THUNDUYINGATHI BIJARRB MAY MOODOONUTHI
May Moodoonuthi painted with The Bentinck Island Artists. Bentinck Island is in the Wellesley Island Group in Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. The seven women of The Bentinck Island Artists, who were born in the first half of the Twentieth Century, grew up uninfluenced by European ways; their lives were dominated by the traditions of their Kaiadilt ancestors. Eventually, these remote islanders were evicted to the Methodist mission on Mornington Island.
Bentinck Island was initially discovered by Jan Carstensz, Commander of the ship Pera in 1623 and it was also one of the first parts of the Gulf of Carpentaria surveyed in detail by the explorer Matthew Flinders in 1802. After Flinders’ brief encounter with these remote people, the Kaiadilt chose to remain self contained and isolated away from European people for the next 145 years. Many of the hunting implements and customs described by Flinders are still in use today including rafts, shell water vessels, fish nets and traps.
There had also been intermittent documented contact with the people from Bentinck Island from 1901 including systematic efforts by the Presbyterian Mission officers on Mornington Island from 1925, but in the main, the Kaiadilt remained isolated and able to continue their traditional lifestyle.
In 1946 and 1947 severe drought affected the communities in the Gulf area and in 1948 Bentinck Island had great tidal waves or high tides. This all culminated in a deterioration of the Kaiadilt homelands and this eventuated in the Missionaries transporting the entire population to the mission on Mornington Island.
May Moodoonuthi spoke about her work and her life to Mornington Island Art Centre coordinator, Brett Evans, in 2006:
“I was born at Thundi on the north side of Bentinck Island. I do not know much about my parents. I was a young woman when the missionaries took us from our home to Mornington Island. I married on Mornington Island and my husband Darwin Moodoonuthi was one of our leaders and started the Land Rights movement for us to return to Bentinck Island. I am a good tracker and hunter and love to weave and spin grass into string.
I like to paint at the Art Centre with my sisters and nieces. We have fun talking about the good old days, our husbands and many special times. I like to paint the rocks that are all over the beaches at Bentinck Island. I also like to paint my body stripes or tribal scars us Bentinck ladies have on our bodies.”
© Mornington Island Art and Alcaston Gallery, 2015
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