• Trinity's Indigenous perspectives
• Marika family Collection

Traditional design works entrusted to Trinity

Wednesday 15 October 2008

Fourteen previously unseen traditional design works on paper by the late Wandjuk Marika, OBE, were tonight unveiled by Trinity’s Visiting Indigenous Fellows, Langani and Rärriwuy Marika, assisted by their Rirratjingu clansmen from north-east Arnhem Land. The Marika family have generously entrusted these paintings to the care of Trinity College, where they form the core of the College’s expanding Marika collection.

In this unique event, the evocative sounds of the yidaki (didgeridoo), bilma (clap sticks) and singing, performed by three Marika family musicians, told the stories depicted in the designs through a song cycle which is integral to the visual works.

Explaining that each painting is a text to be read, Rärriwuy Marika, now on her third visit to Trinity, and Jenny Home, widow of Wandjuk, interpreted each image and its accompanying song. These ancient songs and designs are the historic legacy of Mururruma, the great Rirratjingu ancestor, who sang of the coastline, its waters and creatures. He was of direct lineage from the Djanka’wu, Creator of the Dhuwa moiety.

Although the dancing – the third essential strand of traditional Indigenous knowledge-transfer – was necessarily absent, the large audience gained a rare and valuable insight into the cultural significance of the designs, as well as the way in which such information is preserved and passed on to succeeding generations.

The collection was formally presented to the College by the senior law holder of the Rirratjingu clan, Langani Marika. Speaking in the Yolngu Matha language – with Wandjuk’s daughter Mayatili Marika translating – Langani explained that the Marika family sees the collection as the foundation of a repository of traditional Dhuwa learning to be treasured at Trinity College for the benefit of the wider University community.

The ceremony concluded with the passing of the dhumar yidaki – a special didgeridoo with a soft, mellow tone – over the heads of all present to bestow upon them a traditional blessing of peace.

This gift is a further expression of the Marika family’s desire to build bridges of knowledge and communication between their traditional world and mainstream Australia, and the College is deeply honoured to be the custodian of these works.