NT sisters channel indigenous connection to country through art
That’s true. That’s a male with a big claw. And this is the female with a little claw. We could eat it, or we could use it for a bait. It’s the end of the wet season at Yruponga, near the southern edge of Arnhem Land. For sisters Rhonda and Margaret Duncan, it’s a time of abundance. When the rivers and billabongs are full of food. We left everything from mom so that when you grow up, you know where to go and where to get the animal. Pigs in Buffalo have taken a toll on these systems. It’s a loss the two sisters process through their art. It takes away the the anger. The things that you stress about in today’s world, we’re living in too well. A collection of their work is now being shown and an exhibition in Catherine. We want to treat them people, you know, to understand how we are and how we live. It’s not always smooth sailing. When Margaret taught Rhonda how to weave baskets from pandanus, there were moments of tension. Sometimes we have our little ups and downs. And I said to her, keep going. And I used to see her and I used to get angry, you know, inside. But painting together has brought the sisters closer, their art also a way to deal with grief. We’ve been helping each other. Yeah, for a long time, she’s been. When she lost the husband, she wouldn’t just feel lost. But I got here and. Full depth. Stop what you doing? Come with me. It’s hard but. Life has to go on. You got to carry a load and tuck it in the painting. A story of healing in vivid color.