A recent book, wrapped in a possum skin cloak, by amanda reynolds, debra couzens, vicki couzens, lee darroch and treahna hamm, tells the story of some southeastern aboriginal people, two gunditjmara women and two yorta yorta women, who set out in 1999 to relearn the lost craft of possum skin cloak making. The impact of the revival of possum skin cloaks as a community cultural practice has been significant and profound. Over time more skins were added so that as a person grew, their cloaks grew with them. This possum skin cloak, commissioned by the city of port phillip, is a significant addition to the port phillip city collection. Trove catalogue record in a museum, is where debra couzens, vicki couzens, lee darroch and treahna hamm found the inspiration to revive their communities craft of cloakmaking. Possum skin cloak spirit treahna hammyorta yorta ngv. Possum skin cloak for aiatsis australian institute of. Oct 04, 2009 environmental culture cloaks the group of girls who coordinated the cloak designs hold up the completed possum and rabbit skin cloaks. However the cloaks are encountered their effect reaches to the persons spirit, giving strength and healing. Possum skin cloak workshops 2011 to present with funding through the healing foundation we have been able to run possum skin cloak making workshops in nsw, vic and sa communities. The krowathunkooloong keeping place, a museum of the gunaikurnai nation in bairnsdale in regional victoria, also has possum skin cloaks on display.
Possum skin cloak story reconnecting communities and culture. Nov, 2014 tiriki onus has stepped into the spotlight, being awarded the first hutchinson indigenous fellowship for a project based on the possum skin cloak as central to aborigines of southeast australia. Completed in the fall of 2017 the resulting robe and cloak were displayed as part of an exhibition. Homeon country, portraits of elders wrapped in possum. Science meets art, plus indigenous embroidery and some diefendrama. The tooloyn koortakay exhibition developed by the makers was displayed at melbourne museum during naidoc week in 2002 and a new exhibition with further historical material was produced by the national.
A possum skin cloak australian institute of aboriginal and. Wrapped in culture is a collaborative project initiated by rosalie favell that brought together ten indigenous artists from australia and canada for a threeweek art collaboration to create a buffalo robe and a possum skin cloak. Darug and yuin woman, aunty rhonda grovenor dixon is the commissioner of this tribunal. Possums would be hunted, the skin carefully removed, scraped with a shell, and then stretched by pegging them out on the ground. Favell, who is based in ottawa, made connections with indigenous artists in australia and photographed some for her ongoing portrait project of indigenous artists in. Possumskin cloaks were a form of clothing worn by aboriginal people in the southeast of. Aug 03, 2016 bringing together stories of indigenous and refugee survival, tribunal takes the stables stage 12 august. There are also cloaks at the national museum of australia in canberra, as well as four in overseas collections. Feb 01, 2017 home on country is an exhibition of photographs by sydney photographer sarah rhodes. She is the author of wrapped in a possum skin cloak. The koorie heritage trust in melbourne has in its archives several possum skin cloaks made and decorated by artists in the 1980 s and 1990 s. Jul 10, 2019 wombeech puyuun, known as camperdown george, pre1870, wrapped in a possum skin cloak. Soft covered book with the image of sewn possum skin pelts on the cover. Completed in 2017, this is the first time the story of aiatsis has been represented in an indigenous cultural form.
Book wrapped in a possum skin cloak from the collection of federation university australia historical collection geoffrey blainey research centre federation university australia, mt helen campus federation university australia e. Possum skin cloak designer lee darroch with aiatsis curator alana garwoodhoung. Aboriginal people will be able to be physically wrapped in culture when they use the cloak during their time in treatment. Boonwurrung walert possum skin cloak city of port phillip. The makers visited the collection and were inspired to make reproductions as a form of cultural preservation. Jan 08, 2020 wrapped in culture is a collaborative project that brings together ten indigenous artists from australia and canada, led by metis artist rosalie favell. Wrapped in a possum skin cloak by the lake exhibition is launched. Nov 11, 2011 possum skin cloaks by anne delaney and abc news possums in australia now get to keep their skins as theyre a protected species, but theres a history of using the pelts for possum skin cloaks. On friday 18th march aboriginal community members, artists, teachers and students, and museum partners came together to celebrate the launch of the exhibition wrapped in a possum skin cloak by the lake. Council is proud to display this cloak in the st kilda town hall as a highly visible representation of councils commitment to supporting issues of importance for the yalukut weelam clan of the boonwurrung. Possum skin cloak will provide healing to aboriginal and.
The possum skin cloak being warmed by culture children. Historic cloaks are bridges into the past but while the historic lake condah cloak is a source of pride for gunditjmara people today, it is also something of an enigma, aunty maude says. In the second panel is an old, elderly indigenous couple wrapped in their possum skin cloaks. Sinew was used to stitch the skins along holes made with a bonepoint needle. Aiatsis possum skin cloak making the resin on vimeo. More than 50 pelts were generally sewn together to make a possum skin rug. The cloaks were made from the skins of possums, kangaroos, wallabies and other fur. Back years ago, when a child was born, theyd start off with one or two little possum skins and as the child grew older, pieces would be added. The timeless and living art of possum skin cloaks museums. For me the possum skin cloak is symbolic of wrapping that love and that culture around you, its symbolic of the warmth and the safety of belonging and of knowing who you are. However, cloak making experienced a resurgence more broadly after two indigenous artists, vicki couzens kirrae wurronggunditjmara and lee darroch yorta yorta, saw two deteriorating cloaks in the melbourne museum.
Wombeech puyuun, known as camperdown george, pre1870, wrapped in a possum skin cloak. A possum skin cloak australian institute of aboriginal. The timeless and living art of possum skin cloaks museums victoria. They created contemporary versions of an australian aboriginal possumskin cloak and a blackfoot buffalo robe. The possum skin cloak will be available for use by aboriginal and torres strait islander people and their families going through cancer treatment at peter maccallum cancer centre. Based on an exhibition at the national museum of australia.
Sep 21, 2010 part of an ongoing series of short programs on gallery and museum directors favourite works from their collections. Reynolds, amanda and couzens, debra wrapped in a possum skin cloak. On a cold and wet winter morning in canberra, staff from the australian institute of aboriginal and torres strait islander studies aiatsis sat down with yorta yorta, mutti mutti and boon wurrung woman lee darroch to design the first ever aiatsis possum skin cloak. Lyn riley, an aboriginal lecturer at sydney university also brought along her own kangaroo skin cloaks. But i know, from stories told by elders and old photos, that possum skin cloaks are part of my heritage as a koorie person. In his book the aborigines of new south wales fraser 1892. Booka kangaroo skin cloak collection highlights updated 6 years ago. The book outlines the toolyn koortakay collection national museum of australia comprising of artwork, possum skin dance ornaments, tools, and two cloaks. Possum skin cloak by treahna hamm has been selected by carina clement of the. We wore them insideout with the warm fur on our skin during the cold winter days and nights. The cloak is a reproduction of the gunditjmara cloak 1872 held by museum victoria. This is aiatsis possum skin cloak making the resin by aiatsis on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. Worn from a young age, cloaks started out small with a few skins sewn together to wrap a baby. Book wrapped in a possum skin cloak by amanda jane.
Possum skin cloak provides connection to culture for. Possum skin cloaks ballarat and district industrial. A possum skin cloak by the lake provides an opportunity for the library to make more connections with the community, to collaboratively record aboriginal history and culture through family stories, and support the recovery of aboriginal language, literature. The other is decorated with indigenous motifs that reflect the skills, interests and personalities of the artists and their cultures. Couzens, debra, 1962 couzens, vicki louise, 1960 darroch, lee, 1957 hamm, treahna, 1965. Blackfella road references the desecration of culturally sensitive burial sites resulting from the construction of an unsealed road near swan hill. Collection by reynolds, amanda jane and a great selection of related books. Rosalie favell in possum skin cloak, 2017 photo by maree clarke back in 2016, winnipegborn metis artist rosalie favell went to melbourne for a sixweek artist residency. Booka kangaroo skin cloak western australian museum. Roughsey, elsie labumore an aboriginal mother tells of the old and the new.
The healing experience of a possum skin cloak is immediate, powerful and lasting. Comprising tools, artworks, ornaments and two magnificently worked possum skin cloaks, this collection is testament to their commitment and the resilience of their culture. A possum skin cloak australian institute of aboriginal and torres. The little red yellow black book an introduction to indigenous australia. One, which dates from 1853, is made from 83 possum skins. Jan, 2020 adrian stimson in possum skin cloak, 2017 photo by rosalie favell possum fur and buffalo hair remain on one side of the coverings. When dry, soft incisions of geometric designs were made to the skin making it more pliable. Cloakmaking practices have moved with the times, ms couzens said. Jun 29, 2017 the possum skin cloak will be available for use by aboriginal and torres strait islander people and their families going through cancer treatment at peter maccallum cancer centre. Homeon country, portraits of elders wrapped in possum skin cloaks much like the old people of the past. Art of the skins by queensland college of art, griffith. They also wrote thankyou letters to fabri blacklock of the powerhouse museum who sent us the wonderful resources on aboriginal design symbols from nsw possum skin cloaks.
Image wa museum early 20th century booka kangaroo skin cloak. The green book of language revitalization in practice. Highlighting the strength and diversity of contemporary tasmanian aboriginal voices through stories, memories, essays, and art, this volume of poems and songs celebrates cultural traditions such as muttonbirding, fishing, carving, weaving, and necklacemaking. Eight victorian elders are pictured on country and at home in cloaks that they either made or wore at the 2006 melbourne commonwealth games opening ceremony. Designed and created by lee darroch a yorta yorta, mutti mutti and boon wurrung artist, the aiatsis possum skin cloak tells the story of aiatsis as a national cultural institution. Kurdaitcha or kurdaitcha man, and also spelled kurdaitcha, gadaidja, cadiche, kadaitcha, or karadji is a type of shaman amongst the arrernte people, an aboriginal group in central australia. Wrapped in a possum skin cloak by amanda jane reynolds, 9781876944360, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Book wrapped in a possum skin cloak victorian collections. The tooloyn koortakay collection in the national museum of australia national museum of australia collection by amanda jane reynolds author. For me, wearing a possum skin cloak is as foreign an idea as it is to nonindigenous australians. The kurdaitcha may be brought in to punish a guilty party by death. The possum skins used to make the cloaks were dried on sheets of bark, fastened by wooden pegs. Over time more skins were added so that as a person grew, their. The tooloyn koortakay collection in the national museum of australia national museum of australia collection 9781876944360.
A recent book, wrapped in a possum skin cloak, by amanda reynolds, debra couzens, vicki couzens, lee darroch and treahna hamm, tells the. This road is boycotted by connellynorthey and her family and continues to haunt the artist, as does her memory of visiting and witnessing such decimated places with her father. Indigenous artist tiriki onus intent on carving own identity. Wrapped in a possum skin cloak by the lake exhibition is.
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