Jack Mengenen Dale - Donkey Wagons Memories

Lot description

As one of the last of the dwindling generation of old men who possess complete knowledge of the rituals, law, and culture of his people, Jack Dale was a vital link to the past. A custodian of ancient stories about the land and its creation, his most compelling and mysterious works focus on the Wandjina and other important spirit beings that created the land and instituted the laws that govern human behaviour. Jack was equally renowned for paintings, such as this work, that reveal aspects of the history of the Kimberley region and the often brutal interaction between black and white culture. When the Aboriginal people had been driven from their clan estates by the police and pastoralists, most of them were forced to work for a pittance or rations. They dug rough wagon tracks to enable pastoralists to establish stations further and further out into their country from Derby. In this work, a donkey wagon is travelling through the King Leopold Ranges on the way to Derby. The route was much longer than it is today, as they had no heavy machinery to cut through hills and had to skirt around them instead. Those who did not want to work hid in pockets of land protected by the ranges and watched from their vantage point as the wagons passed by on the makeshift roads below. Jack Dale's life was precariously balanced at the crossroads of change. Sometimes referred to as the ‘Grand Old Man of the Kimberley', he was highly respected as a tribal elder and custodian of ceremonial Law, as well as for his skill as a bushman. He came to painting late in life after many hard-working years as a stockman and was revered for his extensive knowledge of Kimberley law and history, his physical strength, and determined attitude.