Yalanji Arts: Kuku Yalanji Art from Mossman Gorge
Yalanji Arts is a 100% Aboriginal owned art centre located within the Aboriginal community of Mossman Gorge, at the foothills of the world's oldest rainforest, the Daintree National Park, in Far North Queensland. It is run by Bamanga Bubu Ngadimunku Aboriginal Corporation and provides support and advocacy for Kuku Yalanji artists from Mossman Gorge and the surrounding area.
The Kuku Yalanji people have lived in the rainforest and coastal regions of Far North Queensland for around 50,000 years. Their country stretches between Cooktown, Chillagoe, and Port Douglas. Karen Shuan, a Kuku Yalanji artist and traditional custodian, shares the story of Kubirri, the Caretaker: "At the beginning, long time ago, our Kuku Yalanji ancestors knew nothing about what was good for food and what was poison. One day, a man appeared to our Elders. His body shimmered like lighting. He instructed them on what animals and plants were good to eat and taught them how and when to hunt and gather them. Our ancestors called him Kubirri (Caretaker). After a while, when he had completed his teachings, he went away and was never seen again. To this day, Kubirri protects our traditional land and all past, present and future Kuku Yalanji Bama (people)."
The centre specialises in three art forms. Handcrafted ceramics are built and fired on site at Mossman Gorge, with artists having developed their own colour recipes and application methods over many years. Hand printed textiles are also made entirely in the studio, with each design crafted by the artist supported by a studio facilitator. High-volume textiles are designed locally on Yalanji Country and hand printed in Sydney. Works celebrate deep knowledge of and connection to the rainforest and ocean environments of Kuku Yalanji Country, with totems, ancestral stories, and country as recurring subjects.
Artists represented include Karen Shuan, Lorna Shuan, Vanessa Cannon, Lawrence Gibson, Margaret Rocky, Josh Williams, and Loretta Spratt.
Yalanji Arts at a glance
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Location
Mossman Gorge Aboriginal Community, Far North Queensland, on the border of the World Heritage listed Daintree National Park. Open Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4pm. -
Language and Culture
Kuku Yalanji people. Country stretches between Cooktown, Chillagoe, and Port Douglas. Several dialects of the Yalanji language are spoken in the community. -
Art Style
Handcrafted ceramics, hand printed textiles, and high-volume textiles. All work celebrates the rainforest and ocean environments of Kuku Yalanji Country. -
Artists
Karen Shuan, Lorna Shuan, Vanessa Cannon, Lawrence Gibson, Margaret Rocky, Josh Williams, Loretta Spratt. -
Funding
Supported by Arts Queensland through the Backing Indigenous Arts initiative and the Australian Government's Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program.
