1 Table of Contents Broad Learning Write 21 Opportunities 3 Make 22 Curriculum Links 3 Teaching Resources SOSE/HISE: 4 Online 23 Background 5 Additional Reading 24 Exhibition Aims 5 Background to the Exhibition 5 Community Information 6 Objects 6 Exhibition Themes 9 Materials Girri’mala 9 Techniques Djeli gonggadaman 10 Past Times Bämanpuy Dhäwu 11 Working Together Djäma Rrambangi 12 Life of a Maker Dhuwarr Djämamirriw 14 Style Dhuwar bathiw mala 15 Pre-visit activities 16 Glossary 16 On-site activities 17 Post-visit activities 19 Materials and Techniques 19 Discussion 20 Research 20 2 Gapuwiyak Miyalkurruwurr Gong Djambatjmala Resource Kit This resource kit has been prepared by Michelle Fracaro and Alexandra Johnston with Louise Hamby for the exhibition Women with Clever Hands: Gapuwiyak Miyalkurrurwurr Gong Djambatjmala. Editing and input has been provided by Cath Bowdler, Melanie Evans and Linda Elliott from Wagga Wagga Art Gallery. This kit provides broad learning opportunities and links to the curriculum. Broad Learning Opportunities • Investigates Aboriginal culture and traditions • Investigates materials and techniques • Provides inspiration for students’ own creative works • Looks at how art reflects values, beliefs and traditions • Looks at the role of artists in different societies • Explores relationships to the land as expressed by Indigenous culture • Explores the social dimensions of art • Critical analysis of visual objects • Design and aesthetic elements Curriculum Links The Arts: Women with Clever Hands offers students opportunities to: • Experience, express, interpret and critique the cultural, geographic and social landscapes of our society • Experience excellence in the arts, experiment with ideas, learn about cultural traditions and exhibit and perform alongside respected artists History: Specific to the curriculum focus for years 3-6 is life in past times and places that are explored through a range of perspectives and themes. The development of knowledge and understanding about pre and post Indigenous contact, colonisation and the ability to recognise and value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander influences on our present day society1. Focus questions for the history curriculum across Years 3–6 include: What do we know about the past? How did Australians live in the past? How did people live in other places? How has the past influenced the present? Students from years 7-10 are required to understand Australian history within a comparative framework that embraces the Indigenous and settler components, and they should be aware of its regional and global dimensions2. 3 Specific focus areas for students in these years include: • Human transformation of the environment • Characteristics of civilisations – early forms of government, religion, society and culture • Heritage • Social structure • Health and disease • Scientific and technological change • Impact of beliefs and values • Cultural contact and conflict • Exploration and imperialism • Forced and voluntary movement of people • Indigenous-settler relations • Early impact of industrialisation • Social, economic, political and cultural development • Rights and freedoms Importantly, the learning acquired by students in history contributes to learning in other areas. This exhibition provides many opportunities for learning across other curriculum areas including English, Science, Languages, the Arts and Geography. SOSE/HISE: The exhibition also encourages students to explore the broad areas found within Studies of Society and Environment – for example: Media, materials and technologies Continuity and change Society and culture 1 ACARA: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting authority, Publications The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: History (May 2009:8) 2 ACARA: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting authority, Publications The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: History (May 2009:9) 4 BACKGROUND Exhibition Aims Women with Clever Hands aims to establish the characteristics of Gapuwiyak fibre workers’ style as a group and to highlight the skill and innovation of individual makers past and present. The exhibition examines and promotes the use of materials coming from country. It also looks at generational change in the transmission of knowledge in fibre practice. It demonstrates the continuing practice of fibre work from mission times and encourages younger women to become involved in fibre practice as a means of economic and cultural benefit. Installation of Women with Clever Hands. Wagga Wagga Art Gallery. 2010. Photo: L. Hamby Background to the Exhibition This exhibition is the first time the women of Gapuwiyak, past and present, have presented an array of their creative work in fibre. Women with Clever Hands developed from the relationship of the women with Louise Hamby which began in 1995 when she commenced her PhD studies investigating the complex set of issues surrounding the making, meaning and use of fibre objects in the community. Women with Clever Hands is fortunate in being able to capture fifteen years of women’s lives through their work nurtured by this exchange. This exhibition has been developed by Louise Hamby and the Gapuwiyak Community in partnership with Wagga Wagga Art Gallery. Lucy Malirrimurruwuy Wanapuyngu assisted Louise with the curation of this exhibition. She and many others are to be thanked and congratulated for their support. 5 Community Information Gapuwiyak is a small inland community in eastern Arnhem Land 16 kilometres from the coast. The community is on the edge of a small 1.5 kilometre long body of water, Lake Evella, located 230kms west of Nhulunbuy, in the Northern Territory. The Aboriginal name for the community, Gapuwiyak, means brackish or bitter water. There are many clan groups living in Gapuwiyak today; the landowners are Gupapuyngu who are one of the smaller groups of the population. The main clans within the community are Dhalwangu, Djambarrpuyngu, Marrangu, Wagilag and Ritharrngu The majority of the artists live in the township and others reside in the outstations surrounding Gapuwiyak. OBJECTS Five basic types of fibre objects are featured in the exhibition: bodywear, string bags, baskets, mats and fibre sculptures. Bodywear for Gapuwiyak consists of necklaces, armbands, hats and pubic covers. A key identifier for the necklaces from Gapuwiyak is the use of seeds and natural materials, particularly those of the tiny Crotalaria goreensis which are threaded individually onto nylon fishing line due to their small size. Classic style necklaces of grass stems are threaded on hand-spun string and looped to form chokers. Necklace Girringgirring 1997 Dorothy Njmanydjurru Madarrpa 1935-1999 Threaded crotalaria goreensis and acacia seeds Long lengths of crotalaria are threaded and then wrapped several times around the neck. Necklace story Girringgirringbuy dhäwu’ Photo: L. Knowles 6 String bags are a mainstay String bag Gay’wu 2007 of everyday life for carrying Joyce Milpuna Bidingal a range of items from b. 1975 food stuffs to today’s Ritharrngu supply of personal items. Looped string The major technique for their production is simple This smaller bag is for looping of hand-spun string carrying personal items made from Brachychiton rather than food. megaphyllus. Milpuna’s work Milpunwung djämapuy Photo: L. Knowles The majority of the fibre Patterned tubular basket works produced are Miny’tjimirr mindirr 2008 baskets of various types. Mary Banbalmiya Bidingal Generally speaking those b. 1950 constructed with the twining Ritharrngu technique are the classic Twined pandanus bathi or conical baskets with string handles and rounded Banbalmiya uses yellow, bottoms. Baskets produced white, red and black by the main technique of vertical stripes in horizontal coiling are varied from bands. conical forms to European shopping style baskets. Patterned basket and mat The coiling technique was story introduced into Arnhem Miny’tjimirr bathi ga Land by missionaries and mätpuy dhäwu’ travelled from west to east. Photo: L. Knowles 7 Patterned mat Miny’tjimirr mät 2009 Joyce Milpuna Bidingal b. 1975 Ritharrngu Twined, open and closed, floor mat Patterns within horizontal bands can be made of single twist vertical rows of colour. Patterned basket and mat story Miny’tjimirr bathi ga mätpuy dhäwu’ Photo: L.Knowles Mats are made in a similar manner to baskets. Classic mats from Arnhem Land are twined with the oldest style being mats that are conical in form called nganmarra. This style was modified by missionary influence to make twined flat mats which are the main type produced by artists today. Coiled mats are also made usually with openwork designs reflective of earlier patterning. Fibre sculptures from Diver duck Matjika 2009 Gapuwiyak are mainly from Penny Milingu Wanapuyngu one artist Penny Milingu b. 1961 Wanapuyngu and her mother. Wagilag Sculptures of this type from Twined painted pandanus Maningrida have been in figure stuffed with popular demand for some paperbark, painted wooden time. This link to Gapuwiyak legs is made through Milingu’s husband’s family who live in This animal is associated Maningrida. The sculptures with the creation of Lake are mainly animals with a Evella in Gapuwiyak. couple of human figures. Animal Story Warrakanbuy mala dhäwu’ Photo: L.Knowles 8 EXHIBITION THEMES Pandanus spiralis. Photo: L.Hamby Roots of Pogonolobus reticulatus, djundum. Photo: L. Hamby MATERIALS Girri’mala Plants are the main source of materials for work in the exhibition. The bodies of baskets and string bags are