Thompson Yulidjirri (1930–2009) was an Aboriginal Australian artist of the Kunwinjku people of western Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Yulidjirri was renowned for his wide knowledge of ancestral creation narratives and ceremony, his painting skills and mentorship of young artists at the Injalak Arts and Crafts centre.
[1] After an attack by Japanese planes during World War II, Yulidjirri and Namatbara moved to the coast of the Arafura Sea for safety,[1] where he grew up in north east Arnhem Land.
[1] Many visitors come to tour Injalak Hill, an ancient rock art site nearby, and Yulidjirri served as one of the original guides.
Thompson is also credited with educating young Kunbarlanja artists on the complex regulations and cultural protocols relating to Aboriginal art and clan imagery.
The work was purchased by American businessman John W. Kluge, an Aboriginal arts collector and the founder of Metromedia,[8] before being donated to the University of Virginia in 1997.
[12] Accompanied by Yulidjirri’s narration, "Mimi" incorporated music, dance, stilt-work and visual effects to explore a metaphorical journey where spirits and humans meets at significant points through time.
Instead of writing a script for Crying Baby, Yulidjirri narrated the performance with his own stories, relating his journey through life as an orphan to the Stolen Generations, Djang (dreaming), and the history of Reverend John Watson.
[14] The production, which incorporated indigenous dancers from Western Australia and Kunwinjku dancers and musicians from Arnhem Land, travelled to Holland, Belgium and Ireland after its successful premiere at the Perth International Arts Festival in 2001[15] Yulidjirri has found much success in painting; his works can be found in some of the most prestigious collections, he has been a NATSIAA finalist on multiple occasions, and his art hangs in Darwin Airport.
[8] The story of the creation of the Ubarr ceremony begins with an ancient hunter and magician known as Yirrbardbard, who planned to murder his wife and mother in law.
[2] As she traveled around the land, she planted yams and scattered spirit children around, giving them all different languages and cultures; these would be the original members of current clans.
[2] Fibre production was also an integral part of life for Thompson Yulidjirri and the Kuwinjku people, as it has been embedded in all aspects of Kunwinjku culture for thousands of years.
Alongside their ceremonial associations, baskets, dilly bags, and other fibre forms are linked with the ancestral stories that pervade Kunwinjku life.
According to Yulidjirri, the "Yingarna" figure, or the "Rainbow Serpent" is the ancestor whose journey resulted in the creation of Indigenous people in Arnhem Land by dispersing them in fibre dilly bags near Injalak Hill.