David Malangi

One Dollar note


In 1966 David Daymirringu's painting "Mortuary Feast" was used
on the Australian one dollar note without his prior consent.
He then called himself the "Dollar Note Man".

Born:                  1927   Central Arnhem Land
Died:                  19 June 1999
Community Centre:      Ramingining
Outstation or Country: Dhamala, Dhabila; 
                       Yathalamarra, from mother
Language Bloc:         Djinang
Language:              Manyarrngu
Social Affiliations:   Djuwingi (=Dhuwa) 
Moiety:                Gamarrang subsection

Personal totems are Darrpa (King Brown snake), Djang'kawu/Djang'kawu, Djang'kawu Sisters (associated with Dhamala), white berry tree, death adder, Gurrumurringu the male spiritual being (associated with Ngurrunguma). He also paints the Balmbi clan story associated with Yathalamarra. Yathalamarra (Yirritja country, from his mother) lagoon was created by the actions of Burala (Diver Duck), Watu (Dog), Biyayngu and Bundul (Ancestral women) and Muriyana [Murayana] (associated with the hollow log ceremony). Mangrove goannas, who hunt in and around the waterholes. Sea snake, threadfin salmon, dhuwa catfish, Yirritja catfish, Milminydjarrk waterhole, djanda- goanna, snake, emu, archer fish, sea eagle,

2008 - Form and Function - A Collection of fine 18th and 19th century Ethnographic Objects and Bark Paintings , featuring works by: David Daymirringu Malangi, Dick Ngulungulei, George Milpurrurru, Jacky Kalakala, January Nongyarri, Jimmy Njiminjuma, Mickey Ganambarr, Daypurryun, Nandabitta, Narritjin, Paddy Compass Namatbarra, Peter Bandjurljurl, Peter Maralalwanga, Philip Gudthaykudthay, Tom Djimpurrpurr, Wally Mandarrk, Wattie Karuwaram, Yama, at Coo-ee Aborignal Art, Sydney.

David was born in 1927 in the bush at Mulanga, on the mainland opposite Milingimbi, and went to live at Milingimbi Mission when he was a little boy to be educated. He underwent his age-grading rites at his homeland centre, Yathalamarra before World War 2. During the war he went back to live at Milingimbi and witnessed bombing from there. After the war he worked for the Mission, erecting fences and gardening. Here he also married his promised wife, Elsie Ganbadha. He continued to work at Milingimbi doing stock work and building mud brick houses for the people.

During all this time, however, he kept taking lengthy breaks to go across to the mainland by canoe to his homeland area, Yathalamarra, and in the late fifties he decided to live there permanently, with all his wives and children. The country belongs to his mother and some of his wives. He is now the ceremonial leader of the Manharrngu Clan, which owns vast tracts of land on the east and western banks of the Glyde River and the land where Ramingining barge landing has been built, on the shores of the Arafura Sea.

There are strings of beautiful freshwater billabongs throughout the area, and David has made his permanent camp beside the Yathalamarra billabong, created in the Dreamtime by the Djankawu Sisters. He and his family grubbed out by hand a dirt road twelve miles long so that his people would have better access to the township of Ramingining, established in the early 1970's. David is most famous for his depiction of the Gurrumarringu Ceremony, part of the Manharrngu Mortuary rites, and this design was used on the Australian one dollar note, which has now been replaced by a coin. Since then he has always referred to himself as the "dollar note man". He is represented in many books, art museums and galleries throughout Australia and the world.