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Welcome to Country - Dharug Ngurrawa 

Client: Private Client 
Location: Processing Centre Marsden Park 

Artists: Leanne Redpath (Watson) with Barahanos Byrne (Tina Barahanos & Alexandra Byrne)

Title: Welcome to Country – Dharug Ngurrawa - Wiyangamadda Ngurra

Year: 2022

Medium: Digital Print on Aluminium with Tinted Acrylic Mirror

Dimensions: H153cm x W150cm x D6cm

 

Context: Inspiration for the Welcome to Country artwork came from the dyuguma (net or string bags) used by Dharug people when gathering resources.

The shape emulates dyuguma imagery from a painting of women’s healing tools by Leanne Watson. It is overlaid with a texture created from a photograph of her mother’s own handwoven dyuguma (which can be seen on display in Rouse Hill House and Farm, Sydney Living Museums).

The text reads in Dharug then in English:

Budyari Naady’unya Dharug Ngurrawa.

Bayawu Gulbanga Ganuningang Yura Barrabugu Dharug Yurawa.

Good to see you on Dharug Land.

We pay respect to elders’ past, present and emerging on Dharug Country.

 

The following artworks were created concurrently for the TJX Australia Processing Centre at Marsden Park.

"...This area is the place (Ngurra) of the Wiyangamadda, meaning the 'place of the mothers'. The Marsden Park site is located on a place that has plenty of paperbarks and swamp areas. These places are rich in resources and medicine for Dharug yura (people) who have gathered them here throughout our long history.

The women in the group collected most of the food. Dharug people live in a matriarchal society where they are respected and cared for by their family group. Each Dharug woman has a dreaming story that is used to decorate their body for ceremonies and tools to tell their own stories. We make our dyuguma (string bags) from the reeds and tree barks to carry our food and resources in, many are gathered with our guni (digging stick) that carry our story.

The Wiyangamadda connection to this place, with knowledge of our medicine and foods that are

shared by our mothers, has supported Dharug yura for thousands of years..."

Images show the work installed. Top: Leanne Redpath Watson points out details of the background texture. Bottom Left: a detail of the text. Bottom Right: Rhiannon Wright (Leanne’s daughter) gives the Welcome to Country. The blue-green glow on the wall comes from sunlight reflected off coloured mirror installed at the back of the work

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we live, work and visit and give our respect and thanks to elders past, present and emerging for their wisdom and guidance on Country.

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