Dickie Minyintiri was (at his time of passing) one of the most senior Anangu Pitjantjatjara men, and is therefore one of the most significant and important artists from this region.
He was born at Pilpirinyi, Western Australia, near the border with South Australia in about 1915 . He is a highly respected Ngangkari (Traditional Healer) and senior Law Man. At his time of passing in 2015 he was the oldest man in Ernabella, and the Elders of the community say, ‘He’s our number one man. Top one!’ He was both endeared and revered by the whole community.
When his family first came to Ernabella, before the mission days, they were the first people here, and Dickie is able to point out landmarks such as rocky outcrops, waterholes and caves where his family camped. He also remembers the first ‘whitefella’ coming to Ernabella, the first building and the entire establishment of the Ernabella Mission. He remembers the shock of seeing the first sheep and goats, which were to become a big part of his life as he spent many years working hard as a shearer and a shepherd.
Dickie began painting at Ernabella Arts Inc in late 2005. His work has a strong, raw edge that tells the story of his life in pre-contact times, his position in ceremony, and how it is used to protect the ancestral beings of his country (namely the rock wallaby, kangaroo, euro, stone curlew and emu).
Dickie rose to national prominence in 2011, on winning the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (the Telstras.)
