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All stories and laws are carried on through arts and songs. Yolngu has been sharing their
culture with the world for many years.
What are you working on?
They are the tongues of fire and the sparks from the flame. The black lines are the ashes.
Where is the painting from?
This is from Biranybirany. My uncle told me there’s also another fire painting from
Baykuldji. The fire is still burning.
The art is created using natural material sourced locally.
This is a normal ochre that I got from the beach. Before I never done this, I was just
nothing. But when my father died I started to do this because I listened to the old people’s
stories about my painting. That’s how you will learn.
Where are these things going, where are they going?
These particular poles that are being wrapped up now are going on consignment to a gallery
in Singapore. You see we are doing a few overseas sales.
The print shop started in 1996, we started doing lino-cuts because it’s been an ongoing
training, the skills have all stayed here. They have been able to be passed down from
one artist, or one print maker to the next.
They can tell their stories using different print techniques like Japanese wood blocks,
lino-cuts, screen prints, etching and color graphs.
What are you looking at?
I’m looking at pictures of old photos from the past. These photos are important.
If Yolngu people don’t understand part of their history, especially the younger generation,
they can take a look at these photos. Come here to the Mulka Centre, they will ask
“how do you cut a bark?” By looking at the photos, they will learn
how a bark is cut. They can then go and cut their own bark.
If they are looking for their own clan painting, or their father or mother’s photos, sacred
law, objects, ceremony or paintings. They will find it here at the Mulka Centre.
This footage is of people at Yilpara. They’re really, really old photos.
Wow this is a really old film.
The Mulka Project focuses on Yolngu digital archive and production.
We document traditional culture ceremonies such as art, songs and dance.
After the editing we share the stories to communities.
Yolngu love filming so they can see it in the future. The old people believe they can
share their stories for the future generations. The museums hold many historical artifacts.
These message sticks were made in 1935. Donald Thompson took that message stick back
to the administrator in Darwin, which showed Yolngu’s peaceful intentions.
And he agreed to stop killing outsiders if they stopped harassing him. And we still live
under that peace. The missionaries have been here since 1935
and the Yolngu wanted them to have the gift of Yolngu law as well in their new church.
So after making the church panels they went on to make the bark petitions, and also the
Gove land rights case and this was the start of the modern lands rights movement in Australia.
Things are made the same way as the ancestors used to make them.
Woomera like this, hollow log, basket and bark paintings.
I want you mob, future generations who are growing up now, you all should carry on, and
you should learn from the Elders. So if you learn how to paint, in the future
you can teach your children.