AustLit

Noongar Elder, Maxine Fumagalli, daughter of Violet and Elijah Jones was a writer, poet, artist, healer and conservationist.

Maxine Fumagalli remembered much of the folklore that her mother had told her before she became absorbed in learning western ways, growing up and having a family. For the past 30 years Maxine made her home in the town of Denmark on the south coast where she raised her family (The Aboriginal word for Denmark is Kurrabup, which means place of the black swan).

She had a deep love for the land and people of the Southwest and also had a vital interest in promoting Noongar culture and heritage. Over the years, Maxine had asisted the Western Australia Museum to locate many important Aboriginal heritage sites in Denmark and had opened a shop and studio in Denmark where she was been able to assist other Aboriginal artists with marketing their work.