The cassowary is my totem. My mother’s sister handed it down to me when I was a young boy. I perform the cassowary dance in public ceremonies. As a young men, I was part of the Yalanji Dance group and was invited to Hong Kong to perform our traditional dance cycles including the cassowary dance.
Name: Laurence Gibson
Language: Kuku Yalanji
Community: Mossman
Biography:
My father is a Kuku Nyungkul man from Schiffon Flat and my mother is a Kuku Yalanji from Mossman Gorge. My mum used to paint at home and she inspired me to become an artist myself. I prefer doing pencil drawings - I’ve been sketching all my life. I like large figure outlines.
It was my partner, Vanessa Cannon, who first encouraged me to come with her to Yalanji Arts. I like working with and learning from her. Now, my practice has expanded and I do my line drawings on ceramics (sgrafitto) and create drawings for printing on textiles and paper.
My totem is the Cassowary. It was bestowed on me by my Grandfather. He taught me how to dance the Cassowary dance which l sometimes perform for public events. Not only have I performed this sacred dance in Mossman, but across the world in Hong Kong in the 1990s.
I’m happy when I can make art. It relaxes me. My main subjects are the cassowary, echidna, dugong, barramundi, scrub fowl, and brush turkey. My main aim is to pass my knowledge onto the younger generations.
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