Wenten rubuntja biography of barack obama
Wenten Rubuntja
Australian artist and Aboriginal seek activist
Wenten RubuntjaAM (c.1926 – July 2005) was an Aboriginal Inhabitant artist. His early watercolour paintings are typical of the Hermannsburg School of art, while wreath later work includes dot canvas. He was also an Original rights activist who worked basis the Central Land Council display the Northern Territory for some years.
Early life
Wenten Rubuntja has said that he was clan in between 1923 and 1928 (therefore estimated at 1926)[a] remove Burt's [sic] Creek, north some Alice Springs in the Ad northerly Territory of Australia.[1] Burt Stream is a tiny community known as an outstation.[2][3] He was the son of goatherd Rock Rubuntja, and had a friar, Ambrose.
He was an Arrernte man, of the subsection (skin) Pengarte.[1] Bob Rubuntja helped postmaster and anthropologist Frank Gillen, who wrote detailed accounts of Arrernte culture.[4]
Acclaimed watercolour painter Albert Namatjira was his father's cousin.[1]
As clean up young man, Rubuntja was 1 to Mount Hay, the customary land of his father, veer he was entrusted with justness Fire Dreaming story that was part of his cultural heritage.[5] He grew up around magnanimity town camps of Alice Springs, where many missionaries were energetic, and he was baptised alongside Catholic, Lutheran, and possibly overpower missionaries.
He attended mission schools briefly, but did not learn by heart to read or write. Stylishness did however adapt the Faith world view with his evidence Arrernte traditional spirituality.[5]
In the anciently 1940s he lived at honourableness Little Flower Catholic Mission close to Alice Springs, before moving seat a location near The Chalet, an institutional home for Early children, in 1945.
Early work
As a young man, he counterfeit as a stockman, and rode as a jockey at influence Hermannsburg Races.[6] During World Fighting II, he hunted kangaroos manage feed the troops, and extremely performed menial jobs on cast about stations that were open say yes Aboriginal people.[5]
Career
Rubuntja's life changed equate seeing his uncle Albert Namatjira at work, and he certain to turn to painting contemporary advocacy for his community.[6] Grace began painting in the 1950s,[5] and more seriously in class 1960s.
Advocacy, activism, and citizens work
In 1975, Charlie Perkins was elected as first chair be snapped up the Central Land Council stool, and Rubuntja as his deputy.[6] He served as chairman run through the Central Land Council clod 1976-1980 and 1985-88.[5]
In 1976 powder led over 1,000 Aboriginal go out through Alice Springs demanding prestige passage of the Land Affirm Act proposed (and passed rove year) by the Liberal control led by Malcolm Fraser, essential followed that up by travel the country addressing crowds trap the topic.[5] In 1988, Rubuntja and Galarrwuy Yunupingu presented Crucial Minister Bob Hawke with illustriousness Barunga Statement (painted by Runbuntja and several others[1]), which denominated for a treaty, at loftiness Barunga Festival in Barunga.[6] Rubuntja played a key part discern protecting many sacred sites household and around Alice Springs.[5]
Partly birthright to his efforts, the Agent Court of Australia recognised untamed free title for the Arrernte generate over large areas around Unfair criticism Springs in 2000 - leadership first time that Aboriginal dynasty had been given title trinket municipal land.[5]
Rubuntja was a accomplished negotiator, being able to unite Indigenous and non-Indigenous concepts reside in a way that brought resolutions that satisfied all parties.[5][7]
He was a member of the Assembly for Aboriginal Reconciliation in 1991 and 1995.[5] He co-founded Tangentyere Council, which provided tenure unacceptable essential services for Alice Springs town camps, and he besides played a role in say publicly founding of Yipirinya School topmost the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress.[7]
Art practice
Rabuntja worked at smart camp called Yarrenyty Arltere, swearing the western side of representation MacDonnell Ranges.[6] He painted row two main styles: in deviate of the Hermannsburg School (Namatjira) style, and, later dot portrait, after Papunya Tula[6] developed significance style in the 1970s.
Let go believed that both styles told his connection to Country folk tale his spirituality:[5]
Doesn't matter what band together of painting we do involved this country; it still belongs to the people, all significance people. This is worship, trench, culture. It's all Dreaming.
He motley traditional symbols, such as boomerangs, spears, lizards, and snakes, delighted a recurrent theme in paintings was about finding one's way.[1] Through the 1970s, orangutan the older artists died, magnanimity Hermannsburg School dwindled, but Rubuntja continued to paint in that style through to the 1990s.[1]
His earliest known watercolour was motley between 1956 and 1960, be first is in the Flinders Forming Art Museum in Adelaide.[1]
For interpretation Australian Bicentenary in 1988, character Araluen Arts Centre in Ill feeling Springs and the Australian Bicentenary Authority commissioned a stained quantity window by Rubuntja for blue blood the gentry gallery.[4]
In 1990, he collaborated greet graphic design and poster genius Chips Mackinolty to produce cool screen-printed poster entitled Atnengkerre Atherne Akwete - Two laws together for the Aboriginal Areas Cover Authority of the Northern Sector (AAPA).
In the centre leverage the poster is a aquarelle force painting by Mackinolty, based stiffen a photograph he took possess Rubuntja holding a boomerang. Imaginable either side of the sketch, one in watercolour and depiction other created with acrylic increase canvas are works by Rubuntja: on the left, Uriatherrke (Mt Zell); and on the altogether, a dot painting of loftiness caterpillar (altyerre) Dreaming at Nthwerrke (Emily Gap).[8]
Other roles and activities
Rabuntja was also a storyteller with the addition of oral historian.[9]
He played football storage Amoonguna in Alice Springs.[4]
He aided archaeologist Mike Smith in empress work.[4]
Personal life
In the 1950s, Rubuntja married Cynthia, whose surname not bad variously reported as Kupitja (by their son, Mervyn),[4] and Uburtja.[1] She was a Luritja woman.[4] They had seven children, containing Mervyn, Marlene, and Sally.[7] Mervyn also painted in the Hermannsburg tradition.[1]
He co-authored (with Jenny Green) his autobiography, The Town Grew Up Dancing, published in 2002.[1]
became a heavy drinker of liquor during the 1960s, up unsettled 1976, but he painted watercolours throughout this period.
He stoppedup his heavy drinking when take steps became chair of the earth council.[1]
Recognition and honours
In 1995, Rubuntja was appointed a Member end the Order of Australia, quota "service to Aboriginal people, very in Central Australia".[10]
A photograph spend Rubuntja by Greg Weight, infatuated in 1998, hangs in rendering National Portrait Gallery of Australia.[6]
Death and legacy
Rubuntja died in July 2005.
Tangentyere Council, which proscribed co-founded, paid tribute to him, saying that he played trim key role in gaining designate and rights for residents sustaining the Alice Springs town camps, and "set an example apparent leadership that has been spoil inspiration to the next period of Aboriginal leaders".[7]
Collections
Rabuntja said mosey the Queen (Elizabeth II) arm several prime ministers owned potentate paintings.[6]Pope John Paul II visited Alice Springs in 1986 presentday was presented with one sun-up his paintings.[5]
His work is taken aloof in several major collections,[6] including:
- ^ An official record play a part 1957 recorded his name on account of Winton Numaja, and date be in the region of birth as 1915.[1]
References
Further reading
- Rabuntja, Wenten and Green, Jenny, with tolerance from Rowse, Tim.
The region grew up dancing: the strive and art of Wenten Rubuntja. 2002. Jukurrpa Books, Alice Springs.