Papunya Tula

Papunya Tula, also called the Papunya Tula Artists Cooperative, was a group of artists formed in Papunya, Northern Territory, in 1972. At the time, Papunya was a settlement designed to force the assimilation of Aboriginal peoples into Western culture. Some of the residents of Papunya began painting in traditional Aboriginal styles using modern Western materials and techniques. Once their paintings began to achieve recognition, they formed a larger cooperative.

Many people in Papunya were opposed to the creation of the cooperative. White settlement leaders worried that the creation of an organisation of Aboriginal artists would reinforce their traditional culture, rather than work towards assimilating them into mainstream Australian society. Additionally, some members of the community felt that the collective should not advocate the sharing of their culture with the outside world. Despite these challenges, the Papunya Tula Artists Cooperative was a phenomenal success and secured representation for Aboriginal artists across the world. Additionally, the Australian Government's acceptance of the collective is considered a turning point in its policies towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Background

Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have populated the continent for more than 50,000 years. During the late eighteenth century, Great Britain began sending settlers to Australia. Many of these first settlers were convicts who were sent to the continent as a way to relieve Britain’s overcrowded prisons. The white settlers began claiming large portions of land belonging to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, in the process, disrupting their traditional ways of life. Over time, the Australian government grew more powerful, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were forced to cede the majority of their land and many of their rights. They did not become full citizens of Australian until the twentieth century.

For thousands of years, Aboriginal peoples on the mainland produced rock paintings and carvings that helped express their collective understanding of their world. However, as the Aboriginal population rapidly decreased due to disease and violence, the Aboriginal art styles began to change.

During the early twentieth century, the federal government of Australia began assimilation programmes designed to force Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to abandon their native culture for contemporary Australian culture. To conduct these programmes, they created numerous settlements where large numbers of Aboriginal people could learn the Western-based culture of Australia.

Papunya was originally created as an assimilation camp. At the time of its founding, it drew most of its population from the Pintupi and Luritja peoples. However, it also featured large numbers of inhabitants from other Aboriginal groups. During the 1970s, Papunya was home to more than twice the number of people for which it was designed. This led to poor living conditions and rampant diseases.

Overview

While in residence at Papunya, a group of men began to meet over a collective desire to express their stories through their culture’s traditional artistic methods. However, unlike their ancestors, these artists used colourful acrylic paints. They also painted on small boards instead of rock walls. The artists formed the beginning of the Western Desert art movement, which would go on to become one of the most influential Aboriginal art styles in the nation’s history.

During the movement’s early years, the residents of Papunya created art for purely cultural and recreational purposes. They did not plan, or attempt, to sell their work. However, in 1971, Papunya artist Kaapa Mbitjana Tjampitjinpa’s painting Men’s Ceremony for the Kangaroo, Gulgardi, won the Caltex Golden Jubilee Art Award, a local honour presented in nearby Alice Springs. The piece blended traditional Aboriginal artistic shapes, patterns and colours with European painting techniques. It was the first work of Aboriginal art to be favourably compared to the work of European artists. Later, several paintings from Papunya artists sold in Alice Springs for $1,300.

The artists in Papunya decided to join together and formed the Papunya Tula Artist Cooperative in October of 1972. Though potentially profitable with the potential to bring fame to the Papunya community, many people within the settlement were opposed to the formation of the cooperative.

The local government was against the idea simply because the organisation would be composed entirely of Aboriginal people. The goal of Papunya was to assimilate the people into European culture that was commonplace in Australia. Allowing such artistic practices to flourish within an Aboriginal group would reinforce their traditional culture, a goal opposite of the camp’s intent. Additionally, some Aboriginal members of the settlement were opposed to the collective. They believed that Aboriginal culture and beliefs, such as their traditional methods of painting, should be kept within their communities. They were opposed to allowing this work to become disseminated into the outside world.

Despite these opposing forces, the collective gain footing and continued to produce art. The new style it fostered quickly became popular. By the early 1980s, the artists had secured galleries across Australia and quickly become nationally recognised. By the end of the decade, many works of art produced at Papunya Tula Artist Cooperative were displayed across Europe. The works of the cooperative quickly become some of the most significant and recognisable works of art in Australian history.

The art cooperative served as a bridge between Aboriginal culture and white colonial culture. Over time, the success of the collective came to be viewed as a turning point in the Australian government’s relationship toward the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. By opposing the collective early in its life, the government was reinforcing its assimilationist policies. However, by later accepting the collective, the government marked its transition towards favouring self-determination for all its peoples.

Bibliography

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“Men’s Ceremony for the Kangaroo.” ResearchGate, www.researchgate.net/figure/Kaapa-Tjampitjinpa-Mens-Ceremony-for-the-Kangaroo-Gulgardi-1971-Watercolour-on‗fig5‗303753198. Accessed 15 Dec. 2020.

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