Warami Mittigar (Hello Friends)
Client: Affinity Education
Location: Papilio Early Learning Centre, Schofields
Artists: Leanne Redpath (Watson) with Barahanos Byrne (Tina Barahanos & Alexandra Byrne)
Title: Warami Mittigar - Hello Friends
Year: 2022
Medium: Exterior wall vinyl on aluminium
Dimensions: H.1.05 m x W3.3 m
Context: The Schofields Story - Schofields is situated on Wianamadagal mudyin (family) ngurra (land) meaning the place of mother.
This is an area of plains; the plains are a place where we gathered grasses and seeds and had lots of resources. This place supports many Buru’s (kangaroo’s) who rest under the shade in the heat of the day. We can see them early in the morning, feeding, and late in the afternoon.
The creation for the waterways in this ngurra is the Gurangady a large Bara (eel) like being, he was chased through ngurra by a Bulungga (tiger quoll) and Guwali (cormorant) and formed the waterways and landforms along the way. He has shimmering skin that is gold, and his eyes look like stars, he rests in the deepest parts of the water.
The plains are a place where we could travel through to many other countries when we are to go to other areas for seasonal resources. The clear waters running through Country were home to many of our mudyin who all had a story to teach us about how they lived and how to care for them. This was a place of plenty for thousands of years. The meeting places are ancient and very deep in this place.
Drawing inspiration from the Buru of the Schofields Story this artwork called Warami Mittigar - Hello Friends, brings together Leanne’s Dharug cultural knowledge and artwork with Tina and Alex’s imagery of natural elements from the local area. All imagery is used with permission. These images have been digitally collaged to create the finished artwork. They include:
• Significant local native flora and fauna
• Meeting Places - concentric circular forms with dots or lines
• Elements are represented in Dharug and English to preserve language in our present.
For Dharug yura (people) the animals and the land are also family... are also Country. This knowledge gives us a richer understanding of the world around us and our connection with it. The artwork emphasises the Schofields plains story in the darker silhouetted shapes of Buru (kangaroo) as they travel across the plains saying Warami (hello) to their Mittigar (friends). These are Garada - black cockatoo, Wombady - wombat, Maryung - emu, and Dingu - dingo). The Gurangady is chased by Bulungga and Guwali in the landscape. Their dreaming story is echoed in lighter forms in the artwork’s background.