Jimbala Country 2005

LENA NYADBI born c1936

Gija language group
Jimbala Country 2005

synthetic polymer paint and earth pigments on canvas
90.0 x 120.0 cm
inscribed verso: Warmun Art Centre/ LENA NYADBI/ WAC 092/05

Provenance:
Warmun Art Centre, Western Australia (accompanied by documentation, cat.WAC092/05 and a printed photograph of the artist with the work)
Private collection, New South Wales
Lawson-Menzies, Sydney, 14 November 2007, lot 121
Private collection, Melbourne


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 this work Lena has painted the jimbala with ochre from that country to give the spearheads an opaque appearance.

Estimate: $14000 - 18000

Result Hammer: $11000