29. Worrwurr (Owl)
The owl totem belongs to the Yirritja Moiety. It also belongs to other clans such as, Wangurri, Dhalwangu etc. & the Golpa clan sing about owls. The owls eyes depicts the traditional bush food, called Dingu which comes from the Cycad plant, the nuts are pounded, strained and made into a dough then wrapped by Paper Bark and baked in a ground oven. Owls are smart and wise, they bring telepathic messages, telling us that something is going to happen, something good or bad in relation to our family. They also tell us, if a death has occurred amongst our family.
- Ochre on Milkwood
- Dimensions: 47cm x 14cm
- Cat No. 24-231
“Hello, my name is Megan Yunupingu, and I have been living here on Elcho Island for thirty years now. I have three children who are grown up and I have four grandsons at the moment, and I love living here. …I am originally from Yirrkala community, still in the same region, and my original home is at Yirrkala at the beach, that’s where I grew up. That’s where my grandfather lived, my grandmother and my Aunties.”
Born in Nhulunbuy, Megan moved to Galiwinku in 1998 to live with her Aunty Judy Gurruwiwi. Judy taught her how to paint and passed on important cultural stories. This included how to make Yidaki (didgeridoo) and carve sculptures.
Megan is well recognised Australia wide for her carved timber owl sculptures and has now taken on a new art medium where she is now emerging as a natural fibre weaver where she has produced high end mats and earrings. Megan has had the opportunity of having wonderful weavers such as the accomplished weavers Judy Manany Gurruwiwi and Mavis Warrngilna Ganambarr teaching and inspiring her in the beautiful art of natural fibre weaving. Megan has taken on this knowledge to produce her free experimentation with construction methods, colour and patterns to produce these innovative forms of artwork.
A very excitng emerging artist from Elcho Island Arts, Megan is involved in the cultural tradition of learning how to paint her mother’s totems. Married with three children and four grandchildren, Megan has a very busy life balancing her full-time work commitments as Arts Worker at Elcho Island Arts, while also finding time to concentrate on her professional artistic career.
Elcho Island Arts is a Yolŋu-owned art centre located in Galiwin’ku, Elcho Island off the north-east coast of East Arnhem Land. Community-operated since 1992, the art centre exists primarily to support Yolŋu artists to share their culture and derive income from their art making.
The community’s artists are renowned for their originality in design and knowledge of traditional bush materials, continuing a tradition of many thousands of years. Their artworks, weavings, fibre art, carvings and ceremonial poles are widely exhibited and are in national collections within Australia and in major collections worldwide. Types of works produced and exhibited in the art centre include Morning Star poles, larrakitj or Dupan, bark paintings, yidaki (didjeridu), woven pandanus baskets, carvings and shell jewellery. Their fibre art is certainly worth a look, with grasses and fibres dyed and woven together to form baskets, dilly bags, mats, fishing nets and jewellery.
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