Dawidi Birritjama was a Liyagalawumirr artist and community leader from Milingimbi. Raised during a time of significant social change, Dawidi balanced his artistic practice with various forms of employment, including farming and community infrastructure projects, which were expectations imposed by the mission that was established in the 1920s. Dawidi’s artistic style was heavily influenced by earlier generations, reflecting a deep understanding of Yolŋu culture. His works often utilised figurative elements and precise cross-hatching. Recognised as a key figure in the dynamic Milingimbi art movement of the mid twentieth century, Dawidi’s legacy is marked by his role in shaping the visual language of Yolŋu art and inspiring subsequent
generations of artists.
Most of Dawidi's paintings and carvings feature elements of the Wägilak sister’s story. In ancestral times the Wägilak sisters travelled from south central Arnhem Land toward Dawidi’s Country at Milingimbi. During their travels they disturbed a waterhole belonging to Juluŋgul, the Rainbow Serpent. In retaliation, Juluŋgul swallowed the women and their children whole. Upon the chest of Dawidi’s carved figure is a painted depiction of Juluŋgul. The poles to the right of Juluŋgul may be the burial containers belonging to the sisters, or the morning star poles that guided their journey before death.