Novel way to share traditions

Two of the Kimberley region’s most respected and renowned artists have shared their life stories in a recent double book launch. Gija artist Shirley Purdie shares her artwork and life story in her new children’s picture book Shirley Purdie: My Story, Ngaginybe Jarragbe, and Yornadaiyn (Donny) Woolagoodja shares his culture and traditional beliefs in his self-titled biography. Both books were published by award-winning publishing house Magabala Books last month. Told in Gija and English and featuring rich ochre paintings,Shirley Purdie: My Story, Ngaginybe Jarragbe tells the extraordinary life story of the world- famous artist and Kimberley elder. Purdie said it was good to put her story and country in paintings so children could know and understand it. “When the old people die, young people can read the stories from the paintings,” she said. “They can learn from the paintings and maybe they want to start painting too.” Shirley Purdie: My Story, Ngaginybe Jarragbe is also the first book in the Kimberley Arts Series, a collaborative project between Magabala Books and the region’s art centres that sets out to introduce children to the diverse stories and incredible talent of the region’s Aboriginal visual artists. The project focuses on developing the skills of artists in children’s picture book storytelling and illustration, and has received strong support from the State Government through a Regional Economic Development grant. Magabala Books publisher Rachel Bin Salleh said Magabala was “honoured” to be able to launch the series with an artist of Purdie’s calibre. “The books in this series will show the talent and diversity of Kimberley artists, and will be great for kids to learn different art styles and cultures,” she said. Woolagoodja’s biography allows readers to learn more about the artist’s culture and traditional beliefs, 20 years after he reached worldwide acclaim when his giant Namaralay Wandjina was featured in the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The book also contains special features on “Joonba” (Corroborree), the Dambimangari Native Title determination story, and how to gain permission and show respect for country. Telling his life story in his own words with assistance from Kim Doohan, the biography provides a visual feast of images of the landscape, rock art, stone arrangements and paintings. Woolagoodja said he wanted to write the book after getting a strong feeling in his “leeyan” to do so. “Leeyan comes from your maandoom. It is the feeling in your stomach that tells you what is the right thing to do — like a gut reaction,” he said.