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The Dreaming

The meaning and the purpose of this painting and why it came to be, it represents me, who I am as an Aboriginal man. My bloodlines, my song lines, my ceremonies, my culture but it also represents the times of creation. The snake represents my creator spirit Biami, the rainbow serpent. The kangaroo represents Marloo the giant kangaroo. The goanna represents Barryibala the sand goanna and Bigarrumudja the emu man. The crosshatching you see or the raak patterns represents my Connection with Country and my song lines. The diamond patterns represent the Men’s business and our lore. The handprints you see are the ancestral spirits that walk the lands and guard sacred sites. The colours come from country ochre. Yellow for medicine and women also Mother Earth. Ochre red for Men’s ceremony and Men’s business and black and white for sacredness. The grubs you see are whitchety grubs and bardi grubs; the black circles are the spots you collect them from with a long stick to pull them out symbolic for our bush tucker and living off the land this is the dreaming, my country, my culture, my identity. It is me. Every single pattern and line that you see on the painting has purpose and meaning. South-East coast region, we are linear design peoples and that is the traditional way of telling story within Yorta Yorta.

Name: Dylan Charles


Language: Yorta Yorta



Biography:

I grew up in Shepparton and spent many years with family at Cummeragunja (Barmah).  I learnt how to get Bardi Grubs with my Grand Dad but he passed away when I was four years old. I learned the majority of my culture from my Uncle (Mum’s Brother) and he is still teaching me now. I spent a told of time at the Charles/Walker bend of  Dungala (Murry River) second on the left hand side! When I was younger going to the ochre mines was a really spiritual experience for me and also going to the sandhills where our law and initiation took place over time.

I like to interpret from the stars because our Nan told us that the stars are our map and so I like to reference the night sky in my work….. like the Emu in the sky. I like to imagine that I am looking from above – a birds eye view! I also like to mirror that view – the land and sky in the one view in my work, which represents the connection between the sky and the earth.

I look to use ochre in my paintings because it feels more connected to my traditions. It has a spiritual feel for me.

My Uncle Shane has always told me I am from the Dulunyagan bloodline to Ulupna. Our language group in Yorta Yorta and this language is classed as endangered due to colonisation and language and culture being forbidden.


© the artist / art centre