The term "Mokuy" encompasses a diverse array of spirit beings, each with its own unique characteristics and significance. From mischievous tricksters to benevolent protectors, Mokuy inhabit the rich landscape of Yolŋu mythology, embodying the essence of the natural world and its mysteries.
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One of the most intriguing aspects of Mimih mythology is their association with rock art. It is said that the Mimihs were the original artists, responsible for painting the intricate and enigmatic figures that adorn the rocky outcrops and cave walls of Arnhem Land.
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Shell necklace-making is the oldest continuing cultural practice in Tasmania, with archaeological evidence indicating that this tradition is approximately 2600 years old. The knowledge of shell-collecting areas and the understanding of the sea and tide levels for shell gathering are integral to this tradition.
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Gooniyandi artists working in acrylic and ochre on canvas, alongside boab nut carving and traditional artefacts. Laarri Art Centre (GIRRWARLI) sits within Yiyili School, 110km west of Halls Creek in the Kimberley.
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In 1888, a Larrakia man named Billamook was among three Aboriginal prisoners in Fannie Bay Gaol whose drawings were submitted to the Intercolonial Exhibition in Melbourne, listed in the fine arts section: the first time Aboriginal artworks had been exhibited as art rather than as "primitive art". Larrakia Nation Arts (LNA) carries that practice forward as a meeting place for Larrakia and urban Indigenous artists in Darwin.
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The rock art galleries around Kalumburu hold figures known to the Kwini people as Kira Kiro: spiritual beings said to have been painted onto the stone by the beak of the Sandstone Strike Thrush using blood from the tips of its wings. Senior artist Mary Punchi Clement gave these figures to the art centre as its name when Kira Kiro Artists was established in 2009 at Kalumburu, the northernmost settlement in Western Australia.
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In 1988, the women of Santa Teresa travelled to the Australian Bicentennial Craft Show and exhibited their work, the first time an Aboriginal group had done so. The art they showed had begun just a year earlier, from a nine-week fabric-painting course. By 1989 they had their own purpose-built art centre, named after the Dreaming place of founding artist Kathleen Kemarre Wallace: Keringke, an ancient rockhole formed when an ancestor Kangaroo passed through the country.
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On 16 August 1975, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam poured a handful of Gurindji soil into the palm of Vincent Lingiari, returning land nine years after Lingiari had led over 200 people off Wave Hill Cattle Station. Many of the elders who walked off that day were still alive when Karungkarni Art and Culture Aboriginal Corporation was established in 2011, and it was at their request that it was formed.
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One of the most distinctive art forms associated with Girringun Aboriginal Art Centre is the creation of Bagu with Jiman, traditional fire-making tools that have been transformed into unique sculptural artworks.
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The art centre is particularly renowned for its carved sculptures, which are a significant aspect of the cultural heritage of the Wik and Kugu peoples. These sculptures often depict totemic animals such as dogs and birds, ancestral figures, and elements of the natural world.
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