Bush Tucker | GA-1198

Peter Manaburu

Peter Manaburu was an indigenous Australian and a member of the Dalabon tribe. His moiety is Yirritja and his skin is Kotjoc.

He was born under a tree close to the Maranboy police station, on an unrecorded day in approximately 1940. His father was a famous police aid and tracker but Peter seldom mentions his mother though they had a close relationship.

Though his parents were full Dalabon, their land “Manaburu” being close by Gulin Gulin (Bulman), Peter lived much of his life on Jawoyn land. At the time of his birth many of his people were being influenced to resettle close to, but not too close to Katherine. Firstly, at the King River compound (near Maranboy) then Tandangle compound (near the present Barunga) and then at Beswick station. This relocation was in part to allow uninterrupted grazing of cattle on Aboriginal lands.

Peter’s father decided that Peter was not to attend white schools but was to be taught Aboriginal ways and law only. He was taught to paint by his grandfather who drew motifs on the walls of wet season bark shelters whilst the family sheltered from the rains. These motifs were in the main figures that are used in painting on rock and are taught along with the knowledge of how they are to be used.

Peter held an important position as a ceremony man for both the Jawoyn and Dalabon tribes and was Junggai for the Bugler clan of the Jawoyn people. This latter role is one of protector of Aboriginal law and land around Barunga.

Peter’s special training also allowed him the privilege of being one of only a few remaining men who have the knowledge to paint on rock on Bagula clan lands of the Jawoyn people. Strangely enough no Jawoyn man has the necessary knowledge to paint on rock on this particular part of the land.

In 1990 Peter was the subject of a video, Junggai. Caring for Country, which included the filming of the painting in the traditional manner of the paint being sung onto the rock.

Peter’s paintings have usually been on bark and didgeridoos and a few examples of his art on canvas exist. One of his canvases is known to be in America and he has a bark held in the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra

Peter’s reputation amongst his people was one of being a law man and an established artist.