CRUSOE KUNINGBAL, Mimih Spirit, c.1970

CRUSOE KUNINGBAL Kuninjku language, 1922 - 1984 Mimih Spirit, c.1970 ochre on carved wood 58h x 7w x 7d cm (irregular); 61 x 10 x 10 cm (with stand) PROVENANCE The Artist, Maningrida area, Northern Territory Bonhams, Aboriginal Art, Sydney, New South Wales, 28 June 2011, Lot 69 Private Collection, New South Wales RELATED WORKS Hetti Perkins, Crossing Country: The Alchemy of Western Arnhem Land Art, Sydney: Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2004, p.194 In the cultural narratives of Western Arnhem Land, Mimih spirits are regarded as ancestral beings who predate human existence and occupy a central role in the transmission of knowledge. According to oral tradition, these spirits were the first to possess and share essential skills - hunting, butchering, ceremonial dance, song, and painting - with the earliest humans navigating the harsh terrain of the Arnhem Land plateau. Mimih are characterised by their fragile, elongated bodies and impossibly slender necks, rendering them susceptible to harm from even the slightest breeze. As such, they are said to emerge only in moments of absolute stillness, retreating quickly into rocky crevices at the onset of wind. Their presence remains deeply embedded in the landscape, both physically and spiritually. Crusoe Kuningbal (also referred to as Crusoe Guningbal) introduced life-sized mimih sculptures into the Mamurrng ceremony, attracting national attention and sparking strong demand for mimih carvings among collectors. His works entered major museums, including the National Gallery of Australia in 1984, and were later featured in landmark exhibitions such as Aratjara: Art of the First Australians (Europe, 1993–94) and Crossing Country (Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2004). His sons Crusoe Kurddal and Owen Yalandja continue and expand his influential sculptural legacy. © CRUSOE KUNINGBAL / Copyright Agency, 2026

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