June 2025

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Status: Stock

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Cushion Cover Kirbaji (Dugong) Orange on Natural by Laurence Gibson

Kirbaji (Dugong) is an Ancestral Spirit Being (Totem) that I inherited it from my mother’s side.  It is my Totem. The dugong was also an important food source for my ancestors. Only men were allowed to hunt them, and only men had the right to cook and distribute the meat to all the families. My uncles and cousins showed me how to hunt dugongs and they passed down to me the cultural knowledge about them.

My ancestors used to wrap the dugong meat in ginger leaves for flavour, close the wraps with a vine and cook them in the ground oven. Dugongs were only hunted on special occasions such as births, weddings and funerals to provide food for large family gatherings. Dugong fat was also melted to make oil which was used as a medicine for skin and hair ailments or as ointment to treat an upset stomach.

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Status: Stock

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Cushion Cover Murrugu (Family) on Brown by Laurence Gibson

Family is very important to me. Whenever I draw my family design in clay, on fabric or on paper, it makes me think about the many good experiences I had when growing up. I enjoyed being out on country, going hunting and fishing, collecting plant foods and camping. I also have fond memories of listening to traditional music and learning our cultural dances.  My family design keeps all these personal memories alive like a flame, and like my ancestors before me, I try to create similar happy times with my children and grandchildren.

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Status: Stock

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Cushion Cover Murrugu (Family) on Grey by Laurence Gibson

Family is very important to me. Whenever I draw my family design in clay, on fabric or on paper, it makes me think about the many good experiences I had when growing up. I enjoyed being out on country, going hunting and fishing, collecting plant foods and camping. I also have fond memories of listening to traditional music and learning our cultural dances.  My family design keeps all these personal memories alive like a flame, and like my ancestors before me, I try to create similar happy times with my children and grandchildren.

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Status: Stock

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Cushion Cover Kurriyala (Carpet Snake) on Maroon by Lorna Shuan

The carpet snake used to be an important food animal for our ancestors. They wrapped the meat in native ginger leaves and cooked it on the hot coals of the ground oven. They also used the skin to make head bands or skilfully sewed blankets to keep the families warm and dry at night.

The carpet snake also has spiritual significance for me.  I inherited the carpet snake Totem and related cultural knowledge from my father’s side. According to our Kuku Yalanji creation stories, the carpet snake was an Ancestral Being that travelled in its human form across the country creating waterways wherever it went, including on my father’s clan lands.

In my upbringing I was taught to respect our elders who prepared me for my future role as carrier of cultural knowledge and spiritual traditions. I was also taught the values of taking responsibility for caring for our traditional clan country and help maintain it for the younger generations so they can become strong leaders.

Art is my way of keeping the cultural knowledge of my ancestors alive and passing it down to my children and grandchildren. Sharing this body of knowledge creates strong family ties and gives me my strength.

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Status: Stock

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Cushion Cover Kadanji (Palm Cockatoo) on Blue-Black by Lorna Shuan

Kadanji (Palm Cockatoo) is my family Totem. It is very important to me because it holds all the stories relating to the traditional land that was passed down to me and my siblings through my fathers side, grand fathers and great grand fathers side.

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Status: Stock

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Cushion Cover Ngunyin (Dillybag) on Rose by Margaret Rocky

Dillybags played a vital part in Kuku Yalanji culture. Women used them to carry food when out hunting and gathering or soak bitter yams in creeks before cooking them. Dillybags were also used to hold personal and sacred items.

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Status: Stock

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Cushion Cover Ngunyin (Dillybag) on Brown by Margaret Rocky

Dillybags played a vital part in Kuku Yalanji culture. Women used them to carry food when out hunting and gathering or soak bitter yams in creeks before cooking them. Dillybags were also used to hold personal and sacred items.

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Status: Stock

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Cushion Cover Makarr (Fish Trap) on Black by Vanessa Cannon

Fish traps are called Makarr in our language. They were made by men only. Our fathers and uncles used to make them with the lawyer vine. They striped the stems and then soaked them in the river to keep them soft and bendy. They also had a special way of weaving the fish traps. They used them in the river to catch eels, jungle perch fresh water catfish and turtle. To attract fish our old people used to sprinkle rain forest berries as bait over the trap.

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Status: Stock

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Cushion Cover Ngangkin (Echidna) on Burgundy by Karen Shuan

The Echidna is a very significant Totem for Kuku Yalanji Bama. It is sung and danced in ceremonies and has many secret meanings for us. Echidnas are very smart.  They only come out in the cold season.  Our old people used to make medicine out of certain parts of the animal to heal asthma and other lung illnesses. They made medicinal soups and they made oil out of the fat which they rubbed all over the body.

In the past, Echidna were also an important and delicious food source for Kuku Yalanji Bama. They relied on them for survival. Our fathers and grandfathers used the spikes of the Echidna to make a variety of weapons and body adornments.

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Status: Stock

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WRONG ENTRY! Napkin Ngujay (Freshwater Turtle) on Brown by Karen Shuan