Status: Stock
Rowena is a Kija-Gooniyandi-Jaru woman from the Halls Creek area of The Kimberley. The design depicts the hills of this Country, particularly the Lansdowne Ranges Country which through her Grandmother, Rowena is the custodian.
Handcrafted from acrylic with a stainless steel post.
Size: Diameter approx. 5cm.
pink mirror with a teal mirror circle top.
Status: Stock
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 cassowary 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.
Screen printed by hand in Sydney, by master printers on 100% cotton linen. Sold by the metre in 132 cm width.
Care Instructions: Gentle machine or hand wash only in cool water, using mild detergent.
Do Not Soak, Bleach, Rub, Wring, Tumble. Line Dry Only in Shade.
Warm Iron on Reverse. Do Not Dry Clean.
Status: Stock
Martha is a Yawuru-Karajarri artist who has spent most of her life in Rubibi, Broome.
Brindany (stingray) are an important food source for Yawuru people and are nice and fat for eating in Laja Season, around October-December.
Handcrafted from acrylic with a stainless-steel post.
Size: length approx.7cm. Blue mirror with a lilac circle top.
Status: Stock
The Kurranji, Cassowary, lives in North QLD. In the old days our people used to hunt and eat them.
The Kurranji is now a protected species and are sacred to some tribes. The feathers were used as a decoration in tribal ceremonies.
These tees have been printed using 6 different colours.
Design is by Sonya Creek, who was paid a license fee for the use of her image from her painting, Kurranji.
“Jartuti water place east of Parnngurr. In pujiman (traditional, desert dwelling) days old people walked and hunted there, we went there recently with KJ (Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa) ranger mob, lovely place.”
– Beverley Rogers
Jartuti is a water source located close to Parnngurr Aboriginal Community (otherwise known as Cotton Creek), and is part of Beverley’s father’s ngurra (home Country, camp). The site is near to the home of the jangara (cannibal devil), spiritual beings from the Jukurrpa (Dreaming) era.
This is as ancient story about how Yolngu used to collect food. They would go out into the swamp in their bark canoes and collect all the magpie geese eggs. You can see all the active swamp life- crocodiles, lilies, geese, frog and fish.
The community of Ampilatwatja made a conscious decision not to paint ‘altyerr’ dreaming stories, the artists paint their country where those stories sit.
This painting shows the layered landscape of Alyawarr, Central Australia. Knowing your country is an important part of living in a remote community like Ampilatwatja. Knowing when and where to go hunting and gathering, knowing where there is ‘soakage’ (where you can dig for water), travelling with family for ceremonies, and maintaining a connection with the land.
“This is my country, my view of country.”
All Aboriginal people originate from a spiritual source, fixed in a particular place in their land or the sea. These ‘spiritual reservoirs’ are often in the form of special waterholes made by Wangarr (creative spirits) that were created long ago close to the beginning of time. These creator beings moved across the countryside, shaping the land and implanting in each tract of country, the spiritual life force for the people who were to own it. These creative spirits took many forms and when they gave the land to each group, they also gave songs, dances, ceremony, the associated laws and language.
Evonne has painted three of her totems, the flying foxes, long necked turtle and magpie geese.
The creation story for Ganalbingu people took place near the middle section of the Glyde River where it becomes the Goyder River. Their land, Ngaliyindi, sits astride the Arafura Swamp in Central Arnhem Land. Many Ganalbingu artists paint totemic species significant to their clan. These can include baru (crocodile), banda (long necked turtle), buliya (catfish), yalman (waterlilies), gumang (magpie geese), dakawa (fresh water yabby), ratjuk (barramundi), warrnyu (flying fox) and more.
I still hunt my Grand Mothers country for goanna, bush medicine and yams.
I hunt all year round, hunting and walking through the country makes me happy. When I look at the distant hills I can feel my grandmother. Bush flowers are everywhere.
Painting my grandmother’s country reminds about those times.
All Aboriginal people originate from a spiritual source, fixed in a particular place in their land or the sea. These ‘spiritual reservoirs’ are often in the form of special waterholes made by Wangarr (creative spirits) that were created long ago close to the beginning of time. These creator beings moved across the countryside, shaping the land and implanting in each tract of country, the spiritual life force for the people who were to own it. These creative spirits took many forms and when they gave the land to each group, they also gave songs, dances, ceremony, the associated laws and language.
The creation story for Ganalbingu people took place near the middle section of the Glyde River where it becomes the Goyder River. Their land, Ngaliyindi, sits astride the Arafura Swamp in Central Arnhem Land. Many Ganalbingu artists paint totemic species significant to their clan. These can include baru (crocodile), banda (long necked turtle), buliya (catfish), yalman (waterlilies), gumang (magpie geese), dakawa (fresh water yabby), ratjuk (barramundi), warrnyu (flying fox) and more.