Margaret Duncan

“I’m Margaret Duncan. My Aboriginal name is Bongyi from my father’s father. That name was given to me from my father and mother. My mother is Millwarparra (kangaroo people) from Roper Bar, Urapunga and Ngukurr area, her language is Ngalakgan and my dad is Ritharrŋu from North-east Arnhem Land.

I learnt painting from my sisters, brothers, mother and father but I liked my second eldest sister’s painting style and how she did carving. And I learnt how to do it then. But I stopped doing painting for because I got too busy working as a teacher. When I got married and had my four children, one of my children had cerebral palsy. That’s when I went back and started thinking about painting again. Because I used to ask people to give me a break caring for my daughter, especially my sisters and brothers. But they would tell me “No we have to go hunting”. Well, I had to stay home then and so I bought my canvas, my  paint. And I used to make her lie down, the little girl, my special little girl with cerebral palsy, make her lie down and I’d give her paper and she would do painting too. Well from there I started painting all the places I was thinking about and I used to imagine myself inside that painting, inside that Country.

And I kept going then, painting. That’s how I got out of my depression.  I’d look at that Country in the painting and it would make me feel good, make me stop stressing about going out. Or being angry with them.”

--------

“Mi Margaret Duncan. Main blekbala neim im Bongyi, from main Amuri. Det neim bin gibit la mi from main dedi en mami. Main mami Millwarparra (kangaroo people) from Ropa ba, Yurapanji en Ngukurr. Im langgus Ngalakgan en main dedi im Ritharrŋu from Anem len.

 

Ai bin len peinting from main sista, braja, mami en dedi bat ai bin leigim main second eldest sista peinting stail en hau imbin dum kabin. En ai bin len hau bla dum den. Bat ai bin stop dumbat det peinting dumaji ai bin busy werkin la titja. Wen ai bin ged married en abum main 4 biginini, wan of main biginini bin abum cerebral palsy. That’s wen ai bin gubek en jinggabat ba dumbat peinting. Bicos ai bin askim pipul ba gibit mi break bla maindiyim, main dota, speshili main sista en braja. En alabat bin dali mi “nomo melabat garra gu hanting”. Wal la kemp ai bin la jidan na en ai bin baiyim main kenbis, main peint. En ai yustu meigim laidan det lilgel, main speshil wan lilgel, garra cerebral palsy, meigim laidan en ai bin gibit im peipa en imbin dumbat peinting du. Wal from deya ai bin stat dumbat peinting bla ola pleis weya ai bin jinggabat en ai yustu imagine mijal mi insaid la det peinting, insaid la det kantri.

En den ai bin kip goin, dumbat peinting. Dunja na imbin get me out of main stress. Ai bin luk det Kantri la det peinting na en im bin meigim mi fil gud, meigim mi stop stresingat bla gu at. Or being angry bla alabat”