June 2024

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(KS): Kurranji (Cassowary)

The cassowary is one of the major Totems (Ancestral Spirit Being) for our Kuku Yalanji people. He is, a big, dangerous bird that rules the rainforest. He can attack people but at the same time he helps with growing many of the plants we used to collect for food, medicine and tool making.

I inherited the Cassowary Totem and all the cultural stories relating to it from my mother’s side. When I was four years old, my mum taught me how to dance the story of the female cassowary, which is concerned with protecting the chicks and the eggs from the carpet snake and goanna.

As a young women, I took over from my mum and began teaching our cultural dances to the younger generation at the Mossman Gorge community as well as children that live in Mossman town. I still do this today.

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(KS): Kudi (Barramundi)

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(KS): Kurranji (Cassowary)

The cassowary is one of the major Totems (Ancestral Spirit Being) for our Kuku Yalanji people. He is, a big, dangerous bird that rules the rainforest. He can attack people but at the same time he helps with growing many of the plants we used to collect for food, medicine and tool making.

I inherited the Cassowary Totem and all the cultural stories relating to it from my mother’s side. When I was four years old, my mum taught me how to dance the story of the female cassowary, which is concerned with protecting the chicks and the eggs from the carpet snake and goanna.

As a young women, I took over from my mum and began teaching our cultural dances to the younger generation at the Mossman Gorge community as well as children that live in Mossman town. I still do this today.

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(LS): Kurranji (Cassowary)

The cassowary is one of the most important animals for our Kuku Yalanji people. The cassowary is the boss of the rainforest. He is dangerous but he also helps grow many of the plants we used to collect for food, medicine and tool making.

How does he do this? He eats many different fruits, digests them in his stomach, and then drops his dung mixed with the leftover seeds onto the ground. This way seeds grow into new plants wherever he walks. This helped us Kuku Yalanji in the past to survive.

The cassowary is a spirit bird and celebrated to this day in public ceremonies with song and dance. You must be very careful of them because they can attack. Never feed them. You must always be alert when walking in the rainforest.

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Fresh Water Turtle

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(VC): Kaddanji (Black Cockatoo)

The black cockatoo is my totem. It has been passed down to me from my grandmother and her sisters, to my mum and her sisters and then it came to me and my sisters.

I use the black cockatoo often in my art not only because it is my Totem but also to thank my grandmother’s sisters (Kae Creek, Leyla Creek and Margaret Rocky). They are artists and I used to watch them when I was a young girl. This inspired me to become an artist myself.

So, the Black Cockatoo shows on a personal level how I honour to these women artists, who came before me and changed my life.

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(VC): Kurranji (Cassowary)

Kurranji (Cassowary)

Long time ago, the cassowary was a precious food source for our ancestors. They ate the meat and the eggs, used the feathers for ceremonies and weaving, and the skins for blankets.  The Cassowary is a powerful Totem for us because it helps growing many plants that were important for food, medicine and tool making. The Cassowary can walk wide distances and spread the seeds of the fruits he eats everywhere. Plants grow also out of his dung.

I show the cassowary in my art because it is also my partner’s totem. He performs the cassowary dance in public ceremonies. It was bestowed on him by his mother’s sister when he was a young boy. In 1997 he went with the Yalanji Dance Group to Hong Kong to perform the Cassowary dance there.”

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(LS): Birmba (White Cockatoo)

Birmba (White Cockatoo) is my family totem. It has been passed down from generation to generation. 

White Cockatoos always remind me of my grandfather, my sisters and other family who have passed on. Th eyare like protective spirits for me, my family and my loved ones that have passed.They will give you signs: Good signs and signs of danger. They let you know when to move on.

When I’m out with my grandchildren, I say “Look, do you see that white cockatoo there? That’s your grandmother there, overlooking us”. I let them know that it is family watching over them , keeping them connected to each other and our country. When I’m alone, I know they’re around. I speak to their spirit and they give me strength.

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Kunjuri (Rainforest Shield)

Traditional shields were carved from a single piece of timber cut from side of the buttress root of a rainforest fig-tree. The kidney shaped shields are unique to the rainforest Bama of Far North Queensland. They were decorated with clan, totem or moiety designs using natural ochres and a water, fat or blood binder.

Shields were primarily used for deflecting spears in tribal fighting in conjunction with large rainforest swords. Shields were usually made and painted by senior men and were a significant personal possession of adult males.

 

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(VC): Kaddanji (Black Cockatoo)

The black cockatoo is my totem. It has been passed down to me from my grandmother and her sisters, to my mum and her sisters and then it came to me and my sisters.

I use the black cockatoo often in my art not only because it is my Totem but also to thank my grandmother’s sisters (Kae Creek, Leyla Creek and Margaret Rocky). They are artists and I used to watch them when I was a young girl. This inspired me to become an artist myself.

So, the Black Cockatoo shows on a personal level how I honour to these women artists, who came before me and changed my life.