionally made of stone, and later made of glass. Jimbala are attached to karlumbun (spears). Lena says you can find many different coloured stones in this country, which were used to make jimbala. In the early days people used to break these stones with a strong stick, to make the spearhead sharp.
In Jimbala Country, near Doon Doon Station there is a hill with a white rock on top. In the Ngarrangkarni (Dreaming) this was a cave where darbarun, the pelican hid daiwul, the barramundi. The barramundi escaped and travelled south. Barramundi are found in the rivers around Doon Doon, but no further south. The lilmim (scales) in this painting represent the Daiwul Ngarrangkarni story.
Biography of Artist: Lena was born at Walmanjilukum (Greenvale Station) about 1937, and now lives at the Warmun Community at Turkey Creek. She commenced painting in 1998 and is represented in a number of significant galleries including the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Art gallery of Western Australia and the Kerry Stokes and Western Miming Collections.
