In Their Footsteps

The theme ‘For Our Elders’ felt perfectly relevant for this year's NAIDOC Week. It's our Elders' knowledge which is inherited from the generational stories and experiences of living on a particular country, and the exchange between generations of Aboriginal knowledge and cultural practices that so tightly connect and shape our community and identity today. The deep knowledge shared by Elders is continuously evolving. Their experiences of living in contemporary Australian society have provided them with another source of new knowledge which seeks to empower and unify today's generations of young Aboriginal communities. Fundamentally, the contemporary colours I've chosen to use in this piece highlight the beauty and significance of traditional stories of the landscape and country. This isn't to forget the heartbreaking impact of colonisation and so much wisdom being lost. It also honours our Elders, who for more than 60,000 years have used ceremonies, cultural activities, storytelling and traditional crafts to pass on knowledge from generation to generation. In this artwork you will see elements of Bidjara (my mob’s) country which is home to substantial Indigenous cultural heritage, Indigenous healing places, undisturbed natural bushlands, lagoons, wildlife and ancient waterways. This is the place where the Rainbow Serpent Mundagudda began its movement through the landscape and formed the waterways including the sandstone gorge itself. I also wanted to include the Aboriginal flag since it's a fundamental symbol for all Aboriginal people and our unity. The text embedded in the flag showcases what and who our Elders are and how vital their knowledge and presence is in connecting us to star, spirit, community, country and each other.