Edna Dale / Three Wandjinas

Edna Dale is a Ngarinyin woman and chairperson of Imintji Community, a small community located 220km from Derby, WA on the Gibb River Road. She lives here with her husband Lance Bedford (son of acclaimed East Kimberley artist Paddy Bedford) and their seven daughters.
Edna is the daughter of famous Kimberley artist Jack Dale Mengenen (1920-2013). Growing up she spent much of her time by her father’s side travelling through their country, watching him paint and tell stories. Edna’s father taught her the Law, painting and showed her the many cave sites that are sacred to Ngarinyin people.

Edna has her own distinct style, her elongated Wandjina figures and minimalist aesthetic are a clear departure from the imagery of her father.
A lovely quietly spoken lady, Edna still lives on her traditional land and is the driving force behind encouraging other Ngarinyin people to use art to tell their stories and keep their culture strong. Her eldest daughter Petrina, also an artist, is carrying on this important tradition to a third generation.

Selected Exhibitions
2015 – September Shinju Art Prize
2015 – July Kimberly Art Prize
2014 – May Feature artist, Ashurst Legal Reconciliation Policy, Ashurst Legal
2013 – March Revealed, emerging Western Australian Aboriginal Artists, Gallery Central, Central Institute, Perth

Wandjinas are rain spirits and rain makers. They are from the Wunumbal, Worora and Nygarijin tribes. Each of these tribes have their own Wandjinas. Their eyes are like the cyclone. They don’t need a mouth because they are powerful and don’t need to say anything. If a white man have a Wandjina in their house, he must look at that Wandjina every day and that Wandjina will look after him. But they must believe in him. The lines around the head and dots means things like rain, clouds, lightning. The colours represent mother earth, clouds, sun, rains, plants and many many things……Regina Karadada, 2012

Three Wandjinas went off to the coast and they came across some nice pearl shells. They looked pretty so they took the pearl and used it for a dance ceremony. They then brought them back to the Ngaryin Tribe.