Mathaman Marika (1920–1970) was an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

artist and Indigenous rights activist. He was a member of the Rirratjingu clan of the Yolngu people of north-east

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

, and one of the well-known Marika family, brother of Mawalan 1 Marika,

Milirrpum Marika Milirrpum Marika (1923 – 7 November 1983), also known as Jacky and also referred to simply as Milirrpum, was a Yolngu artist and community leader from East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory of Australia. He was best known for his involvement i ...

Roy Dadaynga Marika Roy Dadaynga Marika (1925 – 1993) was an Aboriginal Australian artist and Indigenous rights activist. He was a member of the Marika family, brother of Mawalan 1 Marika, Mathaman Marika, Milirrpum Marika and Dhunggala Marika. He was the leade ...

, and Dhunggala Marika. Mathaman was second oldest after Mawalan. Mathaman and his four brothers led the other clans in presenting the Yirrkala bark petitions to the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

in 1963, in the lead-up to the Gove land rights case, and Mathaman continued the struggle for land rights after the death of his elder brother Mawalan 1 in 1967. The remaining Marika brothers were involved in the 1971 '' Milirrpum v Nabalco Pty Ltd'' (named after Mathaman's brother Milirrpum, also known as the Gove land rights case). All five were politically active for the rights of the

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

, and four were also well-known Aboriginal artists. Includes short bios of: Mawalan 1 Marika (c. 1908–1967), Mathaman Marika (c. 1920–1970),

(c. 1923–1983),

MBE (c. 1925–1993), Wandjuk Djuwakan Marika OBE (1929–1987), Banduk Marika (1954–2021), Dhuwarrwarr Marika (born c.1946), Wanyubi Marika (born 1967), Yalmay Gurrwun (Marika) Yunupingu (born 1956),

Mawalan 2 Marika Mawalan Marika (born 1957), also referred to as Mawalan 2 Marika to distinguish from his grandfather Mawalan 1 Marika (1908-1967), is a Yolngu artist and land custodian of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. He is the son of we ...

(born 1957), Jimmy Barrmula Yunupingu (born 1963) (son of Dhuwarrwarr Marika). Mathaman Marika held an important place in ceremonial life and produced most of his artwork from the late 1950s until his death. An art dealer in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Jim Davidson, was a friend and became his agent in the 1960s. His painting themes included the

creator being A creator deity or creator god (often called the Creator) is a deity responsible for the creation of the Earth, world, and universe in human religion and mythology. In monotheism, the single God is often also the creator. A number of Monolatris ...

s Djang'kawu's journey to Yalangbara, the

Morning Star ceremony Pawnee mythology is the body of oral history, cosmology, and myths of the Pawnee people concerning their gods and heroes. The Pawnee are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans, originally located o ...

, various

Nhulunbuy Nhulunbuy () is a township that is the sixth largest population centre in the Northern Territory of Australia. Nhulunbuy was created on the Gove Peninsula in north-east Arnhem Land when a bauxite mine and a deep water port were established ...

stories, and also the stories of a different (Manhdalpuy) clan, the Wagilag sisters. (Special rights were obtained for the latter by his grandfather in the 20th century, and have been passed down since.)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marika, Mathaman 1920s births 1970 deaths Year of birth uncertain Australian Aboriginal artists 20th-century Australian artists Artists from the Northern Territory Australian indigenous rights activists