"Longlisted for the 2021 NSW Premier’s History Awards for Australian History
“The patterns and designs were laid down on the country and in the minds of Yolŋu by the ancestral beings at the time of creation. They have been passed on through the generations from our great grandparents, to our grandparents, to our parents, to us. They are the reality of this country. They tell us all who we are.” — Djambawa Marawili AM
Djalkiri are “footprints"" – ancestral imprints on the landscape that provide the Yolŋu people of eastern Arnhem Land with their philosophical foundations.
This book describes how Yolŋu artists and communities keep these foundations strong, and how they have worked with museums to develop a collaborative, community-led approach to the collection and display of their artwork. It includes contributions from Yolŋu elders and artists as well as Indigenous and non-Indigenous historians and curators. Together they explore how the relationship between communities and museums has changed over time.
From the early 20th century, anthropologists and other collectors acquired artworks and objects and took photographs in Arnhem Land that became part of collections at the University of Sydney. Later generations of Yolŋu have sought out these materials and, with museum curators, proposed a new type of relationship, based on a deeper respect for Yolŋu intellectual frameworks and a commitment to their central role in curation. This book tells some of their stories.
Featuring over 300 colour images, Djalkiri is published in conjunction with a largescale exhibition of Yolŋu art and culture at the University of Sydney’s new Chau Chak Wing Museum, opening in November 2020. Spanning almost 100 years of our shared history, these collections can expand our understanding of the past and help us to shape the future."
Edited by:
Rebecca J. Conway
Imprint: Sydney University Press
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions:
Height: 265mm,
Width: 230mm,
Spine: 14mm
Weight: 350g
ISBN: 9781743327272
ISBN 10: 1743327277
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 01 March 2021
Audience:
General/trade
,
Professional and scholarly
,
ELT Advanced
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Cultural protocols Preface, by David Ellis University foreword, by Jennifer Barrett Yolŋu foreword: We are the archaeologists and the anthropologists, by Djambawa Marawili AM Indigenous curation: Now and into the future, by Stephen Gilchrist Dancing in the dust: Working with Yolŋu collections, by Rebecca Conway Milingimbi / Yurrwi A selection of work Our djäma: Yurrwi, Milingimbi Art and Culture, Milingimbi Art and Culture with Rebecca Conway Makarrwaḻa mali, Warner wuŋiḻi: Reflecting on an image from Milingimbi, by Rebecca Conway Joe Gumbula: ‘Everything is telling us who we are’, Rebecca Conway with Aaron Corn We make the future: Historical collections and contemporary Milingimbi, Ruth Nalmakarra and Rosita Holmes in conversation Milingimbi / Yurrwi and Ramingining Art from both centres Ramingining Keeping culture alive: an essay over the telephone, Bula’bula Arts with Rebecca Conway and Djon Mundine Shifting frames: The first exhibition of the Ramingining collection at the University of Sydney (1984), by Bernice L Murphy Crossing paths with the Ramingining collection, by Katrina Liberiou Yol nhe yäku: What is your name?, by Djon Mundine Yirrkala Art from Yirrkala Buku-Ḻarrŋgay Mulka, Yirrkala and the world, by Will Stubbs, Ishmael Marika and Wukuṉ Waṉambi Not an essay, by Will Stubbs and Gawura Wanambi Precious gifts: Working with the Yolŋu barks at the Macleay Museum, Rosemary Stack and Jude Philp in conversation Not just a bark, by Matt Poll Dhäwu Joe Dhamanydjiwuŋ: Makarraṯapuy dhäwu, Makarraṯa and the exhibition, by Joe Dhamanydji Gululu dhuwala djalkiri: welcome to the Yolŋu foundations, by Rebecca Conway and Matt Poll About the authors Acknowledgements Artwork credits References Index
Rebecca Conway is curator of ethnography at the University of Sydney's Chau Chak Wing Museum.
Reviews for Djalkiri: Yolŋu Art, Collaborations and Collections
'The overall presence of Yolnu voice throughout the book is another invaluable element here, positioning Yolnu as the authority in contextualizing collections ... Djalkiri: Yolnu art, collaborations and collections is a fitting testimony to the history of the University of Sydney and its cultural collections and research, and the continuous and ongoing connections with the people of eastern Arnhem Land.' -- Lindy Allen * Oceanic Art Society *
- Nominated for NSW Premier's History Awards 2021 (Australia)
- The 'Gululu dhuwala djalkiri: welcome to the Yolnu foundations' exhibition is the winner of The Museums & Galleries National Award (MAGNA) for best Indigenous Project (2021)
- The 'Gululu dhuwala djalkiri: welcome to the Yolŋu foundations' exhibition is the winner of The Museums & Galleries National Award (MAGNA) for best Indigenous Project (2021)
- Winner of NSW Premier's History Awards 2021
- Winner of NSW Premier’s History Awards 2021
