July 2025

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Janbal (Quandong)

Janbal (Quandong) is good bush tucker. We gather the fruit from August to January when they are sweet and soft. The kernel of the fruit is very pretty and we often use it to make body adornments such as necklaces and earrings.

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“Ngayu kuku balkan” (my story). Burnt Orange State.

Kuku Yalanji (talk of this place) – pronounced Guh-guh Yell-an-gee

Ngayu kuku balkan (my story) – pronounced ngay-yuh guh-guh bul-gun

Wurarr-wurarr (dragonfly) – pronounced oo-rard-oo-rard

 

Kuku Yalanji people are the Traditional Owners of the celebrated Daintree Region.

Where the rainforest meets the reef and has one of the oldest living Cultures in the creation.

Traditional Lands extends from south of Port Douglas, northbound to the south of Cooktown area and west to the Great Dividing Range.

My artwork depicts that this is a portion of ngayu kuku balkan and that each wurarr-wurarr in this artwork represents my transformation.  

For many years a lot of my artwork was created interpreting the dragonfly.  Through my pieces you see how I have changed as a person over time and how the dragonfly has transformed with me; however in this piece I am the dragonfly.   My affiliation with the dragonfly never faded and I am relaxed with the feeling of a peaceful connection when creating it.  

Sheryl J Burchill ©

Printed on Arches BFK Rives 300gsm paper is made in France at the Arches paper mill. The paper is mould-made and crafted from 100% cotton fibers. 

 

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Mukirr Dance 3 (Women’s Business)

Mukirr dance is about when I would go with my mum, aunties and other family to the Daintree River to harvest freshwater mussels. Using our feet on the river bed, we would feel where the mussels were. Once we located them we would dive to collect them. We used our dresses as holding vessels. Once our dresses were full, we would swim to the bank and off-load to another family member who would get them ready to eat by putting them on the fire. When the ladies were feeling with their feet, it would look like they were dancing in the water. Mukirr means mussels, that is why this artwork is called ‘Mukirr Dance’. The Mukirr dance to me represents my mother, aunties and older cousins as well as many other Yalanji women of the past because this was an important part of people’s life. Today, some ladies still collect mussels up in the shallow area of the Daintree River.

Arches BFK Rives 300gsm paper is made in France at the Arches paper mill. The paper is mould-made and crafted from 100% cotton fibers. 

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Diwan 2 (Scrub Turkey)

Diwan are bush food – an important source of meat. We also eat the eggs. They are a delicacy. The male bird looks after the nest and will not go far, as he has to protect the nest from bush goanna’s. If they come around, he will send out an alarm call to other Diwan to alert therm. The nesting time for Diwan is September to December. The bush goanna knows when the eggs will be ready to hatch. When the goannas start hanging around, this is a good sign that the eggs are ready. We dig for eggs with digging sticks or by hand. The nest is very deep and when you can feel the warmth with your hands, you know that the eggs are close-by. The eggs are very good for health and make you strong.

Arches BFK Rives 300gsm paper is made in France at the Arches paper mill. The paper is mould-made and crafted from 100% cotton fibers.

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Diwan 2 (Scrub Turkey)

Diwan are bush food – an important source of meat. We also eat the eggs. They are a delicacy. The male bird looks after the nest and will not go far, as he has to protect the nest from bush goanna’s. If they come around, he will send out an alarm call to other Diwan to alert therm. The nesting time for Diwan is September to December. The bush goanna knows when the eggs will be ready to hatch. When the goannas start hanging around, this is a good sign that the eggs are ready. We dig for eggs with digging sticks or by hand. The nest is very deep and when you can feel the warmth with your hands, you know that the eggs are close-by. The eggs are very good for health and make you strong.

Arches BFK Rives 300gsm paper is made in France at the Arches paper mill. The paper is mould-made and crafted from 100% cotton fibers.

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Kurranji 3 (Cassowary)

The cassowary is one of the major totems (Ancestral Spirit Beings) for our Kuku Yalanji people. He is a big, dangerous bird that rules the rainforest. The cassowwary can attack people but at the same time he helps 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, who is protecting the chicks and the eggs from the carpet snake and goanna.

As a young women, I took on the role of 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.

Printed on Arches BFK Rives 300gsm paper made in France at the Arches paper mill. The paper is mould-made and crafted from 100% cotton fibers.

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Kurranji 2 (Cassowary)

The cassowary is one of the major totems (Ancestral Spirit Beings) for our Kuku Yalanji people. He is a big, dangerous bird that rules the rainforest. The cassowwary can attack people but at the same time he helps 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, who is protecting the chicks and the eggs from the carpet snake and goanna.

As a young women, I took on the role of 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.

Printed on Arches BFK Rives 300gsm paper made in France at the Arches paper mill. The paper is mould-made and crafted from 100% cotton fibers.

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Kurranji 1 (Cassowary)

The cassowary is one of the major totems (Ancestral Spirit Beings) for our Kuku Yalanji people. He is a big, dangerous bird that rules the rainforest. The cassowwary can attack people but at the same time he helps 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, who is protecting the chicks and the eggs from the carpet snake and goanna. As a young women, I took on the role of 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. Printed on Arches BFK Rives 300gsm paper made in France at the Arches paper mill. The paper is mould-made and crafted from 100% cotton fibers.