Ngemba Wailwan Artist Initiative

The Ngemba Wailwan
Artists Initiative is
supported by
Ngemba Wailwan
Artist Initiative
The Outback Arts Regional Indigenous Cultural
Development Officer Program is funded by Office of
the Arts, Indigenous Cultural Support
The Ngemba Wailwan are a language group
of the ancient Wailwan people, centred in the
shire of Warren along the Macquarie River in
outback New South Wales. The paintings by
the Ngemba Wailwan artists are a
continuation of the tree and ground marks of
these ancient people
Ngemba Wailwan Artists Initiative
Left to right: RICDO Mary Kennedy, Donny Dixon, Minnie Riley, Lesley
Ashley and Barbara Stanley
The photograph above is by Charles Kennu in 1898 and was at a
Wailwan Boree at Quambone 50 kilometres from Warren. It shows
distinct marks and symbols in the ground and in the trees by the
Wailwan people.
History: The Wailwan people inhabited the area
between Gilgandra and Brewarrina in Central
Western NSW centered around the township of
Warren.
From 1860 to 1890 their population was
reduced from approximately 30,000 to 800 and
became almost extinct.
The descendants of this 60,000 year old
civilisation continue the symbolic work of their
ancestors through the Aboriginal artists’ group
the Ngemba Wailwan, also known as Nyimpaa
Weilwan.
They were mark makers and tree carvers with
intricate totems and symbols.
The symbols are sacred and the secrecy is
preserved by the Wailwan.
Front page artworks by Lesley Ashley, Donny Dixon,
Mary Kennedy, Minnie Riley and Barbara Stanley
About: The Ngemba Wailwan Artists Initiative is an
art group that is led and mentored by Warren
Regional Indigenous Cultural Development Officer
(RICDO) Mary Kennedy. The group is a collective of
aboriginal artists who meet weekly in Warren to work
on their artworks that are inspired by the traditional
style of their ancestors the Ngemba Wailwan tribe.
The group has held exhibitions in local and regional
galleries as well as NSW Parliament House Gallery in
early 2012.
The artists work within the community to further the
knowledge about the Ngemba Wailwan people and
develop Indigenous creativity through a variety of
mediums.
The artists, as part of the group, draw inspiration
from the stories told by their Elders as well as drawing
inspiration from the landscape around them and their
own personal experiences.
The art group was initiated as part of the Outback
Arts Regional Indigenous Cultural Development
Officer (RICDO) Program which runs in the shires of
Warren, Walgett, Cobar, Coonamble and Bourke.
The program aims to support the development of
Indigenous arts and culture through a number of
initiatives. The main of which is the employment of a
‘Regional Indigenous Cultural Development
Officer’ (RICDO) in each of the Outback Arts local
government areas.
Work continues to develop and for further
information regarding the group you can contact the
Warren RICDO Mary Kennedy on (04) 17 040 019 or
visit the Outback Arts website on
www.outbackarts.com.au