Martin Mbitjana Hagan

Martin Mbitjana Hagan is an Anmatyerr man from Laramba Community in the Northern Territory
with extensive experience as a facilitator, translator and interpreter across diverse industries and
fields. Martin belongs to the Anengkerr Rrwamper (Possum Dreaming) through his mother’s
father’s country and to the Anengkerr Atetherr (Budgerigar Dreaming) via his father’s adoption.
As the grandson of acclaimed Papunya artist Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Martin is part of a
significant cultural and artistic legacy. His artistic practice is born from the ceremonial ground and
fuelled by a passionate obligation to ensure that distinctive Anmatyerr traditions are not only
recognised and preserved but continue to evolve and grow.
As coordinator of the Ingkantety Project he brought together more than seventy men to galvanise
cultural practices intergenerationally through the creation of ceremonial shields, recordings of
sacred songs and the documentation of traditional designs. In partnership with senior custodians
he has created culturally significant sand paintings collected by prestigious international
collections. His dedication to enlivening cultural practice extends to his use of anpay-anpay, a
natural fibre traditionally used for ceremonial decoration, which he affixes to boards to depict ritual
iconography.
Martin is currently working on a book with anthropologist Dr Jason Gibson and the Laramba
community with the working title Songmen of the 21st Century: Making A Cultural Future for
Anmatyerr People.