Artist: England Bangala | Title: Banda - Long-necked Tortoise | Year: 1988 | Medium: natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark | Dimensions: 67 x 34 cm

Artist Profile
England Bangala grew up in the Milingimbi Mission in Central Arnhem Land and attended school spasmodically before working as a farmer and carpenter on his remote outstation Gochan Jiny-jirra (Cadell Gardens), and then later travelled west to work as a buffalo shooter in the west around Oenpelli.

Having passed through the full Burrara/Gunardba initiation he possessed the most intimate knowledge of the higher initiation stories of his ancestors. Because of his stature he was required to attend and officiate and many of the tribal ceremonies in the central and western Arnhem Land regions where he was always at the forefront due to his wisdom and knowledge. Continue Reading