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Ngangkin (Echidna) on Brown 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.

Categories: Bamanga Bubu Ngadimunku Aboriginal Corporation

Name: Karen Shuan

Language: Kuku Yalanji, Kuku Nyungkul

Community: Mossman

Biography:

I grew up in Mossman learning two ways of life: Kuku Yalanji and Western.

I learnt language and culture from the age of four, and as I grew I was an interpreter for my mother and elders. Now I teach my daughters - we all speak language at home.

Now, both my parents have passed away. My mother was from Mossman and she is my role model, she taught me language, culture, and dance from the past and the present. The stories in dance she also painted; stories of our Totems (Ancestral Beings) like that of Diwan (Scrub hen) laying eggs, the sea turtle and the crocodile.

 As a young person, my father’s uncle, Eddy Bloomfield, painted for pleasure and to pass on knowledge. He painted on any surface he could find like bark, turtle shells etc. I was always listening to elders and Eddy encouraged me to pick up a paintbrush. He taught me traditional techniques and told me many stories about our ancestors and clan country and what food is edible and what is not.

My elders taught me how to survive here. Strong voices and histories, self-expression through dance and painting. This is how they survived and this is valuable knowledge for the next generation.

 My artwork stories focus on the Totems that have been passed down to me from my father’s and mother’s side. Many of them are still sung and danced in public ceremony. I pass on these stories to my seven daughters and also teach them how to dance them.

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