Bamanga Bubu Ngadimunku Aboriginal Corporation

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Status: Stock

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Laurence Gibson, 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.

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Status: Stock

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Laurence Gibson, 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.

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Status: Stock

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Laurence Gibson, 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.

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Status: Stock

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Margaret Rocky, Janbal (Quandong)

Janbal (Quandong) is good bush tucker. We gather the fruit from August to January when they are sweet and soft. The kernel of the fruit is very pretty and we often use it to make body adornments such as necklaces and earrings.

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Status: Stock

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Margaret Rocky, Janbal (Quandong)

Janbal (Quandong) is good bush tucker. We gather the fruit from August to January when they are sweet and soft. The kernel of the fruit is very pretty and we often use it to make body adornments such as necklaces and earrings.

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Status: Stock

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Lorna Shuan, Kurriyala (Carpet Snake)

The carpet snake is an important animal for us. We call it Kurriyala in our Kuku Yalanji language. Our Ancestors wrapped the meat in native ginger leaves and cooked it on the hot coals of the ground oven. They also used the skin to make head bands or skilfully sewn blankets that keep the families warm and dry at night.

Kurriyala also has spiritual significance for me.  I inherited the carpet snake Totem and related cultural knowledge from my father’s side. According to our Kuku Yalanji creation stories, the carpet snake was an Ancestral Being that travelled in its human form across the country creating waterways wherever it went, including on my father’s clan lands.

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 Clan Country and help maintain it for the younger generations so they can become strong leaders.

Art is my way of keeping the cultural knowledge of my ancestors alive and passing it down to my children and grandchildren. Sharing this body of knowledge creates strong family ties and gives me my strength.

 

Screen printed by hand in Sydney, by master printers. Sold by the metre and half metre.

 

Care Instructions: Gentle machine or hand wash only in cool water, using mild detergent.

Do Not Soak, Bleach, Rub, Wring or Tumble. Line Dry Only in Shade. 

Warm Iron on Reverse. Do Not Dry Clean.

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Kurranji (Cassowary)

Long time ago, the cassowary was a precious food source for our ancestors. They ate the meat and the eggs, used the feathers for ceremonies and weaving, and the skins for blankets.  The Cassowary is a powerful Totem for us because it helps growing many plants that were important for food, medicine and tool making. The Cassowary can walk wide distances and spread the seeds of the fruits he eats everywhere. Plants grow also out of his dung.

I show the cassowary in my art because it is also my partner’s totem. He performs the cassowary dance in public ceremonies. It was bestowed on him by his mother’s sister when he was a young boy. In 1997 he went with the Yalanji Dance Group to Hong Kong to perform the Cassowary dance there.”

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Kadanji (Black Cockatoo)

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Ngujay (Freshwater Turtle)

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Kurranji (Cassowary)

Long time ago, the cassowary was a precious food source for our ancestors. They ate the meat and the eggs, used the feathers for ceremonies and weaving, and the skins for blankets.  The Cassowary is a powerful Totem for us because it helps growing many plants that were important for food, medicine and tool making. The Cassowary can walk wide distances and spread the seeds of the fruits he eats everywhere. Plants grow also out of his dung.