#kukatja

[colonellickburger]

Adam Ferguson. Cultural burning near Wirrimanu/Balgo, Kukatja country, Western Australia, 2023

[dwellerinthelibrary]

The National Museum's latest acquisition tells the story of colonisation, retribution and the importance of Indigenous culture

Renowned Kimberley artist Rover Thomas' painting, Jabanunga Goorialla (the Rainbow Serpent), is donated to the National Museum of Australia.

“... the Rainbow Serpent was so angered by the weakening of Indigenous cultural practices due to colonisation, that it dove into the earth on its way to the sea, destroying the city in its wake. ‘What it was doing was actually surveying the absolute torture that's being bestowed upon mother earth. The mining holes, the cattle industry, all the other impacts of colonisation on culture and on country... He vents his wrath and brings on Cyclone Tracy."

More about Rover Thomas from the National Gallery of Victoria: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/rover-thomas/