1963 Yirrkala bark petition
Updated
The Yirrkala bark petition that was presented to the House of Representatives by the Opposition Leader Arthur Calwell on August 28, 1963. The petition hangs in Parliament House, Canberra.
This exhibition is not just about art, it is about us: the land, the sea, our ancestors.Those words were spoken by Waka Munungurr, ceremonial leader and senior custodian, Djapu clan, at a preview viewing of the Yirrkala drawings at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. These remarkable works on paper were presented to anthropologists in north-eastern Arnhem Land in 1947. They are on display at AGNSW alongside a stunning cluster of contemporary larrakitji (hollow log coffins), created by descendants of the original Yirrkala drawings’ artist.
In this exhibition, the contemporary and the historic face each other. For the artists and their descendants these works are title deeds to their country, the surrounding sea, embedded with their physical and cultural DNA.
It’s an engaging legacy for future generations of Yolngu, the Indigenous people of north-eastern Arnhem Land – with Balanda (non-Indigenous people) also able to gaze upon these luminous, multifaceted cultural gems.
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