Orchid Juice Binders in Bark Paintings from Arnhem Land and The

Home , Bark painting, Cymbidium canaliculatum, Dendrobium, Geodorum, Tiwi Islands, Yirrkala

Australian Aboriginal Bark Painting and Orchids Orchid juice binders in bark paintings from Arnhem Land and the Surrounding Islands Johanna Marie Ellersdorfer ([email protected]) Research carried out as part of the Masters of Cultural Materials Conservation, Minor Thesis, under the supervision of Associate Professor Robyn Sloggett

Developing in Arnhem Land and the surrounding islands, in the mid-late 19th century, bark paintings have become synonymous with Australian indigenous art. This art form is still widely practiced by artists today and continues to be a vibrant and dynamic contemporary art form, deeply rooted in traditional practices. Bark paintings are notorious for their complex degradation issues which largely arise from movement of environmentally sensitive hygroscopic bark supports,and underbound artist prepared paint films. Little research has been carried out into the binding material used by Indigenous artists across the region, which can include naturally occurring, locally sourced materials such as plant gums and mucilages, eggs, honey and wax as well as more recently, PVAs [1][2][3]. Although since the 1990s the use of PVAs has been more widespread, the most prevalent of the natural binding media is orchid juice [4]. Little is known regarding the use of this material, both historically and today. What research is available tends to draw almost exclusively from observational accounts written by early explorers between 1920 and 1960 [5][6][7][8][9][10][11], with a few notable excep- tions, and an indigenous perspective is notably lacking. For the Minor Thesis subject in the Masters of Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne, a literature review of the use of orchid juice binders in bark paintings was carried out and supplemented by an interview with Indigenous artist and senior Yirrkala based painter, Wukun Wanambi regarding his use of the material. Four species of orchid were identified as being used as a binding material in bark paintings, and different methods and mixtures of binding materials were related specifically to the regions of Arnhem Land, Groote Eylandt and the Tiwi Islands. Bark painting, date unknown, artist unknown, based on the red ground and imagery, likely derives from North Eastern Arnhem Land The main orchid types identified throughout the literature are the Dendrobium affine (which until the 1940s was known as the Dendrobium dicuphum), the Dendrobium canaliculatum, the Cymbidium canaliculatum, and the Geodorum pictum (also known as the neocaledonicum or densiflorum.) The Cymbidium canaliculatum was also further identified as the Cymbidium canaliculatum var. baretti [9]. The Dendrobium nobile or any other orchid is mentioned as a replacement binder used in the absence of the Dendrobium affine or Cymbidium canaliculatum [12] which could suggest that artists are relatively versatile when selecting plants for this application.

Pseudobulbs and flower from the Cymbidium canaliculatum taken in Yirrkala, images courtesy of Ms Sarah Bunn

Map of Arnhem Land and the Surrounding Islands Arnhem Land Aboriginal Reserve is located on the north eastern corner of the Northern Terri- Although commonly referred to as ‘juice’ or ‘sap’ in the literature, the sticky exudate from the orchid used as a binder is scientifi- tory in Australia. It covers approximately 94,000 square kilometres with a population of 6000 cally the mucilage of the orchid. A mucilage is essentially a thick, gluey substance that is produced by most plants to aid water and is Aboriginal land [13]. Significant areas in terms of the production of bark painting are storage and seed germination [14]. Mucilage is found in the pseudobulb of all orchids used in the region with the exception of the Yirrkala, Maningrida, Gunbalanya (formerly Oenpelli, and the Cobourg Peninsula. Various Geordoum pictum, which does not have a pseudobulb. In this case, mucilage is stored in the bulb [15]. It is widely accepted that islands are located close to the coast, the most substantial of which are Groote Eylandt, and the mucilages found in orchid species are glucomannans [14][16][17]. the Tiwi Islands (comprising Bathurst and Melville Islands.)

Various accounts of binder preparation are noted throughout the literature. Various methods of application are noted. It can be rubbed into the surface of the bark prior to the application of pigment, or mixed with pigment and water prior to the painting process or occasionally rubbed over an already pigmented surface. These methods can also be used in conjunction with one another. The Geodorum pictum also has a unique application, where it is heated and then rubbed into the bark to increase strength rather than fix pigments [15]. The juice is extracted from the pseudobulb (often just referred to as the bulb, tuber or stem) in a variety of ways depending on the artist and the com- munity. One method is to chew on the plant tissue and spit out the juice to mix directly with the pigments on the grinding stone [2]. This produces a thick con- sistency of paint because the paint pigments are more fully coated in the binder and orchid juice acts as a thickening agent [18]. Saliva can also be in- corporated in the media. The pseudobulb can also be crushed and the sticky exudate removed from the plant and mixed into the paint [19]. When applied directly to the bark, the pseudobulb is split and rubbed directly on the surface Acknowledgements of the bark support. Pigments are then layered on top but can only be applied Mr Wukun Wanambi (Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala) very thinly, otherwise they flake off [20]. Associate Professor Robyn Sloggett (Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation; Dendrobium Affine Illustration Geodorum Pictum Illustration University of Melbourne) Ms Sarah Bunn (Art Gallery of NSW) Mr Andrew Thorn (Artcare, Melbourne)

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Caruna (ed.), Ellsyd Press, Australian National Gallery, (1989) 176-180. 3 Walston, S., ‘Conservation of the Australian Museum’s collection of Aboriginal bark paintings’, ICCM Bulletin 4 (2/3), (1978) 54-59. 4 Gatenby, S.L., ‘The Identification of traditional binders used on Australian Aboriginal painted objects prior to 1970’, MA Thesis for Degree of the Master of Applied Science in the Conservation of Cultural Materials, National Centre for Cultural Heritage Science Studies, Faculty of Applied Science, University of Canberra (1996) (unpublished). 5 Rose, J., ‘Paintings of the Groote Eylandt Aborigines’, Oceania (13/2), (1942) 170-176. 6 Tindale, N.B., ‘Natives of Groote Eylandt and of the West Coast of the Gulf of Caperntaria’, in Records of the South Australian Museum, Vol. 3, E.R. Waite, and Johnston (eds.), Hassell Press, Adelaide, (1925-6) 61-143. 7 Mountford, C.P., Art, Myth and Symbolism-Records of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land Vol. 1, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne (1956). 8 Mountford, C.P., The Tiwi: their art, myth and ceremony, Phoenix House, London (1958). 9 Specht, R.L. and Mountford, C.P., Records of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land, 3. Botany and Plant Ecology, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne (1958). 10 McCarthy, F.D., ‘Diary 1: Field Notes Groote Eylandt 1’, The Papers of Frederick David McCarthy, Australian Insti- tute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), MS 3513/14/1, entry for April 19, pp. 50 (1948) (unpublished). 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Arditti, (ed.), Cornell University Press, New York, (1984) 223-259. 15 Levitt, D., Plants and People: Aboriginal uses of plants on Groote Eylandt, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Stud- phasise this idea [3]. Wanambi noted that orchid juice is used by artists ies, Canberra (1981). to touch up bark paintings when the ochre comes away from the bark 16 Gleeson, V., Gatenby, S., and Slaytor, M., ‘A Simple Method for Determining the Use of Orchid Tuber Exudates as a Binding Medium in Aboriginal Bark Paintings’, Ms Sue Gatenby, The Powerhouse Museum Sydney(1993) support, stating that orchid juice could be used to patch up losses by art- (unpublished). Detail of painted surface of a bark painting ists [18]. Given these Indigenous approaches to conservation and the 17 Wang H.L., Yeh, K.W., Chen, P.R., Chang, C.H., Chen, J.M., and Khoo, K.H., ‘Isolation and Characterization of a Pure Mannan from Oncidium (cv. Gower Ramsey) Current Pseudobulb during initial inflorescence development’, ethical issues of imposing Western values through the act of conserva- Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry (70/2), (2006) 551-553. tion, this material could provide a culturally sensitive alternative for use in 18 Wanambi, W., Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, personal communication, 13 August 2010 [Audio files in possession of the Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, University of Melbourne]. the consolidation of painted films on bark paintings. However further re- 19 Blake, N.M., Wightman, G., and Williams, L., Iwaidja ethnobotany: Aboriginal plant knowledge from Gurig National search regarding its stability and material suitability in this aplication Park, northern Australia, Northern Territory Government-Parks and Wildlife Commission, Darwin (1998). 20 Boustead, W., ‘Conservation of Australian Aboriginal Bark Paintings. With a Note on the Restoration of a New would need to be explored. Ireland Wood Carving’, Studies in Conservation (11/4), (1966) 197-204. 21 Upton, W.T., Dendrobium Orchids of Australia, Houghton Mifflin Australia, Fern Tree Gully (1989). 22 Taylor, L., ‘Fire in the Water: Inspiration from Country’ in Crossing Country:The Alchemy of Western Arnhem Land, H. Perkins (ed.), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, (2004), 115-130. 23 Gray, F., ‘Material Concerning Groote Eylandt Native Settlement and personal papers1927-1960’, Australian Insti- tute for Aboriginal and Torres Strain Islander Studies (AIATSIS) (1927-1960) (unpublished). 24 Slogett, R., ‘The Power of the Pigment: Issues in the treatment and authenticity of Indigenous paintings’, The University of Melbourne, Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation (2009) (unpublished).