For six months I used Darwin as a base to ventured into the outback and beyond to discover the Aboriginal culture. At the beginning I knew very little about the Aboriginals, being raised and educated in Sydney’s Northern beaches it was as if the aboriginals were only a part of Australia’s history, not present nor future.
Not until traveling to so many other cultures around the world, did my appreciation and interest in the Aboriginal culture begin.
Being a white woman entering an aboriginal community who have no idea who the intruder is, is a stupid but interesting prospect. Not stupid in the way of dangerous, I always felt safe, but stupid in the way of ignorance and disrespect for another’s culture. It has always been the way between the tribes, asking permission of the elders to step onto another’s land. My first experience on the Tiwi Islands North Australia was exactly that ignorant and disrespectful. I had no idea that the elders must grant permission before I entered. A woman told me Walter Pilakua, the main landowner of the Nguiu community, had summonsed me as I was in disgrace.
After our meeting all was mended and I was given permission to enter and photograph his land. Since then, I have made many friends on the Tiwi’s and have been invited to returned 4 times, going bush with the Tiwi’s; hunting Buffalo, Kangaroo, mangrove worms and crabs, turtles and turtle eggs. I was taken under the wing of a beautiful old woman named Jacinta, who calls me her daughter, and was invited to be a part of their everyday life. My favorite day is Sundays, when I go mangrove hunting with the women.
The more time I spend with the aboriginals the more I want to watch and learn, the way they do things is fascinating to me. It is through their simplicity of pleasures, though complication of tradition I have based this body of work. All of my images lie still but with so much thought and meaning. Just as the aboriginals communicate, with few words, just a slight gesture of the mouth to point, or a raising of an eyebrow to imply surprise. Everything is slow, quiet and graceful, but at the same time intriguing, moody and deep. I hope my images are just that. To me this is a work in progress; we have many more Sundays to share.
