Julie Djulibing Malibirr

Artworks

Biography

Skin name: Narritjan
Language: Ganalbingu
Dreaming: Yirritja
Clan: Gurrumba Gurrumba

Djulibing was born of a Ganalbingu father and Liyagalawumirri mother at Murrwangi – “no town, just a bush camp, and went to Milingimbi as a baby; then they took me to Darwin because of the war (WWII). -Really just outside at Kulpinya where I went to school”.

After the war she went back to Milingimbi with her parents by boat, the Arriwatha. Here she attended school for a short time – “I can’t remember who taught me, it wasn’t Miss Lowe; then I went to Galiwin’ku and worked in the gardens and cutting lawns  working with a Fijian called Binaya’ and worked at weaving baskets and mats to Sheppy (Harold Shepherdson). Lamatha was a crew (sic) on a boat which brought us food like the barge. The captain was Willi and the boat was the Larrpan. I got married there to Lamatha at Galiwin’ku and had Matjarra and Dayn’kuli  and Rrikili  too. Many’tjurrpuy also and Rorrurruwuy and Marrawuma . These are all girls except for one boy.

We came back to Milingimbi  – Matjarra was at school; David McLay  was there. I worked in the store, Lamatha in the outstation centre. I still did my weaving. Then we shifted to Langarra and then to here [Ramingining].