Biddy Dale

The argula is a devil spirit found in caves in the Kimberley and many stories are told of them. “Big mob of Argulas everywhere. This Argula lives in a cave inside the mountain. The old people say the Argula will sit on top of his cave on the mountain and shake a boab nut or colour beetle. This food is the favourite of kids living in nearby camps. The kids will run up the steep mountain to get the food; the Argula grabs them and takes them down into his cave. This Argula is lonely and has no children. After a while, sitting inside the cave, with the stolen kids, he talks so much he makes them deaf. In the camp, the clever men are sent to look for the kids. The men shake colour lizards, the favourite food of the Argula. While he is eating the lizards, they pinch the kids back and take them to the camp, but the kids are deaf from too much talking from the Argula. A special Djunba (dance) is made to bring back the hearing of the kids.” Jack Dale Mengenen Biddy Dale Rinjiwala was Jack Dale’s second wife, no children. She started painting about 1999 when Jack started to paint a lot. Biddy was an expert in bush food and medicines. She assisted Les Hiddon in his research for his Bush Tucker television programs. Her paintings are very bright, distinctive works in acrylics. Amazing depictions of Argulas, spirit figures from the Kimberley – some are devil or bad spirits – others mischievous, naughty or trouble makers, in bold red, yellow, green or orange with black or white backgrounds feature in her works along with traditional Wandjina images. She preferred to paint in the bright acrylic colours rather than ochres. Biddy had her first exhibition with Jack at Flinders Lane Gallery in 2000 with a great response to her work. Since then she had work sold at Flinders Lane Gallery and Burrinja Gallery, Melbourne, and Outback Alive, Canberra, Cooee Gallery, Sydney and Art Mob, Hobart.