In traditional Australian Aboriginal culture women have their own roles, ceremonies, songs and sacred sites . . . it is called “women’s business”. This painting shows the women working together, gathering and hunting. They carry the eggs of freshwater turtle and brush turkey in woven baskets. They have caught fish and a goanna. Others are holding leafy branches to keep mosquitoes away. They also carry long sticks for getting small animals out of inaccessible holes or honey out of long hollow branches. These are Rainforest women, wearing body paint which consists of dots that represent rain on the river and white lines being the river itself. "These women go out to collect wild fruits and small game, providing and teaching for younger family members. Women from all around play a very important role in this world. They are the providers and carers, handing down what was passed down to them from other women".
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A member of the Kuku Yalanji people of Far North Queensland, Karen was born in Mossman, an hour’s drive north of Cairns. At birth she was given the tribal name Dilbael, which translates into English as “poisonous white flower”. She commenced painting in 1984, initially patterning designs on the exterior of wooden artefacts including boomerangs, clap sticks and shields before moving onto painting on paper and canvas. It was during conversations with her grandfather that Karen learnt about traditional aboriginal society and the part that women played in providing for their families and clan groups. It was these stories that later inspired her to paint the images that she saw in her mind – the gathering of wild berries and fruits, the digging of yams, the collecting of clams and mussels by women who knew it was their way of making sure the families and culture would continue.
You can contact Karen directly by clicking this link: Karen Gibson