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Nautilus Shell

I am an Eastern Kuku Yalanji man. Members of my extended family have totems related directly to the Great Barrier Reef. The nautilus shell in this design represents our sea country. The reef is sacred to us but also our traditional hunting ground for turtle, dugong, coral trout, sharks and crayfish.

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 land and sea country and help maintain it for the younger generations so they can become strong leaders.

Categories: Bamanga Bubu Ngadimunku Aboriginal Corporation

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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