This new print of mine called Uburrnithun (Dugong surfacing) This print was inspired when we’re out hunting we’d look for the Dugongs to come up for air.
When the Dugongs come up they exhale and you can see spray of water on the water surface when its smooth and calm waters.
This spray is what we look for when out hunting and we’ll know Dugongs are in that area. Uburrnithun is in my Kala Lagau Ya language meaning Dugong surfacing for air before it dives down again.
Joseph Au
2022
The fish in the print is called Thakam (rock cod) in Kala Lagaw Ya. The Thakam is a black, brownish colour with creamy, whitish spots. The fish is good eating but some people don’t like the eating Thakam for some reason. Maybe it is the way it looks, I don’t know.
I taste the Thakam and think it’s good eating, best when cooked on coals and fried in cooking oil or made into soup with onions. Inside the Thakam design on the image, I’ve hidden some of the baits we use to catch the fish. In the head is the Bithai (squid), on the side is the Budi (periwinkle) and the Dari (headdress) and titui (start) sit within the Tadthu (sandcrab).
Joseph Au