In September 2022 the RUIL Indigenous Scholar Scheme funded a conservation project at Waringarri Aboriginal Arts Centre, titled “Passing on Knowledge - Poles Project 2022”.
This project was lead by Chair of the Waringarri Board, artist and arts worker Dora Griffiths, and was supported by Sophie Lewincamp, from the University of Melbourne, and Eleanor Vallier, a conservator from Care Of Studios. This work was a pilot program that brought together Miriwoong language, cultural knowledge and physical artworks, in the form of six wooden poles, painted by senior artists a decade ago. The poles are architectural features of the arts centre, supporting the verandah roof and pictorially containing cultural knowledge of six senior female artists. During one busy week, family members of these six artists gathered to conserve and repaint areas of damage on the poles, led by Dora, Sophie and Eleanor. Where the original artists were deceased or no longer painting, younger family members stepped in repaint areas of loss, continuing the pattern and story while preserving the old artists’ hand. A happy coincidence of school holidays falling within the week of work meant that many grant daughters, great-granddaughters and cousins joined the daughters and sisters of the deceased artists Ms and Mrs Mengil, and living artist Peggy Griffiths. This enabled the passing on of knowledge about colour mixing, painting, and sharing memories of recent trips to the Country referenced within the designs. Senior Miriwoong language speaker and artists Agnes Armstrong shared language for the activities of painting, colour-mixing and sharing knowledge with family groups. Linguist Frances Koford is in the process of recording and collating stories in language of each pole, for family groups to access, as well as reflections from the participants about the project. It is intended that the conservation of the poles story becomes embedded in tours of the Arts Centre for visitors. This project brought together language and cultural materials conservation, and will be built upon by Waringarri Arts to support artists and family groups in the continuation of strong culture passing down to the next generations.
We learned about our culture and ways to keep it for the next generation.
Binarri-binarrib yiniya-woorr boorroowara theniyinhang gerli-gerlileb-nginga, wayiniya yamberramoorlendayin gelengoo yawoorroong gelengajbenga-woorr
Translated by Agnes Armstrong with Frances Kofod
Jenita Mengil pictured conserving the Waringgari Arts veranda poles artworks and language stories.