Bulletin

Issue: March 2004

News

EAGLES SYMBOLISE LA TROBE - YOLNGU RELATIONSHIP

A painting in traditional eastern Arnhem Land style symbolises a close 'mutual help' relationship of more than three decades between La Trobe University and Aboriginal people of the Yolngu cultural group.

Currently hanging in the University's Art Museum, the large painting by highly regarded Yolngu traditional artist, Roy Wuyngambi Ashley, depicts a number of animals-including two eagles, claws entwined. The eagle is a totem of the Wagilak.

The top left eagle represents the wedge tailed eagle while that on the right is a sea eagle clutching a fish. These two species have a father/son relationship in Yolngu kinship. This is a sign of respect for La Trobe with it being acknowledged as a senior partner.

This relationship is also that between the artist's father and La Trobe associate professor in genetics, Dr Neville White. Below the wedge tailed eagle are stone spears which are of great significance to the Wagilak in ceremony and exchange 'The immature' sea eagle is growing these sacred objects from its tail.

Entwined claws and tail feathers- changing into stone spears- indicate an exchange of gifts to show the closeness of the relationship between the owners of the two 'totems'.

La Trobe commissioned the painting by Roy Wuyngambi Ashley-tribal 'grandson' of Dr White- who has conducted research with the Yolngu people of north east Arnhem Land each year since 1971.

During the decades of his research into population genetics, medical and nutritional anthropology, and natural and cultural resource management, Dr White became so close to members of the Marralarrmirri clan at Yolngu that he has been incorporated into their kinship system. Through this incorporation he has been given defined tribal relationships with various clan members.

Other clan 'relatives' include Wuyngambi's father, Dhawugari who died in 1985 - sufficient time has now lapsed for his name to be spoken or written-his brother, Djardie Ashley and his uncle, Sambo Barraparra, both of whom are also highly regarded painters in the traditional style.

For the past eight years, Dr White has helped to establish a range of community-based programs in a number of Homeland Centres including Wuyngambi's community. Currently, four La Trobe higher degree students are working in eastern Arhhem Land on land management, environmental health, nutrition education and the understanding of cancer and its management. Over the years, 12 Honours and postgraduate students have accompanied Dr White to the area to assist with various research projects.

'This has been a two-way learning process even though the students and I have probably learned more than we have taught,' Dr White says.

'Members of the clan see La Trobe University as my "company' lineage" and were impressed by the wedge tail eagle logo on vehicles and at my research station in the Donydji Homeland Centre. I explained that the eagle was the University's totem as it is for the Wagilak.' A number of events prompted the creation of the painting.

They included the ending of the period of mourning for Dhawugari, an agreement in principle for the establishment at La Trobe of a University Centre for Indigenous Research Partnerships, the lengthy relationship between University and Clan, and the opening last year at Donydji of a primary school for 23 children, established through the efforts of Dr White and one of his postgraduate students, Heidi Lehmann, and financed by the Rotary Clubs of Melbourne and East Keilor as well as The Potter Foundation.

To mark these events, Dr White, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research, Professor Fred Smith, and the former Curator of Art Works, Mrs Rhonda Noble, commissioned the painting as a symbol of the bonds. Wuyngambi completed the work in September, 2003.

'The degree of traditional cross hatching-the very fine white lines painted with a single human hair attached to a stick-which obscures to some extent the figures-illustrates the importance Wuyngambi attached to this work,' Dr White said.

'By deliberately obscuring animal species and religious objects and sites the artist draws attention to the natural environment being covered in layers of sacred meaning as well as to the time and effort and understanding required to begin to appreciate this complexity.'

'The entwined eagles show the closeness between the University and the artist's Marralarrmirri Clan and that of his 'mother', the Birdingal Ritharrngu.

The painting will be hung in th Department of Genetics, Biological Science building and will be included in an exhibition of highlights from the La Trobe University Arts collection to held at the Bundoora Homestead Arts Centre in August.

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