Ancestors + Creators

'We know we can’t live in the past, but the past lives in us.’

Charlie Perkins quoted in Art + Soul (documentary), ABC TV, series 2, episode 1, 2014 ​

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have existed in Australia since time immemorial. Ancestors created the foundation for all living things, as well as the sky, seasons, landscapes, waterways and lore. Ancestors take many forms and sometimes transform in the process of creating. Some are anthropomorphic, while others are combinations of different animals, birds, reptiles and fish or are whole animals. They are the embodiment of creators and protectors and continue to regulate and inform First Nations beliefs today. ​

Ancestors have been depicted in art since the beginning of time - from rock art out in Country to contemporary painting and sculpture - reinforcing their power and presence and their connection to community, culture and identity. The Rainbow Serpent, for example, is an all-powerful being revered for its omnipresent and destructive powers and is a widespread subject in Indigenous art across the country. The repainting of Ancestors and creators aids in the maintenance, re-energising and reinforcement of their stories. By reproducing these powerful beings in their work, artists strengthen their cultural connections to them and keep knowledge about them alive.

Harry Tjutjuna (c. 1930–2020) describes himself as a spiderman, not like your familiar Marvel superhero, but one who is deeply connected to his Tjukurrpa (Dreaming). Through painting, Tjutjuna connects to his Tjukurrpa and often depicts heroic male figures in the form of embodied Ancestral creatures.

Tjutjuna was born on his Pitjantjatjara homelands near the tri-state border of the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. He was a highly respected artist, lawman and Ngangkari (healer) within the Anangu, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands.

In 2005, Tjutjuna took up painting. He drew on his cultural stories and created anamorphic imagery of spiders, often depicting them in the colours of his desert Country with multiple elongated legs and concentric circles, which symbolise eggs.

Look

What do you notice about the spider figure and choice of colours in Tjutjuna’s work of art?

Think 

Tjutjuna proclaims he is a spiderman and paints in a way that deeply connects him with his Ancestors. Why do you think Tjutjuna paints his Ancestral figures such as the spider?

Create 

Like Tjutjuna, think of a creature within your surrounding environment. It could be a bird, mammal, reptile or insect. Create your own superhero-like figure based on that creature or a combination of human and animal parts. Give it a unique name and superpowers. Use colour to bring your hero to life.

Alick Tipoti was born in 1975 on Waiben/Thursday Island, Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Islands in Queensland. His mask-making is informed by Melanesian design, song and dance. From Badu Island (Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Islands), Tipoti’s art is deeply connected to Ancestral stories of the land, sea and sky. In this work, aquatic creatures morph together. The head of a crocodile and the tail of a shark, important symbols in his culture, are embellished with cultural designs, conveying the power of the mawa (mask).

Tipoti began constructing three-dimensional iterations of traditional masks during the mid-2000s, having started his career in printmaking, and both are connected to the traditional Torres Strait carving techniques. Two types of masks are made in the Torres Strait: one carved from wood and the other from sustainably harvested turtle shell. They are worn ceremonially by a mawa (sorcerer/witchdoctor).

Tipoti speaks of his personal totems and stories of celestial beings in the night sky. His work plays a vital role in his community and in the maintenance of Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Island identity.

Look 

Look at Tipoti’s work of art. What materials have been used to create it? What symbols can you see? How would you describe them?

Think

In Tipoti’s daily and artistic life, the presence of Ancestors can be seen. Why do you think connecting and telling Ancestral stories in Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Islands mask-making is important to the artist?

Create

With recycled materials, create your own mask combining elements from two animals of your choice. Think about what connects you to those animals and why. Create your own symbols relevant to the creatures and their environment.

Stars Wars captivated Warwick Thornton, a Kaytetye man born in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, Northern Territory, in 1970. The Jedi, with supernatural abilities used for good or evil, remind Thornton of the healing powers some men and women hold in his Community, like his Uncles. Ngangkari (healers) hold cultural knowledge of medicines, wellbeing and spirituality; a gift recognised by Elders in children.

Aboriginal men and women in Star Wars attire appear to hold weapons for intergalactic battle. Rather, they are illuminated cultural tools imbued with knowledge and cultural significance, referencing the similarities between both worlds.

Like Jedi, Ngangkari are heroes, who travel time and space to heal the sick and fight dark forces, drawing on Ancestral power. In Way of the Ngangkari #6, the spirit-like figure of an Aboriginal man (Thornton) is draped in a hooded cloak above a fire. His hands move, harnessing the environment and the powerful forces within.

Thornton says, ‘The way of the Jedi, or the Ngangkari, was for me a reality’.

Look

Describe the way Thornton used his film practice to represent Ngangkari healers as powerful Jedi characters.

Think

In Thornton’s work of art, spirituality and Ancestors are expressed in his visual language. Why do you think the spiritual realm plays such an important role in Thornton’s life?

Create 

Draw inspiration from a familiar character or superhero in an action or science-fiction film. Create a portrait of yourself in costume as a character with special powers. What are your supernatural abilities? What attire or protective tools do you have? Create a costume or a portrait of you in character. You might like to include the natural environment or a vehicle.