About May Moodoonuthi Thunduyingathi (c1929-2008)

May Moodoonuthi painted with The Bentinck Island Artists, in the Wellesley Island Group in Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. The seven women of The Bentinck Island Artists, born in the first half of the 20th Century, grew up uninfluenced by European ways; their lives dominated by the traditions of their Kaiadilt ancestors. In 1946 and 1947 severe drought affected the communities in the Gulf area and in 1948 Bentinck Island had great tidal waves or high tides. This all culminated in a deterioration of the Kaiadilt homelands and this eventuated in the Missionaries transporting the entire population to the mission on Mornington Island. May Moodoonuthi spoke about her work and her life to Mornington Island Art Centre coordinator, Brett Evans, in 2006: “I was born at Thundi on the north side of Bentinck Island. I do not know much about my parents. I was a young woman when the missionaries took us from our home to Mornington Island. I married on Mornington Island and my husband Darwin Moodoonuthi was one of our leaders and started the Land Rights movement for us to return to Bentinck Island. I am a good tracker and hunter and love to weave and spin grass into string. I like to paint at the Art Centre with my sisters and nieces. We have fun talking about the good old days, our husbands and many special times. I like to paint the rocks that are all over the beaches at Bentinck Island. I also like to paint my body stripes or tribal scars us Bentinck ladies have on our bodies.”