Country + Constellations
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Darrell Sibosado, Bard people, Ngarrgidj Morr (the proper path to follow), 2022, commissioned by the National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra for the 4th National Indigenous Art Triennial: Ceremony, image courtesy and © the artist
‘For First Nations people – whether living on or off Country or connected to it through generational ties – knowing where our Ancestors come from is integral to our identity. Vital for survival on Country is the night sky and its creation by the Ancestors. It aids navigation and informs when food sources are ready and the status and change of ocean tides and seasons.’
Country is everywhere, everywhen, and everyhow. First Nations people are connected to and custodians of Country, reaching from below the soil to the stars above, the desert dunes to the coral reefs, and every plant and animal that inhabit it. It is often difficult to capture the true enormity of Country, but art is a unique tool to better understand and appreciate Country and its life forces.
Ngarrgidj Morr (The Proper Path To Follow)
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Ancestor, Bard people, Riji, 1900, gift of Thomas William and Pamela Joyce Falconer to National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, 1987
‘My Country and my culture directs, even dictates, the work I do. It inspires the work I do. It’s me putting my take on it but it is rooted in Country. It’s all based on my traditional practices, traditional language, the materials we use as well. It all starts with that.’
Darrell Sibosado, Bard people, is from the Kimberley region in Western Australia. Throughout his practice, Darrell reimagines and revitalises generational knowledge into immersive mediums. The Bard Nation are saltwater people, Darrell says, “our rhythms come from the ocean, the way we live”. For generations, this connection has been presented on Riji (pictured right). These etched mother-of-pearl ceremonial plates are the inspiration for Darrell’s neon work titled, Ngarrgidj Morr (The Proper Path To Follow), 2022.
The large-scale neon installation utilises three words from the Bard language. The terms are visually represented in the neon symbols, as they are in the Riji practice. These three words are loosely translated into location, practice, and position, referring to how ceremony takes care of Country, and the importance of custodianship.
By reimagining the Riji practice in neon, Darrell says that, “Aboriginal art is contemporary art. It does not just belong in the days before Captain Cook got here. It is something that’s alive, it’s living, it’s contemporary. We are contemporary”. Darrell says he wants to show viewers that, “whether there’s roads all over it, there’s an airstrip on it, it’s been covered in concrete, it’s still Country. We are still on Country”.
Reflect
Today, Acknowledgements of Country and Welcomes to Country take place regularly. You most likely participated in an Acknowledgement of Country in the last week. You might have had the privilege of being Welcomed to Country by an Elder or Community Member. Think of all the places where you have said, heard, or read an Acknowledgement of Country or Welcome to Country. How do all these places support Darrell’s statement about Country?
Some Acknowledgements of Country can be somewhat generic and follow a certain template. The most meaningful Acknowledgements of Country are those where the speaker has thought deeply about how they will express their Acknowledgement and made it unique to their particular place or context. Think about how you could make your Acknowledgement of Country unique.
Seven Sisters
‘My paintings are of my Country; my father’s Country, my grandmother’s Country, the tjala (honey ant) Country. Everything that my grandmother taught me, I’m teaching my children now. They dance because I have shared what I got from my grandmother with my granddaughters, so they can know their culture.’
Anangu, Pitjantjatjara, and Yankunytjatjara (APY) Country is home to a vast community of artists who celebrate the stories of their culture. Tjungkara Ken, Yaritji Young, Freda Brady, Sandra Ken, and Maringka Ken are Pitjantjara women living on APY Country. Many APY artists have immortalised the Seven Sisters story in their practice.
Seven Sisters, 2018, is a collaborative large-scale painting, capturing the artists’ individual perspectives and knowledges of the Seven Sisters story.
‘The Seven Sisters story has always been important for Anangu women and it is more important today than ever before. The older sister made sure that the seven sisters stayed together and that no one was left behind. The older sister protected everyone and made sure all the women were safe. This was the oldest sister’s story and it is the story of all Aboriginal women leaders in Australia today.’
In the APY story, as the Seven Sisters escaped the evil spirit, they left their mark across the Country, carving and forging new landmarks, such as when they travelled through Cave hill and Alkunyunta, all the way through to Kuli. This place now holds the story of the Seven Sisters and inspires the new generation of First Nations women leaders.
Reflect
Nyunmiti Burton says the Seven Sisters story is about "the power of women leaders. We can make all the women coming behind us fly."
Who are some of the strong women leaders who have supported or inspired you? Are they family, friend, or famous?
Why do you think it is important to elevate these leaders?
How could you become one of these leaders?
Create
Select one of the women leaders from your life. Reflect more on the impact they have had on you, in the past, present, and future.
Write a letter to this leader. Write about how they have supported and inspired you. When writing, add messages you would want them to have.
You can make your letter unique by adding certain colours, drawings in the borders, or cutting the paper into a special shape.
If possible, give or send your letter to your selected leader!