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Kathaku : Redbill single work   oral history  
Issue Details: First known date: 2002... 2002 Kathaku : Redbill
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

This story relates to the redbill totem, which is a big dreaming belonging to the women of Gunbar on the south-east side of Mornington Island.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Paint-Up Amanda Ahern , The Mornington Island Elders , Mornington Island : 2002 Z1859453 2002 anthology oral history Indigenous story

    Shovel-nose sharks, dingoes, the morning star and rainbows feature in 'paint-up'; the age-old practice of decorating the bodies of dancers for the corroboree. Amanda Ahern became fascinated with the distinctive body-art designs while working on Mornington Island. With a background in anthropology and visual arts, she approached the local Elders to involve the community in documenting for posterity the dancers' body-paint designs and their meaning. The result is this first-ever publication to describe in drawings, photographs and stories the unique geography of the Top End and the rich traditions and legends of the Muyinda ancestors. The practice of 'paint-up' is an expression of culture rather than art. Each body-paint design is of profound cultural significance, identifying the wearer with country, sacred sites and ancestral groups. This book is a proud document and a timely gift from the Mornington Island Elders, to be shared by everyone. (Backcover)

    Mornington Island : 2002
    pg. 92
Last amended 4 Feb 2014 09:31:04
Subjects:
  • Mornington Island, Gulf of Carpentaria area, Far North Queensland, Queensland,
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