Mondalmi
Mondalmi | |
---|---|
Died | 23 October 1969 |
Resting place | Goulburn Island |
Monuments | Mondalmi Place, Bonner, ACT |
Other names | Mondalmi Milimili; Ngalwububul; Bubu |
Mondalmi (born c. 1910; died 23 October 1969) was an Aboriginal activist and cultural informant from Australia.
Biography
Mondalmi was born around 1910 in Wighu, South
In 1916 she was taken to the
She died of cancer on 23 October 1969 at Goulburn Island.[7]
Legacy
Mondalmi's oral histories and testimony make her a key source for our understanding of Aboriginal life in Western Arnhem Land.[1] Much of her testimony was recorded by anthropologist Catherine Berndt from 1947 onwards in a collaboration between the two.[1] Mondalmi discussed with Berndt that some children, who have a white father and a black mother, reject their mothers.[8] She also discussed sexual relations within their community with Bernt,[9] including how polygamous marriages were banned from the mission.[10] Mondalmi also discussed practices of gathering food with the seasons.[11] She also helped others learn the Maung language, like nurse Heather Hewett.[12] She tried to transfer much of her knowledge of plants, children's songs, sign language, kinship, bush medicine and many more topics to Berndt, to enable others to understand her culture more deeply, with a particular focus on her lived experiences as a woman.[1]
Mondalmi herself recognised the importance of creating a record of her life and culture.[13] When talking about her culture, she had "a real storyteller's sense of balance and detail".[14] She was proud of her heritage and proud of the distinction in being a "saltwater person", "from the beach" rather than the bush. She spoke many languages in addition to Maung, including Yiwadja, Gunbalang and English, and she understood Kunwinjku.[1]
Remembrance
Mondalmi, her brother Lamilami and the anthropologist Berndt all have streets named after them in Bonner, a suburb of Canberra.[15]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Berndt, Catherine, "Mondalmi (1910–1969)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 21 February 2020
- OCLC 1551721.
- ^ JSTOR 40328302.
- S2CID 147902563.
- ^ "Subscribe to The Australian | Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps". www.theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ^ Newsletter. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. 1977.
- ^ )
- )
- ^ Viking Fund Publications in Anthropology. Viking Fund. 1943.
- ISSN 1467-9809.
- ^ Meridian: The La Trobe University English Review. La Trobe University Press. 1988. p. 179.
- ^ "To The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs: Inquiry into language learning in Indigenous communities August" (PDF). 2011.
A project of the Northern Regional Council of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress, and the Uniting Church in Australia, Northern Synod
- ^ Explorations in Sights and Sounds. NAIES, Ethnic Studies Department, California State Polytechnic University. 1988.
- ^ "Mondalmi". Meridian: The La Trobe University English Review. 7: 141. 1988.
- ^ Public Place Names (Bonner) Determination 2009 (No 2), Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au