Don (Dinny) Nolan Aboriginal Boomerang Authentic 0879

Dinny Nolan's birth date is uncertain. The artist says he survived the Coniston massacre of 1928, which would make him well over 70 years of age. He was born near Mt Allan, close to present-day Yuendumu, and is a Warlpiri speaker. He is a senior custodian and law man, with responsibility for rain making and water dreaming ceremonies. Dinny worked as a stockman across much of the Northern Territory before settling at Papunya in the mid 1970s, and was among the first of Aboriginal men to paint on canvas under the influence of Geoff Bardon, who entered the community at that same time.