• 100% Indigenous Owned
• Katherine, NT
• Top End Blossom
• 500g

• Title: 2 Baru
• Artist: Christine Burarrwanga
• Size: 132 x 60cm
• Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
• Region: Yirrkala

Artist Profile:

Christine Burarrwanga - Artist from  Yirrkala, N.E Arnhem Land

A Yolngu woman deeply connected to her culture, Christine has inherited her artistic style from her mother which comes from her ancestors’ knowledge, lore and stories. 

Christine has also released a book, with Lucy Van Sambeek, called “The Life of Tree.” This children’s therapeutic picture book creates a culturally safe space for Aboriginal children to express difficult emotions around their experiences with family violence.

Through their organization ‘Metaphorically Speaking’, Christine offers culturally safe counselling and therapeutic services to Aboriginal women, children, and families using both Western counselling methodologies and traditional Aboriginal healing methods.

Story:

Yolngu people are divided into two moieties, Dhuwa and Yirritja.  This Yolngu kinship system indicates where all things are related, whether it is a type of cloud, a water current, a species of plant, a species of bird or animal, everyone and everything is allocated a category and is interlinked.  It is a means of ordering the world.  From an early age a Yolngu child will know which moiety they belong to and understand how they are aligned within their society.   Each clan is linked to not just one totemic species, but a subset of many plants and animals.  For many Yolgnu people ‘Baru’ the Saltwater Crocodile is an important element of this subset.

‘Baru’ is recognised by Yolngu as being part of the Yirritja moiety.  For artists of the Madarrpa and Gumatj clans.  The figurative representation in artworks is frequently accompanied by elongated diamond-patterned designs which are representative of the serrated bumps along a crocodiles back.

For Yolngu ‘Baru’ is an animal to be treated with great respect.

Excerpt from: ‘Living with Crocodiles: Engagement with a Powerful Reptilian Being, Natasha Fijn, Australian National University.

• Title: 2 Baru Nesting
  
• Artist: Christine Burarrwanga
  
• Size: 138 x 80cm
  
• Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
• Region: Yirrkala
  

Artist Profile:

Christine Burarrwanga - Artist from  Yirrkala, N.E Arnhem Land

A Yolngu woman deeply connected to her culture, Christine has inherited her artistic style from her mother which comes from her ancestors’ knowledge, lore and stories. 

Christine has also released a book, with Lucy Van Sambeek, called “The Life of Tree.” This children’s therapeutic picture book creates a culturally safe space for Aboriginal children to express difficult emotions around their experiences with family violence.

Through their organization ‘Metaphorically Speaking’, Christine offers culturally safe counselling and therapeutic services to Aboriginal women, children, and families using both Western counselling methodologies and traditional Aboriginal healing methods.

• Artist: Bevan Tjampitjinpa
  
• Title: 2 Men Hunting Kangaroos at Waterhole 
• Language: Anmatjere
• Region: Ti-Tree, NT
  
• Clan: Pmara Jutunta
  
• Dreaming: Ahgee (Bush Plum)
  
• Size: 43 x 25cm
  
• Medium: Acrylic on Canvas

Biography:

Bevan Tjampitjinpa was born in Darwin and grew up visiting his homeland. Bevan studied in Darwin until Year 10 before moving to Ti Tree which is his Grandmother, Grandfather and Mother’s country and later moved to live with his Elders on the Anmatjere Lands.
 
He lived permanently with his Elders for the next ten years being taught the traditional ways and being initiated into the ceremonies and laws of the desert region. Bevan speaks fluent Anmatjere and knows the traditional law and how to hunt for bush tucker and bush animals
 
Bevan was taught to paint by elders in his family. From an early age he was interested in his family’s art and wanted to learn how it was done. Bevan was encouraged to use both brush and stick to produce traditional art which took him a number of years to perfect.
 
Bevan was taught by Peggy Nungulla Reily, Beryl Pultura, Barbra Leo, Judith Ross, Tommy Mbtajana and Mark Cook. His training covered a variety of techniques which included Dreamtime symbology and how to interpret various landscape features into the canvas. He was also taught how to make spears, shields and fighting sticks (nulla nulla) which are an important part of the hunting stories he portrays.
 
Bevan uses the traditional symbols to reflect the men’s hunting forays that he has been involved in and the women’s hunting and gathering expeditions that he has joined them on, to tell a modern story of how his family group and clan currently live.

Bevan’s presentation of his artwork shows the world a beautiful and educational story of his culture, family group and the depth of spirituality of his people. Bevan’s focus is on hunting stories and shows the every day life of these traditional people and how they find and gather food for the family group. The main source of life for people in this harsh desert is the waterhole that he depicts in many of the artworks.
 
Bevan is passionate about his culture and his art and is an artist destined to succeed.

• Artist: Bevan Tjampitjinpa
  
• Title: 2 Old Men with Spears and Boomerangs Teaching young men to Hunt Emu and Kangaroo at the Waterhole
• Language: Anmatjere
• Region: Ti-Tree, NT
  
• Clan: Pmara Jutunta
  
• Dreaming: Ahgee (Bush Plum)
  
• Size: 120 x 40cm
  
• Medium: Acrylic on Canvas

Biography:

Bevan Tjampitjinpa was born in Darwin and grew up visiting his homeland. Bevan studied in Darwin until Year 10 before moving to Ti Tree which is his Grandmother, Grandfather and Mother’s country and later moved to live with his Elders on the Anmatjere Lands.
 
He lived permanently with his Elders for the next ten years being taught the traditional ways and being initiated into the ceremonies and laws of the desert region. Bevan speaks fluent Anmatjere and knows the traditional law and how to hunt for bush tucker and bush animals
 
Bevan was taught to paint by elders in his family. From an early age he was interested in his family’s art and wanted to learn how it was done. Bevan was encouraged to use both brush and stick to produce traditional art which took him a number of years to perfect.
 
Bevan was taught by Peggy Nungulla Reily, Beryl Pultura, Barbra Leo, Judith Ross, Tommy Mbtajana and Mark Cook. His training covered a variety of techniques which included Dreamtime symbology and how to interpret various landscape features into the canvas. He was also taught how to make spears, shields and fighting sticks (nulla nulla) which are an important part of the hunting stories he portrays.
 
Bevan uses the traditional symbols to reflect the men’s hunting forays that he has been involved in and the women’s hunting and gathering expeditions that he has joined them on, to tell a modern story of how his family group and clan currently live.

Bevan’s presentation of his artwork shows the world a beautiful and educational story of his culture, family group and the depth of spirituality of his people. Bevan’s focus is on hunting stories and shows the every day life of these traditional people and how they find and gather food for the family group. The main source of life for people in this harsh desert is the waterhole that he depicts in many of the artworks.
 
Bevan is passionate about his culture and his art and is an artist destined to succeed.

Softcover

A Field Guide to Central Australia: A Natural History Companion for the Traveller by Penny van Oosterzee