mayinyguwalgu ngunggirridyu | I will share with other people

Nov 5, 2022 to Jan 29, 2023

Image: Aunty Lorraine Tye and Alice Peacock, Big Fish, 2022, Digital animation, 00:00:42:00.

About

mayinyguwalgu ngunggirridyu in Wiradjuri Language translates to I will share with other people. Wiradjuri culture is rich with stories and storytellers. First Nations members of The Hands on Weavers Inc have used objects and animation to share the many layers of culture, language and heritage. The Hands On Weavers Inc, HOW Group, is a collective of people who enjoy a revival of traditional weaving practices.

There are three stories being told in the exhibition mayinyguwalgu ngunggirridyu. walan gugaa | strong goanna tells the story of how Wiradjuri people became a matriarchal society and the importance of having a strong identity. Pomingalarna and Gobbagumbalun is about listening to elders and following their advice. It tells of the consequences of not following that advice as young couple turn into frogs. And wirramari/big fish the story of how the Marrambidya (Murrumbidgee River) was formed by the mighty Murray Cod. Each of these stories has animations and sculptures, and in the case of Pomingalarna and Gobbagumbalun a story seat.

The story seat is titled Galang Giilang | Water Stories and is a collaborative piece that brings together modern furniture design, the use of Australian traditional materials and the cultural stories of the Wiradjuri people from Wagga Wagga made by furniture maker and designer Vivienne Wong.

Galing Giilang was inspired and informed by conversations with Wiradjuri women Ella Halvelka and Wiradjuri Elder Lorraine Tye who are all part of the Hands On Weavers group in Wagga Wagga.

From their very first discussions, the idea of creating a piece of furniture that brought people together resonated with them all. This led to the recounting of a true love story between two clans that used to reside on either side of the Murrumbidgee river, the story of Pomingalarna and Gobbagombalin.

The bench designed has two planks that slant towards the centre, reflective of the Murrumbidgee river banks, and at either ends of the bench the lomandra grass (Dirramaay) has been decoratively wrapped so that people sit between it. On the lower rail, fresh water mussel shells (Bindu-Gaany) have been inlaid in the joinery, evocative of the shady junctions of the waterways where fresh water mussels are found. For the ancestors of the Wiradjuri people finding bindu-gaany at these junctions of the river were significant as they were signs of a healthy river.

The lomandra grass (woven into a rope using traditional methods by Aunty Lorraine Tye) and mussel shells came from the land around Wagga Wagga. The timber used for the bench was salvaged Blackwood from the Otways.

mayinyguwalgu ngunggirridyu opens to the public on Saturday 5 November and will continue throughout the summer months. The Hands on Weavers invite you to view and experience the joy that is sharing stories with other people.

Artists:
Aunty Lorraine Tye - Wiradjuri
Aunty Joyce Hampton – Ngiyampaa
Neeta Lawrence -Wiradjuri
Leanne Sanders – Barkandji
Shaynae Pope – Wiradjuri
Peter Ingram – Wiradjuri
Kable Tye - Wiradjuri
Janna Havelka - Wiradjuri
Ella Havelka – Wiradjuri
Tristan Field – Walbunga

Creatives:
Vivienne Wong
Linda Elliott
Sue Clancy
Alice Peacock
Tim Crutchett
Mandy Ugo
Ben Rava
Chris Bartlett